Las Vegas - Front of Line;VIP Entry to Clubs

Wife and I are coming over from the UK on the Mar 16th for 5 nights. We have some nice dinner reservations (Mix, Twist, Picasso) and the would like to so some classy clubs after dinner for a drink and a dance, we are trendy 40 somethings and my wife does not do standing in line....

We are booked into the Bellagio. Will we will get into Bank for free without getting in line, or do we have to asked for passes etc at concierge ..

Not sure how this all works in Vegas. Should we book some tickets ?

Thanks for any advice from the regulars.

Dermot

LOL at "wife does not do standing on lines"

We are booked into the Bellagio. Will we will get into Bank for free without getting in line, or do we have to asked for passes etc at concierge ..

Not sure how this all works in Vegas. Should we book some tickets ?


You probably won't get any special treatment for staying at Bellagio unless one of you is a high roller. According to Vegas.com (http://www.vegas.com/nightclubs/thebank/) you can buy VIP line passes directly from the club for around $25-50 depending on the day of week and gender of the buyer.

If you plan on visiting some other clubs, you might want to buy a VIP "multi club" passes like this (http://www.vegaspartypass.com/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=6&idproduct=51) or this (http://vegaspassport.com/cart?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=1&category_id=1). I've never tried one of those myself, so I don't know if one covers you and your guest or not. YMMV.

It has been awhile, but back in '06-'07 the $25-30 line passes were a waste of money. Those passes usually let you skip the 3 hour Main Line and skip directly to the 1.5 hour "VIP line". You could also grab a free "VIP voucher" from the guys slapping them on the sidewalk and wait a couple hours instead in the "early entry" line.

Since you mentioned a party size of 2, and a line-averse partner, I'd recommend paying for the services of a "promoter". In return for a per-person fee that ranges based on the desirability of the club you want access to, a professionally-dressed person with a very official-looking clipboard will meet you in the casino, escort you directly to the bouncers at the velvet rope, whisper whisper wink wink and you're in. Five years ago, when Pure was the ticket in town, the promoter charged $130/person which included whatever the ridiculous cover charge and bribe was required for entry.

This sounds expensive, but keep in mind how much it usually costs to provide exactly what the wife desires on a vacation :) ^

I've also heard very good things about the Foundation Room at the Mandalay Bay. Incredible views, less of a "clubb-y" feeling. May be exactly what the doctor ordered if your version of "trendy 40-something" prefers $15 Cosmos to $600 bottles of Veuve Clicquot.

Sounds like the promoter is the way to go. I ran across some great reviews of a lady that provides this service in Vegas, she is listed on YELP.com Doesn't always need to accompany you either, lots of the clubs, she will call ahead and you placed on whichever list you want.

my wife does not do standing in line....

You're vacationing in the wrong city then. To put it in perspective for you, John Unwin was denied direct entry into Marquee recently.

To put it in perspective for you, John Unwin was denied direct entry into Marquee recently.

Who?

Who?

Sorry, should have just written "the CEO of Cosmopolitan". ;)

Frankly, if I were him, I would have just shut Marquee down right there.

when did John Unwin have to wait... is there a link to a story on this?

Most likely, you won't get to the front of the line unless you have some sort of line pass. The nightclubs aren't owned by the casino, so even if you stay there, there usually isn't pull. I suggest going to the club early in the day, and usually there will be a promoter standing in front, get some line passes from them.

I have emailed the concierge at the Foundation Room at the Mandalay Bay to see what I can can arrange.
Mar 17th is St Patricks day, I am irish and they are running an event. We are also dining in the hotel that evening (Pierre Gagnaire).

I have emailed the concierge at the Foundation Room at the Mandalay Bay to see what I can can arrange.
Mar 17th is St Patricks day, I am irish and they are running an event. We are also dining in the hotel that evening (Pierre Gagnaire).

The Foundation Room is not too difficult to get into. It's an older crowd and doesn't have the kind of lines or scene that the youngsters' clubs do. By the way, Twist by Pierre Gagnaire, while one of my favorite restaurants in Las Vegas, is in the Mandarin Oriental, not Mandalay Bay. :)

QL

Wife and I are coming over from the UK on the Mar 16th for 5 nights. We have some nice dinner reservations (Mix, Twist, Picasso) and the would like to so some classy clubs after dinner for a drink and a dance, we are trendy 40 somethings and my wife does not do standing in line....

We are booked into the Bellagio. Will we will get into Bank for free without getting in line, or do we have to asked for passes etc at concierge ..

Not sure how this all works in Vegas. Should we book some tickets ?

Thanks for any advice from the regulars.

Dermot

You need to know somebody to "not stand in line". I would pick a less trendy place if you really don't want to wait in line.

By the time you get into many of these "trendy" places, you want to just get the heck out, especially if you're in you're 40's. It's full of 20 something year olds who are in a totally different mindset from a 40 year old. It's a "scene" but you'll want to leave that scene pretty quickly after getting in.