Originally Posted by
gengar
How can you disagree when your post supports my point? It worked out because your casino host happened to have a good relationship with a nightclub host, no different than a beneficial introduction to a nightclub host any other way. Of course it doesn't hurt to ask, but it could have also turned out differently had your casino host not had a good relationship with the nightclub host.
No, I don't think so.
If I had just contacted the nightclub host beforehand (who did not know me) there is no way in hell that I would have been treated that well. They would have basically said, get a table, or wait in line with everyone else. They have no reason to treat me any better than anyone else coming to the club. On the other hand, my host DOES have a reason to see that I am treated better than the average club-goer, due to my play. By leaving my casino host out of the equation, I am losing whatever I might get as a result of that play.
BTW, pre-purchasing GA tix and arriving before the stated time essentially means no waiting in line; your host gave you very bad advice by telling you to pay at the door. Getting presales in is one aspect Vegas nightclubs are very good about, especially compared to other cities. The only people standing outside a club waiting are the ones wanting freebies, much like in the guest list line.
I think you are missing my point. Because my host called ahead, I did not have to stand in line. I did not have to show up early. I didn't even have to pay (although, as I said, I think that was an error on their part). We just showed up at our leisure and walked right in.
The reason that there is no line when you show up early is because no one wants to show up early. I'm no different. By going through my host, I don't have to, and I still don't have to wait in line.
The problem with pre-purchasing tickets is that you can't usually charge them to your room (they are usually done through a third-party ticket seller) which means that you probably aren't getting them comped (although some hosts might reimburse you if you give them receipts). Anything I charge to my room is going to be comped (within reason, of course). So I don't want to pay out of pocket unless if it's absolutely necessary. I am usually showing up for a trip with much more resort credit than I end up using (unless I'm throwing a party there, in which case I will use it all + some of my banked express comps) so paying for things out of pocket doesn't make much sense.
The one time I did have to pre-purchase tickets for something, again, I went through my casino host. They wrote a hard comp (this was for thousands of dollars), took the resort credit off my upcoming stay, and deducted the balance from my express comps.
I do have a Light Group host that I work with as well, and that works fine for reserving tables / cabanas if they don't require pre-payment (when I get there, they just take a room number and ID instead of a credit card) but if they do require pre-payment, it requires going through the casino host as well.