Why Bottle Service in Los Angeles is Not For Tourists

Here is a little insight into why bottle service in Los Angeles is not for tourists only.  First of all, many people in Los Angeles like to party right.  As natives, or scenesters, it is an insult to wait in line or to pay to get in.   It’s just a cultural thing.  It shouldn’t be an insult to have to wait like anyone else or pay like anyone else, but because LA is full of egotistical people and it is part of the culture, it is an insult for most.  Natives want the hookup, to party right, to not be treated like just another head.

The reason why bottle Service in Los Angeles is not for tourists only is because native Angelinos like to do things right or not do them at all.  They want and expect the VIP treatment.  Native scenesters don’t want to fight in lines or wait for drinks.  When you have a table you are partying ‘proper’, true VIP style no matter what club, night or scene.

Getting bottle service serves many purposes including the real estate of your own area in a crowded club, the privilege of being served instead of having to fight for each drink with other clubgoers at the bar, and freedom to invite people over.  It’s like literally hosting your own mini party within the club!

If you think about it now, what is possibly better than hosting your mini party within a hot club night?  Where you don’t have to be pushed, pulled or fight for dance space or drinks.  Where you get served and waited on hand and foot by the bottle service girl.  This is partying the right way.  And Angelinos like to do it right or not do it at all.  Now you see why bottle service in Los Angeles is not for tourists.  It’s for natives just as much as it is for tourists.

If anything, tourists probably are shocked at the prices if they aren’t familiar with table service in large cities (such as Vegas, NYC, or Miami).  Tourists (or people who just don’t know) if anything are the ones who can’t understand why someone would pay $400 for a bottle of liquor that you can buy at Ralphs for $40.  Just like people used to Hollywood nightlife would be confused at how clubs let anybody in, or charges girls cover.  Different scenes have different cultures, and rules and norms that apply.  Bottle service is an integral party of Hollywood nightlife for specific reasons, and it is for both natives and tourists alike.

Drais Hollywood

Drais Hollywood came on the scene in LA, dominated the most premium real estate in Hollywood within the new W hotel, and started with a bang trying to bring a little of their Vegas model to LA (sans the actual afterhours).  At first, for the first couple of months, it worked. Drais was hot.  Everyone wanted to book private events, corporate events, tables, see and be seen at Drais.  Once the glory time ended Drais was one of the few clubs in LA to fully execute a sustainable plan.  Supperclub LA is the only club to do a similar sustainable approach (just much better).

Drais has within the past few months hit what is close to rock bottom.  If you ever look at their crowd waiting in line outside on any given Friday or Saturday night the crowd is nothing but out of towners in all different sorts of dress clearly identifying their out of town status.  This is why Drais is the only club to put a distinct warning upon their events.  Their warning is “Dress Code:  DRESS TO IMPRESS!  All Patrons Subject to Doorman's Discretion. Upscale Fashion Forward Attire. No fitted caps or printed shirts with offensive or aggressive graphics (i.e. Ed Hardy, Affliction, etc.)”

Distinct dress code is good.  It’s almost impossible to know the true dress code of any given club on any given night ahead of time.  In some circles hipster attire for the non-hipster crowd is trending with plastic glasses and jean shorts. In other circles dressing in dresses and heels for any event is a no-brainer.  In other circles it’s urban couture with partial cut up and see through shirts and men with distinct labels.  The fact that they have to clearly warn people to now in 2012 wear Ed Hardy in LA (where Ed Hardy was over in early 2011) shows who the clubgoers are.  

The only good night is Sunday because it is hosted by Dim Mak.  Drais Hollywood was the only club aside from Boulevard3 that attempted to refuse to use promoters.  The reason promoters in Hollywood exist is to curate specific crowds.  When a club doesn’t use promoters it’s highly likely they will not curate a specific crowd, particularly if they not a tiny sized club (such as Hyde lounge). 

Even tiny sized Hyde lounge and Trousdale lounge uses Hollywood promoters.  They have very distinct crowds on very distinct nights.  Crowds are why people go out and why they rave the next day.  It’s all about the people inside, it’s not about the club décor or drinks they serve.  Drais went crashing because they refused to curate any specific crowd.  And now they are left with randoms upon randoms.  

Enough to the point where now they actually make people wait outside in line (standard in Hollywood) to seem like a big deal.. and then charge now a $50 no wait vip access ticket.  So for $50 you can pay to not wait in line. Which is worth it, if Drais was worth it.  The irony is Drais is the same force that makes you wait.  So this is a new nightlife twist considering Drais Hollywood could very well decide to make people wait in line now not too look good to passerby traffic, but to make the crowd waiting in line pay an extra $50.  Nightlife just got funnier. 

Dance Nightclubs in Hollywood and Night Clubs in LA

Competition is vicious among proprietors of bars, lounges and night clubs. The nightlife of a city is its motivating factor. The different cities are not the only rivalry for nightclub domination. Dance nightclubs in Hollywood are a dime a dozen however like other nightclubs in California you need to know what the club is about and the multitude it accommodates in order to have a fun and memorable night. Bear in mind that all types of nightclubs are found in California and each needs to address several needs such as entertainment, specials and scene.

This is one of the reasons why there is a need to do your research before walking into any nightclubs you might come across. It is also a good plan to be acquainted with what goes on inside the dance nightclubs in Hollywood before you take yourself through the doors. Be equipped for the battle for dominance with doorman to get in, and then be prepared for the variety of what to expect inside.
It is best for owners and managers of nightclubs to get the names of their nightclubs  heard as much as possible whether through word of mouth or through magazines and other methods. The right list of nightclubs can make or break your night.

Regional expectations often define nightclubs from the alluring and stylish smaller dance nightclubs in Hollywood to the flashy and big Las Vegas nightclubs. Do not ever doubt that owning nightclubs does not have the probability to be extremely lucrative. The cold cash is there or else the competition wouldn’t be as fierce, which is why you must make your nightclub’s name unique to stand out among other nightclubs. Learning from the errors of other nightclubs in your location to save you money, time and effort rebuilding a status. You should always recognize that name acknowledgment is going to be the golden apple when it comes to building business in nightlife.