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How much do hosts make?

Discussion in 'Comps' started by BeeeJay, Mar 10, 2013.

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  1. BeeeJay

    BeeeJay President of The Red Lobster Hostess Satisfaction

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    Just curious how much money the typical host in Vegas makes. I'm guessing it varies by property and varies immensely by their clientelle. I wonder if some of our high rollers here have any ideas.

    I'll take a wild stab. I'm guessing some of the clowns at the low-end props make a base like $50,000-$75,000 or something like that? While I could see someone at a high end prop pulling down $250,000 including under-the-table tips.

    Any thoughts?
     
  2. Kickin

    Kickin Flea

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    I think your numbers are high. Googling it and finding numbers off places like salary.com and random articles it seems its more around 50k median in Vegas with 90% making under 100k in salary + bonus. I know those sites don't have good data for all industries though, for instance they way understate the salaries of any i-banking type job in NY, but for the hosts they match what I suspected. It doesn't seem like an industry with many barriers to entry. For the very top hosts those under the table tips from the whales may add up to a lot though I bet our resident whale Natedog is more generous than most.

    A lot of the hosts you know are probably on LinkedIn and you can see their backgrounds. I've never seen any that had impressive histories.
     
  3. Nittany1

    Nittany1 VIP Whale

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  4. C0usineddie

    C0usineddie VIP Whale

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    glassdoor puts them from about 35k-- 73k.
     
  5. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

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    It isn't as much based on lower or higher level props it's lower or higher level hosts. A base level host might make 30k but an established senior host might make 300-500k or more with bonuses. One of my hosts told me about a 200k bonus he got for bringing in a big new player that lost a ton. And that was just one bonus.
     
  6. Nittany1

    Nittany1 VIP Whale

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    I just talked to my friend who is an independent and books all the CET properties in Las Vegas along with Cosmo and Trop.
    He and his wife were former inside hosts.
    He seems to think that with a few exceptions most hosts at all CET earn less than 100K.
    He said there may be a couple at Caesars who earn over 200K but not many.
    His opinion is that those guys are rapidly becoming dinosaurs.
    The successful ones can make more money on the outside as independents like him.
     
  7. mbely1000

    mbely1000 Low-Roller

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    Whatever it is, it is not enough. It is hard work ignoring my emails and giving inconsistent answers to my questions.
     
  8. stuntin909

    stuntin909 Low-Roller

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    Always wondered if these people like their jobs or if they do it simply for the money.
     
  9. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

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    it's like any job. at the low end it sucks because you get shitty hours and you're everybody's bitch. but as you work your way up in seniority it has a ton of perks. the high level hosts I know play golf all the time, get paid trips to events like pro sports games, the Superbowl, etc, concerts, lots of time off, great hours, lots of bonuses, etc. and more than half the time even when you're on the clock, you're usually just hanging out drinking and eating with your players.
     
  10. Bane

    Bane Tourist

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    These figures are accurate for the hosts at Wynn and MGM casinos as well. A handful of international and independent hosts make above 200k but its very rare for a domestic host employed by a single casino. It is not a high paying job.

    Trust me shifter, your host is exaggerating his figures.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  11. tacallian

    tacallian Low-Roller

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    That's the part that really makes it sound neat. Yeah, the fight tickets were for your guest, but you get to go too because you're "taking them out".

    I would imagine that hosts are a lot like commission sales. Obviously in the high end but ultimately the same idea. It's probably where a lot of the comp discretion that does exist comes in to play. They CAN comp you more, but it hurts their commission. heh
     
  12. wigwam_salesman

    wigwam_salesman VIP Whale

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    Anyone that tells you that they do their job for any other reason is either lying to you or doesn't need the money.
     
  13. BeeeJay

    BeeeJay President of The Red Lobster Hostess Satisfaction

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    wouldn't $30,000 a year basically be homeless? maybe costs are less in Vegas?
     
  14. atom

    atom High-Roller

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    A full time minimum wage job in the US pays about 15,000. So, no, 30k isn't homeless.
     
  15. BreakEven

    BreakEven High-Roller

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    Many people have multiple jobs and are still homeless.

    Maybe they live on the free booze + tip money? :evillaugh
     
  16. natedog666

    natedog666 17 and 20 Expert

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    I found out from a source my Wynn host makes about 180k including bonus, not including tips. So I'm guessing 300k. Don't think these hosts are making less money than some players....they just have the skills to take crap from people....

    Edit: BTW, in the hierarchy of hosts, she's actually not the highest at the Wynn, she has three levels above her...but obviously about 3 levels below her.
     
  17. BeeeJay

    BeeeJay President of The Red Lobster Hostess Satisfaction

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    I sometimes think it would be better to live in my car and be an affluent homeless person rather than live in my house and be a poor non-homeless person.:peace:

    I usually think this about the time I fork over $25K for some home remodeling and have to play quarters on my Vegas trip.:grrr:
     
  18. leo21

    leo21 VIP Whale

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    Locally, I have no idea how much hosts make but I have observed the veteran ones are doing more junkets with their customers. Most are to other casinos in the brand but some are just trips for big sporting events. One host we talked to found the increase travel opportunities one of the best parts of her jobs. In addition, they eat at all the property restaurants all the time that I am surprised they don't get sick of them. The other employees usually just meals in the buffet.
     
  19. mbely1000

    mbely1000 Low-Roller

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    Wait, are you implying that you think that hosts make $120K a year in tips? I cannot imagine it is that high. From my understanding from talking to some hosts/former hosts, their job is very similar to most sales jobs, it has a below average base salary and most of their income is based off of "sales" (in their case, they get a percentage of their players' losses).

    I am guessing that during the boom economy they were making mid six figures, but during the economic downturn, it is more like $150K to $250K.
     
  20. Naturaleight

    Naturaleight MIA

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    What I'd be interested to know is what percentage of our theo hosts get in commission?
     
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