From the Las Vegas Sun
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"The Hangover" and other movies portray Las Vegas as a haven for bachelors looking to get wild before they get married. But just as many women come here for a last hurrah before tying the knot.
Local nightclubs report a booming bachelorette business.
"We were seeing such an explosion we had to hire extra help in the office just to handle the calls," said Jason Strauss, one of the owners of the Tao Group.
This year, the Tao Group decided to try to capitalize on the market by hosting what's being billed as "the world's largest bachelorette party." Hundreds of women have booked special packages to nightclub group's venues. The party begins tonight and runs through Sunday at the Venetian and Palazzo.
"We want to establish Las Vegas as a capital for bachelorette parties," Strauss said. "And of course, we want to plant our flag as the leader."
Since 2010, bachelorette business at the Tao Group has jumped 20 percent each year, Strauss said. Owners declined to provide exact figures, but said the take has been in the millions.
The company said it receives more than 150 inquiries a week about bachelorette packages and ends up hosting about 30 parties every weekend.
"We not only have dedicated staff, but we've allocated a portion of our budget to target marketing to just bachelorettes," Strauss said.
Hyde at the Bellagio, which opened last New Year's Eve, found itself so deluged with bachelorette inquiries that by July, it had to hire a staff organizer to meet the demand. Bill Kennedy, Hyde's director of marketing and programming, said the club handles dozens of inquiries each week.
Hyde offers packages that include club seating, bottle and table service and gift bags. They range in price from $35 to $1,500 per person. Tao's regular packages start at $40 per person.
This weekend's event offers four nights of club access to the Tao Group's three Venetian venues for $149 per person. Wine and champagne tasting, bottle service and spa treatments are included.
"We're not looking to make the same kinds of margins because we're hoping to create a brand that will become an annual event," Strauss said.
The expected influx of ladies also caused the nightclubs to reverse their guest strategy. Typically, hosts recruit female customers to entice male customers. This weekend, the Tao Group partnered with Maxim magazine to lure men to the club.
Strauss calls it "keeping the diversity" in the crowd.
"By partnering with Maxim," he said, "we're making sure we get the other side of the spectrum."