Comps & Players Clubs, Gambling

Hard Rock Hotel’s Backstage Pass Players Club

I am a little late on the draw to this since I don’t really pay a lot of attention to what is happening at the Hard Rock Hotel.  It looks like I may be staying there in the near future, though, so I took some time to investigate the new players club.

Here is what I found.

In March, the Hard Rock Hotel revamped their Rockstar Club players club and they have renamed it the Backstage Pass (which, ironically, is what the club had been called  before it became the Rockstar Club).  If you had a Rockstar Club account or the old Back Stage Pass account, your account number is still the same.  The new club joins the trend that Total Rewards started and it allows you to earn comps for hotel stays and purchases, but unlike Mlife and Total Rewards, it does not give you Tier Points for purchases. Tier points are only earned for slot and table play.

Here are the main details: (UPDATED Nov. 1, 2013)

Earning Tier and Comp Points:

$1 Coin-In for Slots = 1 Comp Point and 1 Tier Point (same as it was for the Rockstar Club)
$2 Coin-In for Video Poker* = 1 Comp Point and 1 Tier Point (used to be $1 per point, just like slots)
*Optimum/Full Pay Video Poker Machines: $4 Coin-In = 1 Point

Comp and Tier Points for Table Games are generated based on average bet and length of time played.  As usual, the specific earning rates are not given, but the more player-friendly the game is, the less comp friendly it is.

One hour of Poker Play =1000 Comp Points (but NO TIER POINTS)
Effectively, you get $1 in comps per hour of poker play.  Casinos don’t usually give you a lot for poker, but this is very low.

Every $1 spent for hotel, dining, nightlife, entertainment, spa/salon and participating retail outlets = 10 Comp Points (but no Tier Points). 
1000 Comp Points = $1 in comps or free slot play. That equates to a 1% rebate on purchases (spend $100, get 1000 Comp Points which equals $1 in comps). This isn’t bad for a players club, but since you do not get Tier Points for purchases you cannot earn a higher tier through purchases with the Backstage Pass.

Backstage Pass has 4 tier levels:

  • General Admission (Base Level)
  • Entourage (20,000 Tier Points)
  • Platinum Access (125,000 Tier Points)
  • Nirvana (by invitation only)

The General Admission level gives you:

  • 10% Room Rate discount
  • 10% Spa discount
  • 10% Hard Rock Store and Love Jones discount
  • Access to pre-sale concert tickets
  • Unspecified new “Dining Discounts”

Entourage gives you:

  • Priority check-in
  • 20% Room Rate discount
  • 20% Spa discount
  • 20% Hard Rock Store and Love Jones discount
  • Priority Seating at Mr Lucky’s and Pink Taco
  • Line Pass for The Joint

Platinum Access gives you that, plus:

  • Dedicated Line at Backstage Pass desk
  • Host Services
  • Priority Valet
  • VIP Lounge check-in at HRH Tower
  • Room upgrades
  • Prefered Seating at The Joint
  • Early check-in / late check-out
  • 30% Room Rate discount
  • 30% Spa discount
  • 30% Hard Rock Store and Love Jones discount
  • Priority line for 35 Steaks + Martinis, Culinary Dropout and Fu
  • Priority access to Body English and the Beachlife Pools
  • Guaranteed dining reservations

The new Nirvana level gives you everything that Platinum does. No other details have been publicly released for the Nirvana level.

Given the limited nature of the Backstage Pass, I do not see it as a particularly useful players club unless that is where you like to stay and play.

As a quick comparison, here is what $1000 coin in on a slot machine will get you from a few players clubs as well as how much play it would take to get similar Tier status:

Backstage Pass
$1000 coin in = 1000 Comp and Tier Points = $1 in comps.
$20,000 coin in = Entourage status

Total Rewards
$1000 coin in = 200 Reward Credits and Tier Credits = $2 in comps (you might earn additional Reward Credits depending upon the game)
$25,000 coin in = Platinum status (this reflects the new 5000 Tier Points requirement that went into effect on January 1, 2013)

mlife
$1000 coin in = 333 Base/Comp Points and 3333 Tier Credits = $3.33 in comps and $3.33 in FREEPLAY
$7500 coin in = Pearl status
$22,500 coin in = Gold Status (a closer match to the Backstage Pass Entourage level)

Identity (The Cosmopolitan)
$1000 coin in = 667 Identity Points = $6.67 in comps or free slot credits
$30,000 coin in = Gold Status