Inside the $25,000 Members-Only Club That Gives Access to VIP Suites at L.A.’s Biggest Arenas

Evan Nicole Brown
·4 min read
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The most expensive private suite at Crypto.com Arena might have never gotten built if it weren’t for the pandemic. The Hideaway Luxury Suite — an exclusive venue from Stadium Status, a private members club for sports and live entertainment that affords high-profile artists and musicians access to Hideaway and other premium suites around Los Angeles — is a moody, Gucci-wallpaper adorned custom suite that cost more than $2 million for the buildout.

“It really was a unique opportunity that was presented to us from Crypto.com Arena. Historically, they would never allow people to customize or do anything like we did to our suite … but with the pandemic, they were sort of in distress, like all other entertainment properties, with the lack of events,” says hospitality and entertainment entrepreneur Matt Ampolsky, who founded Stadium Status. “They’d been trying to sell us a suite for a while, so we said, ‘If you’re going to allow us to do what we want in terms of customizations, then we’ll do it.’ ” The former Staples Center has 172 suites across three levels, including an outpost of nightlife destination Hyde Lounge.

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The Hideaway suite is actually a double; two suites were gutted and combined to make a 660-square-foot space, with an electric fireplace, DJ booth and arcade claw machine. Stadium Status’ suite access began as a friends-and-family and “networking marketing tool,” Ampolsky says, who used it to meet with agents, managers, promoters and the like. “But it evolved into this members club, where we had more demand.”

Hideaway’s most popular nights are Lakers games, especially on weekends. “It definitely turns into a big party … there’s a lot of champagne and people taking shots,” Ampolsky notes. Hideaway has been visited by guests including Diplo, Eva Longoria and Olivia Rodrigo. Membership to Stadium Status is a one-time fee of $25,000, which is converted into 300 “event tokens” that go toward utilization of the com­pany’s suites (it also has VIP spaces at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium and Exposition Park’s BMO soccer stadium) and amenities. Once these tokens are used up (a Lakers game is 5 tokens, for example), members can buy more credits.

Next up, the Stadium Status team is working on building a Hideaway-esque suite — just a couple rows from the court — at the Intuit Dome, the Clippers’ new home in Inglewood that opens in 2024.

Stadium Status’ Confirmed 360 suite at SoFi Stadium.
Stadium Status’ Confirmed 360 suite at SoFi Stadium.

Ampolsky is also the founder of Confirmed360, an experiential entertainment agency and concierge business. It specializes in offering event activations and elevated fan experiences — like meet and greets, VIP soundcheck access, and merch — at live music and entertainment shows. To date, Confirmed 360 has curated experiences for a range of artists, including partnering with H. Wood Group during Super Bowl weekend in L.A. last year for performances by Justin Bieber and Drake, and for Lady Gaga’s and Usher’s Las Vegas residencies.

Recently, they have branched out into sports thanks to a partnership with the Golden State Warriors and Chase Center to offer fans a unique, on-court ‘MVP experience’ that allows them to participate in a shooting challenge. Says Ampolsky: “[It was] the perfect opportunity for us to cross over into sports and take everything that we’ve done and learned on the music side and bring it into the sports world.”

Suite Experience Group is another company through which customers can get VIP suite access. It specializes in luxury rentals at venues across the country, including Crypto.com. Costs for Lakers and Clippers games typically range from $2,000 to $12,000 and accommodate 12 to 30 guests. Amenities like VIP parking, special entrances, private restrooms and access to stadium clubs are generally included.

“When it comes to suites, the L.A. market has some of the most impressive venues in the country,” says Suite Experience Group president Scott Spencer, noting SoFi’s field cabanas and BMO Stadium’s reputation as having some of the most opulent suites available to MLS devotees. “There is a bit of a venue arms race underway, and the biggest beneficiaries are the fans.”

This story first appeared in the April 26 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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