NightLife: Getting Past Club Bouncers Is (Almost) as Easy as an Online RSVP

Rita Burns, a blur of activity, is among those in the know who has access to Donovan House's roof deck for its Monday pool parties. (By Danielle Scruggs For The Washington Post)

Taking the hardest line on the reservation trend is Fly Lounge's Fly Private party on Fridays. Ezra Qassim, who previously worked at the Shadow Room in Foggy Bottom where anyone can RSVP through the Web site, acknowledges that the Internet has democratized the admissions process, whereas before, "to get invited to clubs you had to know a promoter or a manager or buy a table."

So to snag a spot on the guest list at Fly, you have to "request an invitation" from Qassim or co-promoter Jamie Hess. "It's really like an upscale house party," Qassim explains. "I, Jamie or someone else knows you."

Ariel Beck, 24, who works at a law firm in Baltimore, met Qassim when he worked at Shadow Room. "Fly is really intimate. It can only fit a certain amount of people," she says. "And it's friends or friends of friends, so you have a connection, even if you don't know everyone. It's a better feeling than walking into a large bar that's full of random people you don't really know."

Beck recommended Fly Private to a lot of her friends and got them on the list, and now they go, even if she's not around.

As a recent Friday night turned into Saturday morning at the lounge, where a basement-level room was styled to look like the interior of a jet, almost every table was reserved, and the small dance floor was crammed. Hands waved in the air, shots flowed at the bar.

"When I walk in on a Friday night, I know at least a quarter of the people," says Brian Gauch, a director of business development for Sport & Health Clubs. "That's a big thing for me."

Gauch, 31, knew Qassim, and at his first Fly Private in June, he says he was surprised that he knew a number of people right off the bat. "To be in a place that plays good music and is invite-only, where I can be with my friends on a Friday night -- that's where I want to go."

There is a caveat: Some people still randomly show up on Fridays. But, Qassim says, "we don't just turn people away. We say, 'Hey, you know, it's invite-only and we're busy right now, but if you want to come back later, maybe we can let you in when it's not so full,' " and some people do come back and get in. "Also, I'm not going to lie, if it's a good-looking crowd, I'm not going to turn them away.

"It's not trying to be pretentious. It's trying to keep the brand."

In other words: Perhaps some things never change.

One Hundred Percent Fridays

Fridays from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. at Policy, 1904 14th St. NW.

Getting on the list: Search for "One Hundred Percent Fridays" on Facebook or visit http://www.tinyurl.com/100percentfridays. Call 646-457-0553 for table reservations.

Greater Good Mondays

Mondays from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Donovan House hotel (rooftop deck), 1155 14th St. NW. Hotel phone: 202-737-1200.

Getting on the list: RSVP to http://www.tinyurl.com/GreaterGoodMondayRSVP. RSVP by 3 p.m. Monday.

Fly Private

Fridays from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Fly Lounge, 1802 Jefferson Pl. NW.

Getting on the list: Search for "Fly Private Fly Lounge" on Facebook. You can also e-mail Ezra Qassim at ezrapr@gmail.comor Jamie Hess at jamie@jamiehess.comfor guest list info or for table reservations.