Rachael Palaima is a junior at DU majoring in Marketing and minoring in Psychology. More importantly though, collegiettes, we think Rachael may have just solved our going out problems. She has recently started a local internship in Denver with a startup company called Hotspot. The company started in Seattle, but ~thank God~ just expanded to Denver.
Here’s how Hotspot works, ladies. First, you gotta download the app. You know how you’ll get a Facebook notification when your friends are interested in events around you, and it has actually become quite convenient? Hotspot does something similar. What Rachael does in her Marketing Internship position, is go from bar to bar in the Denver area, and pitch the idea of Hotspot. These bars will then hold an event through the app, which – and this is very important, okay – will bring you your very own happy hour, with two hours of uNLiMiTeD dRiNkS for $10.
This eliminates several problems: trying to figure out which bar is the best for that night, trying to perfect your pregame so you don’t have to spend money while out, and sitting at your table and waiting endlessly for the bill at the end of the night. All you have to do is find an event you’d be interested in, pay $10 right then and there on the app, and show the bouncer your phone when you get there. The next two hours is all you, sister. I can’t say that I go out in Denver enough to know about every deal offered downtown, but I can say that I (nor anyone that I’ve asked) haven’t come accros any that offer unlimited drinks for any amount of time, so we decided that the game has officially been changed.
“We definitely pride ourselves, because people know about Yelp and Foursquare where you can get deals and discounts, and while those are great they spread pretty thin, because they’re doing food, drinks, accessories, clothing – but we focus specifically on bars and nightlife and just making the app a user-friendly experience”, Rachael said. Hotspot had over 200 people at their last event, which was held at Society Sports and Spirits. They are also starting to host more and more, which means they are forming relationships with lots of fun, local and hip bars downtown.
The best part about the app – you know, besides the two hours of unlimited drinks – is that it will always keep you connected with your social network. Through the app, you’ll get notifications about new events near you, and you’ll also be able to see who you know that’s going, and who you know that’s interested. You can also invite your friends through the app, instead of taking screenshots and impossibly figuring out plans through the GroupMe.
Liking their Facebook page is another way to get similar updates, and Rachael promised that the page doesn’t bombard you (and it really doesn’t). It truly is one of those rare, refreshing pages that honestly and geniuenly is just telling people about great events near them. So, give it a try. Hotspot’s Facebook page can be found by searching “Hotspot-Denver”, and the app can be found by searching “Hotspot Happy Hour”. The rest is as simple as two hours of infinite cocktails. Happy drinking, collegiettes!