For Houston residents and revellers alike, Jonathan Reitzell and Mojeed Martins are the mayors – just don’t call them that. Chances are, they’ve got the real mayor on speed dial.
Instead, Reitzell and Martins, on paper, are the founders of ALife Hospitality Group, which is responsible for high profile special events, restaurants, and bringing some of the nation’s top entertainers to the city. To date, they own Lost & Found, Kamp Houston, Drip Carwash, and co-own Prospect Park North & Prospect Park South. It may sound like small potatoes, but the company currently employs over 300 people in Houston and surrounding areas, as it is, indeed, a proven formula of bottles, models and no-holds-barred excess.
A well-designed space, the right music, copious amounts of top-shelf booze—all those things are important to Reitzell and Martins’ lucrative business. But the thing that really matters are their relationships — because the most important part of being nightlife’s great conductors always comes with being its best relationship manager.
An average Saturday night at trophy property KAMP Nightclub, located in the Galleria area, that could expect to host more than 2,500 guests, some of who shell out thousands of dollars for a table reservation in the coveted, always crowded section of its outdoor section, where athletes rub shoulders with reality stars, Instagram models and hip hop artists, the like.
They have curated events for superstars such as Drake, Travis Scott, Lebron James, Rick Ross, Jay-Z and more, also executing the annual James Hardin weekend, making it evident that they are a force in Houston and surrounding areas.
“We wanted to bring a sports-like feel and give people an avenue to be able to enjoy it seven days a week versus just on the weekend when the clubs were available, and that’s where we started,” says Sean Knight, Director of Training and Employee Development of ALife Hospitality.
Knight, who joined ALife’s elite “fraternity” this year, has made it his mission to help elevate the standard of service that the company provides to its customers. Which, in nightlife and hospitality, is just as important as the venue, food and celebrities that frequent them.
“Since then, we’ve grown into a vast hospitality company with multiple concepts such as Kamp. We have Lost & Found, two Prospect Park locations and many more come. What we’re about here is just all about hospitality and providing an atmosphere, unlike what you can find in the city, and that’s kind of how we came up with the idea of Kamp, of creating that outdoor environment.
For Reitzell and Martin, their budding business acumen began on the campus of University of Houston, where they both were planning separate events. Within no time, they connected and became a force to reckon with as promoters, nightlife, and eventually within the hospitality industry. Prior to becoming ALife Hospitality, they were widely known as “Aristocrat.” Through Aristocrat, the dynamic duo worked with some of the industry’s top artists such as Drake where they helped to kick off Houston Appreciation Week (HAW) and worked with some of Houston’s top nightclubs.
Knight continues, “If you want to go to a sports bar concept, we have that. If you want to go to an elevated sports bar concept that has bottle service and things of that nature, we have that. If you want to go to a full service restaurant, because bottle service or clubs is not your thing, we have that as well. So the idea behind it is creating vibes for everyone in the city. That way, we’re not exclusive to anyone, but inclusive of everyone.”
That idea has now turned ALife into one of the most popular and exciting hospitality companies — and made Houston a premiere nightlife destination in the United States. The best part? Their empire is only growing. We can’t wait to see what’s next.