How To Hook Up in a Hotel Bar

June 6, 2007 at 10:25 AM | by pbb | Comments (0)

Dushan Zaric and Jason Kosmas are the bartenders we'd want to be in another (non-hotel-obsessed) life. Smooth, creative and entertaining behind their West Village bar, Employees Only, they also know how pour us a stiff drink.

And ever since their book came out--You Didn't Hear It From Us: Two Bartenders Serve Women the Truth About Men, Making an Impression, and Getting What You Want--we've wanted to chat 'em up about why we keep missing out on hooking up at the hotel bars we so often frequent. Lo and behold, we were able to spend some quality time with Dushan learning his thoughts on the hotel bar scene today.

HC: So tell us about the book. Where did the idea come from, and why did you write it?

DZ: It came about because of a cocktail book Jay and I were writing that sort of became our bar training manual. Our friend, who is our agent, said we should do it because the manual had a lot of observation about what's really going on at a bar.

We're not emotionally attached to the movie playing out in front of us at the bar. And we said, "Why would we ever help the other team? It's the men--well, the boys--that need the help." And she said, "There's a lot of women that need your help."

So what are some of the biggest mistakes women make trying to pick up men?

The first is they forget their intention, meaning, why are you out tonight? Is meeting someone, is this encounter going to take you away from your intention? When women are out, drinking at bars, you know, reality shifts. And women forget that they have the power: when they say yes, sex happens. Another mistake is that some women really expect a romantic and emotional something, and men don't know about this.

That's for sure. What do you think of hotel bars?

Well things are different than at a place like ours, the energy is different. You know, there aren't regulars at hotel bars, and the bartender is just a face. You don't have a hotel bar that you just go and hang out at. But you have lots of tourists and lots of guests. They have some time on their hands, and they usually want some company--and it doesn't have to be sexual right off the bat. It's a far easier thing to find company at a hotel bar than at a regular bar. And, of course, you both have rooms upstairs.

Sounds like the perfect place for a hook-up.

These are people who are out of town, with time to spend. On the road it might be "anything goes" and you'll be traveling again the next day. It's much easier to find somebody to talk with and get some company. A lot of people fantasize about that, a guest alone, a little corporate, out of her regular environment. I mean, come on!

Any particular hotel bars in Manhattan you like?

I used to go to the Oak Bar [at The Plaza]. Bemelmans [at the Carlyle Hotel] is great. You know, there's a lot of development these days with boutique hotels and everything. [Ed. Note: Don't remind us!] Maybe Employees Only will open one--who knows?

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