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Come All Ye Boozy Faithful: The Met Bar Ditches Its Members Only Policy

Where: 19 Old Park Lane, London, United Kingdom, W1K 1LB

In many cases, the most exclusive hotel cocktail haunts (Bungalow 8, et al.) adhere to a hard and fast rule: If you're not on the list, don't bother sashaying up to the velvet rope, no matter how high your Louboutins. One of London's staple mixology lounges, however, has 86'ed the "Members Only" maxim in favor of a "come one, come all" approach to coincide with its recent reopening post-renovation.

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London Hotels / Hotel Bars / Hotel Cocktails / Hotel Lounges / → All Tags

Where to Find a Proper Stiff Drink at London Hotels

Fact, plain and simple: London is not a cocktail town. A proper pint Londoners know, but the art of the mixed drink sometimes eludes those tending to liqueurs behind the bar. In recent years, however, a few chic speakeasies dedicated to crafting Prohibition era-inspired concoctions have opened their doors to discerning drinkers, raising the standard for cocktails in a city where ales and ciders rule.

Hotels are catching up in kind, with mixologists going for top-shelf gold with creative, original drink menus that shame those who dare order a Cosmopolitan as they sidle up to their boozy companions for the evening. And Appletinis? Don't even think about it. What follows are three hotels bars making an effort to reverse London's mediocre cocktail reputation and give it the cred to compete with the likes of New York. We'll drink to that.

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Hotel Libraries / Hotel Books / Hotel Lounges / London Hotels / Hotel Bars / → All Tags

Pour Over Pretty Fashion Tomes at The Halkin's New Assouline 'Culture Lounge'

Where: Halkin Street, United Kingdom, SW1X 7DJ

Cocktails and Chanel Retrospectives — the perfect combo

Taschen and Assouline have won acclaim for releasing gorgeous fashion, art, and design tomes, going head to head for prominence in the realm of luxe book publishers. It seemed that the former had a leg up when the Trump Soho decided to stock its library with mint condition Taschen books, but Assouline is playing catch up as London's Halkin hotel welcomes the Assouline Culture Lounge to its lobby bar.

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Guess The Hotel / Hyatt Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel Coffee / Hotel Lounges / Hotel Art / → All Tags

Guess The $15,000 Hotel Coffeemaker Revealed!

Where: 517 Lexington Ave [map], New York, NY, United States, 10017

We took a whirlwind tour through the newly-operational (well, almost operational) Hyatt 48Lex on Thursday morning. Amidst construction workers, multiple staff trainings, and other private tours, we got to peek the hotel's first-floor restaurant, Lexington Brass, the second-floor lounge area, Lexicon Lounge (above), and several of the rooms.

What struck us most, however, was the $15,000 WMF Bistro coffeemaker we spotted in the Lexicon Lounge. Not only will this machine be available to guests throughout their stay, they will even be able to use it to make coffee for themselves. Free coffee for all!

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Hotel Reading / Hotel Lounges / Donald Trump / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags

Taschen Lovers Can Get Cozy At The Trump Soho

Where: 246 Spring Street [map], New York, NY, United States, 10013

Looking for a quiet place to catch up on your coffeetable book reading? Head to Trump Soho's Library, a cozy lounge area wrapped in cherry blossom wallpaper, located on the mezzanine floor. Though you're welcome to bring your own reading material—or make use of the Library's own backgammon board—you're better off browsing the wall full of mint condition Taschen books.

From Helmut Newton to Gustav Klimt, it would take years to properly absorb all the stunning images contained in each heavy-as-a-brick volume. We had a soft spot for the Favourite Hotels publication, but hey, to each his own.

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Hotel Rooftops / Hotel Bars / Hotel Lounges / Thompson Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Jason Pomeranc / Hotel News / → All Tags

Thompson Hotels to Open Its Latest Rooftop Lounge, Above 6 at Six Columbus

It's nearly summer and you know what that means--hotel rooftop party time! And now, it looks like we have a new addition to our NYC Hotel Rooftops list--Above 6 at Six Columbus from Thompson Hotels, which is now open.

Following in the footsteps of its sister hotels and their own rooftop lounges--60 Thompson (Above 60), Thompson LES (Above Allen), Thompson Beverly Hills (Above TBH), and Donovan House (Above DC or ADC)--Above 6 will feature killer views of the city (duh) but also a retractable roof, making it all-weather friendly and saucy alcoholic concoctions from the Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill (also located at the bottom of the hotel.)

The menu features a selection of bespoke refreshments such as the Hummingbird, (Avinyo Cava, St. Germain, Club Soda, and Yama Momo), reinventions of old standards such as the Siberian Sunrise (Zyr Vodka, fresh grapefruit juice, and fresh lime juice), and a carefully curated selection of sakes, wines, and spirits to compliment the breezy summer evenings.

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Baseball Hotels / Hotel Lounges / Hotel Indigo / San Diego Hotels / → All Tags

How to Watch a Padres Game in San Diego Without Going to Petco Park

Where: 509 Ninth Ave. [map], San Diego, CA, United States, 92101

We've told you before Hotel Indigo San Diego's Parlor Suites, which give you a sweet view of Petco Park. But if you end up in a room that doesn't face the Padres action, or aren't staying at the hotel at all, you can still watch some ball.

For Wednesday's Padres vs. Braves game, we hung out at the hotel's Level 9 lounge, which, not coincidentally, is on the ninth floor. The outdoor lounge, which also contains a grassy area for pets and a reflective pool, has a prime spot facing the ball park.

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Hotel Parties / Hotel Cocktails / Hotel Lounges / Kimpton Hotels / San Diego Hotels / → All Tags

When the Moon Comes Out, San Diego's Hotel Solamar Gets Ready to Party

Where: 435 Sixth Ave. [map], San Diego, CA, United States, 92101

San Diego's Hotel Solamar is throwing a series of parties that would make Twilight's Jacob and his werewolf pack bare their teeth. The hotel will celebrate the lunar cycle with monthly full-moon parties on its fourth-floor rooftop terrace.

For each party, the terrace bar LOUNGEsix will be gussied up with lights. Plus, the moonlit evening will feature a different drink special and some form of entertainment, whether it be a DJ, band or some other music. It would be enough to make Bella swoon and join Team Jacob.

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Hotel Parties / Hotel News / Hotel Openings / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel Lounges / → All Tags

The iLounge At The Charles Hotel Is Open. But Not The Hotel

What we really want to see is more about the hotel part of this ... New York hotel. But with details tightly guarded or coolly elusive, all we have to go on so far is photos of the Charles Hotel's restaurant i--and now, thanks to BlackBook magazine, iLounge. (We want iRooms, damn it!)

If the party for the lounge's opening was any indication of what kind of guest will be staying at the petite hotel, we can expect those 21 rooms to be filled with Russian models...

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Foursquare Hotels / Hotel Bars / Hotel Lounges / Milwaukee Hotels / → All Tags

Why It Pays To Be On Foursquare At The Iron Horse Hotel

Where: 500 W Florida St [map], Milwaukee, WI, United States, 53204

Still on the fence about using Foursquare? Maybe a visit to Milwaukee's Iron Horse Hotel will convince you to start caring about badges and those all-important tips.

The hotel, which recently nabbed the "Best Boutique Hotel of the Year" award at the 2010 HD Boutique show in Miami, tipped us off a while back to its Foursquare Special Offer: Show your server at the Branded bar that you have checked in and you'll get 50% off your first drink. Dethrone the Mayor and you get 50% off your first round (up to six drinks).

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Hotel Lounges / SPiN Ping Pong / Mondrian Hotels / West Hollywood Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags

SPiN Ping Pong to Open at Mondrian LA on July 20 (Will Susan Sarandon Stop By?)

Where: 8440 W Sunset Blvd [map], West Hollywood, CA, United States, 90069

Coming soon to the Mondrian.

West Coasters, if you aren't familiar with SPiN you better start familiarizing yourself now. The New York ping pong club founded by Franck Raharinosy, Andrew Gordon, Jonathan Bricklin and his rumored girlfriend and Academy Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon is coming to Los Angeles inside The Mondrian on Sunset.

The signature SPiN ping pong tables will be placed in the hotel's ADCB Lounge (Asia de Cuba lounge) and will be open for play on July 20th to both hotel guests and visitors.

SPiN Hollywood at MONDRIAN will mark one of SPiN’s first expansions outside of New York, bringing its signature ping pong tables to the ADCB lounge, just steps from the famed Sunset Strip. SPiN Hotel guests and visitors will enjoy tournaments, celebrity events and even cocktails and food over a casual game of table tennis.

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Lenny Kravitz To Start Tweaking Miami's Shelborne Hotel?

Where: 1801 Collins Avenue [map], Miami Beach, FL, United States, 33139

Lenny Kravitz is still jamming...as a hotel designer that is. And judging from his portfolio, the Lenny Kravitz Design firm is strictly a Miami hotel lounge business.

He's already done the recording studio at The Setai and The Florida Room at The Delano and now there's word that he wants to design a Sand Bar Lounge at The Shelborne Hotel.

Page Six reports that he met with Shelborne's owner Keith Menin last weekend to discuss the design detes. Whoever ends up designing it--and we do hope it's Kravitz as the Shelborne needs some coolness on the property--the Sand Bar is expected to open in the Fall. Currently room rates for The Shelborne start at $200 a night.

[Photo via Babble.com]