What hotel in their right mind would actually harken back to the days of liquid lunches, where mad men would step out for a two-hour lunch and knock back three martinis, stumble back to the office and demand the secretary hold their calls for the rest of the day?
The Shoreham New York, that's what... putting a juiced-up 21st century twist on The Liquid Lunch at their new Juice Bar.
Forget all those Dirty, Cosmo, -Tini drinks...how about a healthy blend of carrot, celery, tomato, and lime? Or a blend of blackberries, oranges, plums, and melon? Aren't you game for flavored yogurt and your favorite fruit?
For, gulp, US$8 a pop, you can pick from an array of Slushies, Smoothies, and Veggies. And these intoxicating beverages have swishy names like "Southern Belle" and "Urban Sophisticate." Now look, delicious though it may be, since when it it sophisticated to walk around with a banana-strawberry-chocolate milk smoothie moustache?
Mark our words, people: It won't be long before some hotel chain makes a deal with Jamba Juice; before long, there'll will be kiwi-and-mango baristas in every lobby across America. Gimme a carrot juice, and make it a grande!
Hey, LA: do you hear that clickity-clack sound? That's a stampede of stilleto-clad starlets and wanna-be starlets heading straight toward you for some summertime party action.
But no need to lock up your booze cabinet; they have no desire to raid your house now that a bunch of new hotel bar hotspots have opened.
The LA Times reports that Suede inside the Westin Bonaventure is opened up yesterday (June 22nd), adding a second, slightly-more-private bar to their ground floor.
Phil Spector is most definitely not welcome there.
We have an urge to go to Dallas this summer--blame it on Jenna, our new assistant editor. Anyways, while we enjoy peace and quiet in our hotel rooms, that doesn't mean we like to miss out completely on the happening hotel scene.
So we asked Jenna to round up some of the D-town's hot hotel bars. Here are her picks:
· Hotel Palomar: The hotel is adjacent to the Tiki-themed Trader Vic's bar (above) which is always a good hit. Mai tais all around!
· The Belmont Dallas: The Bar Belmont was just named the "Most Cinematic Hotel Bar" by D Magazine--it's cool and kinda retro-y. · The W Dallas: Not only can you get a good wax, you can visit the hottest bar in town. · Hotel Zaza: Dragonfly for the summer months and the outdoor Urban Oasis for the colder months because they cover the pool with clear flooring and you can dance on it. · The Warwick Melrose: This hotel houses the Library Bar, which is well-known for being one of those cool, classic dark-wood and jazz music-type bars.
We were among the first to bring you a review of the flagship NYLO brand property in Plano, Texas this winter, and now that the hotel has been up and running for almost 6 months, we checked in with our friends at TripAdvisor to see how the property's been doing.
And things are lookin' pretty good! Aside from the same sorts of structural headscratchers we mentioned a few months ago--bathroom doors that leave little to the imagination, for instance-- recent guests have tons of good things to say.
Listen up, Washingtonians of the DC kind (not of the total abstinence society kind): you will be getting a Thompson Hotel rooftop bar and pool this weekend. ADC at Donovan House.
As with other Thompson rooftops it's only for hotel guests yet will eventually open up to invited guests who will carry a special key card a la A60 at 60 Thompson. A flack for Donovan House wrote in:
For now, food and beverage service is being handled by Il Mulino until the new Todd English restaurant is ready. But ADC will eventually have a bar/nightlife component serviced by the new Todd English restaurant in the hotel.
The Todd English restaurant will open sometime in mid/late Fall. So, another Thompson Hotel that's still only open in bits and pieces. Like Thompson Beverly Hills which will unveil its rooftop pool/lounge sometime this June. And Gild Hall, despite a promise of an April opening for the Todd English restaurant, still doesn't have an on-site restaurant.
Maybe we were too harsh on Thompson about their inability to open hotels on time. Because look at what we have now--half-open hotels. Argh. Back to the drawing board.
Also, Thompson is notorious for not having pictures of its hotels. If you go to ADC, snap a few pics for us please!
Alcohol may be on the brink of extinction at Egyptian hotels, if the worst fears of tourism officials there come true: After the Saudi owner of the Grand Hyatt Cairo banned the sale of alcohol at the hotel, destroying millions of dollars of the stuff in the process, officials now worry that other properties may soon follow, the BBC reports.
It's unknown why the owner had staff pour bottle upon bottle of wine and liquor down drains, though some suspect it may have something to do with Egypt's enormous Muslim population, which is barred from consuming alcohol, even in cooking, according to the Koran. Supporters say foreign visitors "should respect the local custom," while critics argue that "just as Muslims expect to be served Halal food on international flights, they should be prepared to respect the desires of their Western guests," the BBC writes.
Hyatt has, of course, asked for the decision to be overturned, fearing that Western tourists won't stay at the property and that it may lose its five-star rating, the BBC says.
If the ban does catch on, we expect staying at a hotel in Egypt will be like an overnight at any Disney property--and they're certainly not hurting for business. Plus, guest reviews of the hotel are nothing but raves. Though we do worry: first alcohol; what's next--porn?
We were teased with some nice weather last week, but unfortunately as we head into Memorial Day weekend, the weather gods have crapped on us again.
When it turns nice again, here's a bunch of hotels with rooftop bars to enjoy. Remember: Some places require a room key and some don't. And contrary to popular belief the Pod Hotel, pictured, just has a rooftop deck--and it's BYOB.
Once again, 60 Thompsonhas opened its rooftop bar A60 for the warm-weather seasons. Remember now, the rooftop is only open for hotel guests and members with limited-edition key cards.
So unless you are a member of this snotty card-carrying group your best bet for hanging out on A60 is to book a room.
We checked the rates for tonight and both the hotel website and Quikbook have rates of $539 available. Is it worth it? Probably not. It's not like they are giving out free drinks too. But if you were planning on staying at 60 Thompson anyways this summer, then it's an added bonus for you and however many friends you can hand out a room key to.