Hotels will never not be cool to me. Growing up, vacations were usually to places where our family lived–meaning we stayed with them. And I truly loved this! These houses, some that are still in my life and some not, hold my favorite memories. But every few years we’d take a family vacation to somewhere new and I’d get to call a hotel my home for a few days. A real treat. Back then it meant jumping on the bed, continental breakfast, and going to the pool. And it’s still a special experience for me to check into a hotel today (don’t get me started on Airbnb). Now I just really enjoy having my bed made for me. And the hotel bar.
Oh the hotel bar. In the corner are newlyweds in their 2nd hour of conversation with a couple they just met, married for 40 years. A server, just off her shift from the restaurant downstairs, talks shop with one of the bartenders. Old friends catch up at the four-top by the window. This particular night it was my dad, brother, and I playing Gin Rummy and sipping cocktails. Alone, you might find me enjoying a book and a glass of wine.
Larger markets might find you in a swank restaurant bar—boasting white table cloths and elaborate cocktail menus as thick as a novel. Others, a smaller liquor selection and bottled beers. Best to stick to the classics here. But that’s not to say one is better than the other (this is when it helps to have a go-to cocktail that’s readily prepared at any establishment). After all, you knew the type of place this was when you booked the room.
More important than the drinks, the people are what make the hotel bar truly great. In a way, you’re taking the whole of society and distilling it down into 20 seats. And as much as I do enjoy reading in a place like this, sometimes it’s beautiful to just sit back and listen. Observe. An amalgamation of people from all different backgrounds taking a well-deserved break from the real life back home, recounting stories of that day’s adventures, or getting ready to go out. Not dissimilar from your average neighborhood watering hole, though the fact that everyone in the bar is also staying at the hotel makes it feel more personal. If the bar is the living room, the bar top is the fireplace. We’re all equals here. Why not strike up a conversation with your neighbor? You might just have more in common than you think.
Hotel tip: The first thing I do when I walk into a hotel room is unpack. Toiletries onto the counter and suits and shirts hung up. It’s a ritual I’ve come to cherish. So much better than rooting around in a duffel bag for an outfit. The neat piles are obliterated after just one morning! Think of the wrinkles!