What makes a good lounge bar

You would think the placement of outlets as well as enough outlets would be an obvious amenity in a lounge, but many of the lounges seem old and in need of tech upgrades. Bathroom facilities inside the lounge or outside.

This is a tough one to choose. Recently, a friend pointed out that in some lounges there are no bathrooms. On second thought, I think I might prefer no bathroom in the lounge. A separate room for the business center. Many lounges have a small room or corner area where they keep the computers and printers which I prefer.

Comfortable seating with privacy. Good lighting and some natural lighting as well. I can tell whether or not they enjoy their work and are proud of the hotels they work for.

It makes a difference. In the best lounges, the staff often remember what I like to eat and in one instance when they ran out of bananas, the next morning when I opened up the door to my room, I found a bunch of bananas waiting for me! You might also be wondering if there are lounges that meet my expectations.

YES, in all the hotel chains I frequent! When I write hotel reviews I often talk about the lounges that shine above the others. Which ones rank highest on your list? Shelli Stein is a health and fitness entrepreneur who travels the world in search of culture, food, and fun! The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser.

Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. Shelli Stein is a travel writer, health educator , and story teller. She has come to realize writing as a way of sharing travel experiences brings her a lot of pleasure! Her areas of expertise are: all things Southwest Airlines , hotel reviews , and what to do, see, and eat in destinations around the world.

She sees travel as an adventure, trying to somehow get inside and experience a different way of life, a different cultural heritage. Inspire you with new ideas for your next vacation. Attempt to put a smile on your face. Help you learn from her mistakes. They provide Cowboys Stadium-sized video boards with up-to-the-minute tap listings which can be perused even from the worst seat in the house.

But, still, is it that hard to just slide a piece of paper across the counter? So many bars today take a perverse pride in not listing their offerings on anything I can actually hold in my hand. I get that taps are constantly changing and a sizeable wine and liquor collection can be tough to keep up-to-date everyday. Where I live on Upper East Side, at all the shitty bars , every drink comes in a shaker pint glass.

Bud Light? Shaker pint. Blood Mary? Gin and tonic? Shaker pint heavy on the tonic water. A Belgian quad in a bulbous tulip. An old-fashioned in a rocks glass just big enough to fit a single rock. A flawlessly-made Manhattan in a chilled coupe. This is another venue where The Dead Rabbit excels, providing a dizzying amount of proper serving vessels, some dating back to the s. But, what can I say, it does matter. Just like glassware, the shape and size of the ice in your glass truly affects the taste of your drink.

Temperature The temperature should be kept at a comfortable level - not too hot or too cold. Even in the toilets. Toilet signage Challenging gender signs on toilets can be an embarrassing initiative test for guests.

They should be simple and illustrated so understandable to different language speakers. Empty space A great atmosphere is the hardest thing to achieve. Difficult to pin down but bars either have it or they don't. Really great bars manage to achieve this with relatively few people. Empty space kills atmosphere and island bars are a great way to break up space and make even quiet bars feel atmospheric. False walls which can be opened to reveal more space when busy are also very effective.

Fruit flies Fruit flies are off putting and the sign of a dirty bar. Never from the bottle. The list should incorporate some interesting bins with varied grape varieties and styles.

Blends should stretch beyond two grape varieties. A pour spout does not seal the bottle. I prefer shaking and stirring with inch square cubes. No Z-shaped stemmed Martini glasses or huge Martini glasses 5 to 7oz max. Many of the world's best bars have less than a dozen drinks on their menu. Have you seen how many cocktails are on this website alone? Accuracy of measure - difficult to 'free-pour' a fraction of a shot. Essential accompaniment I and many others consider food an essential accompaniment to the responsible consumption of alcohol and in many cities such as Portland, Oregon it is mandatory for bars to serve food.

Don't go Customers stay for longer periods at bars which serve food rather than leaving to seek food elsewhere. Simple will do Even simple dishes such as a club sandwich, cheese selections and charcuterie boards with great bread will suffice. You must log in to your account to make a comment. JavaScript is not enabled!