The lights dim, causing you to strain your eyes, the women’s dresses inch up slightly north, and the men have ditched their Nike Frees for a glossy wing-tipped shoe.
The bass-line of a top 40 hits playlist goes live at a ridiculous decibel level and a member of the hotel crew dashes over to you. You tell him your drink order, but that’s not what he wants. He wants your chair.
The lobby has officially become a night club. It’s time to party on the dance floor!
The Liberty, served as the site of a prison for 120 years, providing a roof for some of Boston’s nastiest, most unruly criminals. In the 70s, the criminals revolted and turned the hotel into a night club. Well, not exactly. But the hotel’s cocktail lounge, Alibi, is not just a clever name; it’s actually set inside of an old “drunk tank.” And if you want to unshackle yourself, you’re free to roam into the Liberty Bar which takes over the hotel’s lobby on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.
Dress code: (Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings) Dress is casual chic. No sandals (men), sneakers, baggies, sportswear, caps, sleeveless shirts (men) or shorts permitted.
Southern hospitality isn’t just a tall glass of sweet tea. At Hotel W`s lobby, which doubles as the Living Room lounge when the clock strikes 11, you’ll find yourself teleported to a forest-themed backdrop, where a tranquil 22-foot water trickle ebbs and flows from the walls to a luminescent onyx reflecting pool beckons you to the bathroom hotel’s well-stocked bar. And to keep you from dozing off in their plush, oversized couches, the Living Room is also home to live DJ mixes, which will get you to spread your very trendy and stylish butterfly wings as mingling with your neighbors is a must!
Dress code: Smart casual.
Before Kim Kardashian spent her days negotiating prenups with Kanye, she had a romping good time at the Gansevoort. Gansevoort Meatpacking starts your pre-nightclub affairs off in the lobby bar, where you’ll enjoy the tip of the socially chic and trendy iceberg. Once you dig deeper, you’ll find yourself either at the Provocateur Nightclub + Café, or on the rooftop lounge, the Plunge Bar + Lounge, which provides jaw-dropping panormaic views of the Hudson River.
Dress code: Dressy casual.
TheWit’s lobby is unsuspecting at check-in, but if the concierge tells you the fitness room is on the 27th floor, it’s a trap! Probably one of the best traps ever, as long as rooftop lounges are your thing, but you won’t be using an elliptical to work up a sweat. A better alternative to burn some carbs is to start dancing like a mad man or woman. ROOF is one of the trendiest 7,000-square foot escapes in Chicago, raising the standards of night clubs with stellar DJs and killer views of the Chicago skyline. The diverse clientele of the lounge spans from Rosie O’Donnell, who threw her holiday party on ROOF, to Katie Couric, to Jenny McCarthy, who also threw back a couple cocktails during her stay in Chi-Town.
Dress code: No ball caps, flip-flops, torn or baggy jeans, or tank tops.
Here at the Carousel Bar & Lounge, if you feel the room start to spin, that’s because it actually is. This is the city’s only revolving bar, which overlooks Royal Street in the upper French Quarter and is home to a wealth of antique shops and art galleries. Within earshot of Bourbon Street, why roam the streets to indulge in the Mardi Gras festivities when you have access to free live musical entertainment, crafted cocktails, and no official closing time? For crafted cocktails, we recommend Maurice’s Madness (1 ¼ oz. Citadelle Gin, ¼ oz. Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe, 4 oz. Bloody Mary Mix. Place all in an ice filled cocktail glass. Roll into a Boston Shaker to mix. Garnish with a lime wedge and a green olive).
Dress code: None, but you have to be 21 to ride the carousel bar ride!
A bear walks into a bar. No seriously, this black bear apparently chose our next hotel destination, The Alaskan Bar, as his choice to grab a Paw-bst Blue Ribbon back in 2013. Sorry for that. But the oldest operating hotel in Alaska was recently revamped on the Travel Channel’s Hotel Impossible and was featured in Esquire’s third edition of “Best Bars in America” and declared the Alaskan as “one haunt that’s remained an unadulterated touchstone of northern-strength guzzling.” To the locals here, their top 40s playlist is a weekly open-mic night where the great outdoors is their earthy coliseum.
Dress code: None.
Let your creative genius run wild after a few daiquiris at Bar Marmont. Dubbed one of Los Angeles’ historical-cultural landmarks and also a boozy refuge for a pantheon of celebs, past and present, you’re bound to link one of your idols to the confines of this hotel at some point in their prolific career. Although the days of partying hard with Hunter S. Thompson, John Belushi, and F. Scott Fitzgerald seem long gone, the hotel still maintains its “once upon a time” fairytale beginnings at the Bar Marmont with a wobbly “happily ever after” endings in one of the hotel’s bungalows. See more info.
Dress code: Anything from jeans and nice t-shirts to slacks, blazers, dresses, and heels.
Soda Bar in Canvas Hotel Dallas, located on the roof of NYLO (We like our roof parties!), overlooks a Texas skyline free of steers and cowboys. While you’ll have to look elsewhere for your dude ranch experience, we recommend grabbing your floaties for the rooftop pool, a refreshing margarita, and start gazing out into a sea of fluorescent skyscrapers that light up the night sky. Just try not to get too sidetracked by the amazing views and ultra-modern decor because if you brought a date, I can bet that they’re vying for your attention too!
Dress code: Smart casual.
Clevelander South Beach does not hold sleep sacred during any day of the week. For seven days straight, you can find your dignity and car keys at one of three party destinations (C-Level Rooftop Terrace, Game On Sports Bar, or their signature Clevelander Pool + Patio). And you can break down your week as so: Monday is karaoke night, Tuesday is ‘In The Biz’ night, Wednesday is ‘Noche Caliente’ night with a salsa-ish theme, Thursday is ladies night, Friday is ‘Carnivale’, Saturday is broken down into an afternoon pool party and a late-night ‘Risqué’ dance party, and finally Sunday is a day spent recuperating in your hotel room — I lied, Sunday is actually ‘Sunday Funday’ with “sexy beats, body painted models and drink specials.”
Dress code: Depends on the night.
Leave your immigration reform issues at the door, grab a Corona, and get cozy on the dance floor. It’s as easy as that. Club Congress is one of those few hotspots in the great American Southwest where all political fanatics go to agree on one thing, as they raise their glasses to the resident DJ: Party on, Wayne! Party on Garth! You can traipse through four bars and explore the blue-print of the 40-room hotel where John Dillinger hid for the remainder of his days as a free man. Hopefully you can do a better job hiding from your ex!
Dress code: None. But keep it snazzy!