The Best Hotel Bars In America

Filled with intrigue, endless possibility and, well, beds, hotel bars have always been the sexiest of the booze-peddling brood. There's nothing more soothing to the wayward traveler than a built-in nightcap, and for locals, nothing more romantic than a rendezvous inside a dimly lit downtown lobby.

So with all the attention on the ever-growing roster of excellent hotel restaurants these days, we're shining the limelight on the barstools and sofas, lounge chairs and love seats, where you'll really want to stay awhile.  

Whether you're in town for one night or live just down the street, lose yourself in these nine hotel bars that represent the best America has to offer.

Chicago, IL
A trilevel rooftop with sweeping views of the Chicago River and a high cupola offering a glimpse of Lake Michigan, the LondonHouse Curio Collection hotel's LH Rooftop represents the birthplace of the American skyscraper with grace and a boatload of delicious booze. The new boutique hotel is housed inside the gorgeously renovated historic London Guarantee Building, a 1923 landmark reminiscent of all its era's style and poise. The elevator opens onto the 21st story lounge, LH on 21, sleek and inviting with a handful of slate-colored four-tops and a long black marble bar. Upstairs, the outdoor terrace is well worth braving one of the Windy City's breezier evenings. Grab a snack—we recommend the pillowy, rich and satisfying nduja cheese bread (see the recipe)—and an LH Old Fashioned (Basil Hayden's bourbon, Scotch syrup, maple, Angostura), and snag a spot along the rooftop's edge for a starry night straight out of a more decadent time.

Photo: Courtesy of LondonHouse Chicago

Centralia, WA
Stashed away in a tiny logging town about halfway between Seattle and Portland, this spacious pub, eat-in movie theater and pool hall fits perfectly into McMenamins' astounding collection of pristinely renovated Pacific Northwest historic hotels. Opened in 1908 as an elite "gentlemen's resort" (we'll just leave it at that), the space is as beautiful as it is eerie, with shadowy corners, gorgeous wood paneling and painstakingly restored Tiffany chandeliers that evoke a seductive Prohibition-era vibe. The drinks menu highlights the hotel group's own lineup of wine, beer and spirits, ranging from a nutty, full-bodied sipping whiskey distilled in a vintage cognac still to a smooth raspberry-spiked ale. Don't forget to stop by the bathroom before you leave; the curiously decorated sink area offers more than a few options for freshening up (and plenty of Instagram ops).

Photo: Courtesy of Olympic Club Pub

Glacier National Park, MT
The Many Glacier Hotel's Swiss Lounge is nothing fancy, but with views of Glacier National Park's Swiftcurrent Lake and enough of the hard stuff to cure any post-hike chill, this true hideaway rubs elbows with the best of them. The bar itself, cozy with vinyl booths and rustic wood plank walls, is charming, but the main lobby is the real draw. Four stories of hand-carved balconies look down onto the grand, sprawling space, complete with a central brass fireplace surrounded by cushy Adirondack chairs. The chalet-inspired hotel was built in 1915 as a respite for the West's finest nature enthusiasts, and with a Huckleberry Smash (Montana-distilled Headframe Spirits Neversweat bourbon, lemon, native huckleberries, mint leaves, simple syrup) or an earthy Tumbleweed IPA from Helena's Lewis & Clark Brewing in hand, you'll swear you just stepped into Wes Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel.

Photo: GlacierNPS via Flickr

Los Angeles, CA
With its storied history and long-running celebrity clientele, Chateau Marmont is a heavy hitter in a town of heavy hitters, and its adjacent bar, Bar Marmont, is bursting with all the Golden Era glitz, glamour and intrigue La La Land has to offer. On most nights, a motley crew of wizened locals, posh visitors and the Hollywood set descend upon the bar's red velvet banquets, sipping Pimm's Cups, sidecars and bottles upon bottles of Champagne underneath the ivy-strewn skylight. And despite the hotel's troubled past—John Belushi and Helmut Newton both perished on-site, and debaucherous stories come by the dozen—it's also strangely comforting, like a glamorous old woman smoking a cigarette. There's something dangerous about it, deadly even, but there's no denying its timeless beauty.

Photo: Ari Perilstein/Getty