The rebirth of the hotel bar
From white-gloved mixologists to mood-setting design, what defines an exceptional hotel bar? Roadbook explores its quiet revolution and the art of getting it right
Saturday night and The Connaught Bar is fully booked. A slick cohort of international and regular guests gather at the marble-topped bar, as a waistcoated cocktail maestro works the room with the famed martini trolley. An air of fun and frivolity ripples through the gilt jewellery box of a room, while a hopeful crowd gathers by the entrance, vying to get a glimpse.
Meanwhile in Bangkok, BKK Social Club at Four Seasons Hotel is packed out with both old and young, sipping South American-inspired cocktails beneath soaring gold arches, while a cool Latin remix of Copacabana plays overhead.
Further east, Park Hyatt Tokyo – where Bill Murray famously met Scarlett Johansson while sipping Suntory at the bar in Lost in Translation – reopened this December following an 18-month refurbishment.
All of which confirm our thoughts: the hotel bar is back.
The hotel bar has often been a puzzling conundrum: no-expense-spared interiors by an esteemed interior designer; a meticulous menu, but an atmosphere that falls flat. “A lot of them try too hard,” says Amar Lalvani, president and creative director of The Lifestyle Group, Hyatt. “Design statements and over-the-top mixology. They invest in the spirits and not the people. Music and lighting matter enormously too, and glassware, I’m obsessive about it. The wrong glass can ruin a perfectly made drink.”
At Park Hyatt Tokyo, guests listen to live piano music while pin-sharp, waistcoated mixologists craft bespoke pours, against a floor-to-ceiling backdrop of neon-lit Tokyo. “The bartender is important; the wrong one can ruin even the most beautiful room,” adds Lalvani.
“I love the anonymity of a hotel bar,” he continues. “It’s not about misbehaving, although that happens too, it’s about being somewhere unfamiliar that somehow feels familiar; both relaxing and exciting. There really should be a word for that feeling: being out of your element but completely at home.” The Standard has long mastered that mix of thrill and ease, whether from a heady skyscraper in Bangkok or a velvet speakeasy in Miami.
“Many hotel bars are beautifully designed, but often feel impersonal. The challenge is creating something that’s both elevated and inviting,” agrees Josh Gardner, managing director of Broadwick Soho, where guests often begin on the ground floor Bar Jackie before migrating upwards to rooftop Flute. Maiolica tiles, velvet and leopard print set the scene; beige and bland Broadwick Soho is not. “A hotel bar needs a bit of spark and personality. It should feel intentional but relaxed, which is such a hard balance to strike.”
Gardner cites an increase in guests asking for clean, minimal drinks, with fewer ingredients of a higher quality. “We make a lot of off-the-menu martinis,” he says, while alcohol-free orders remain low.
While we’re great advocates of hotel wellness at Roadbook, often the best pick-me-up comes in a hand-blown cocktail glass served beneath the warm glow of an opal orb light around people you admire. Whether it’s tequila based or booze-free is up to you, but it’s an irreplicable pleasure, which when done right, feels more restorative than any cryotherapy chamber.
The best hotel bars transport guests to another realm, where time, place and era blur. They are a warm, softly lit haven, where you can sit solo at the bar and not feel alone. The best hotel bars make everybody look beautiful. And as with everything in hospitality, the details determine the difference: the lustre of the bar top; the leather-bound menu; the decibel of the music overhead. It’s a careful marriage of square footage, lighting, volume and style, and exceptional drinks, of course.
Roadbook’s pick of the best hotel bars in the world
New York Bar at Park Hyatt Tokyo, Japan
Why: A freshly reopened icon
Address: 2, 3 Chome-7-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 163-1055, Japan
Bill Murray’s sleepless nights during Lost in Translation (2003) eternalise the Park Hyatt Tokyo in the hotel bar hall of fame. The five-star property has reopened following an 18-month refurbishment, which includes a restoration of its renowned bar. Set on the 52nd floor of the Shinjuku Park Tower, floor-to-ceiling views are met by a vibrant mural by Valerio Adami, while interiors pay homage to mid-century Japanese design. New to the menu is the New York Sour, a bourbon-based classic topped with Zinfandel.
The Connaught Bar, London, UK
Why: Bespoke martinis and Art Deco flair
Address: The Connaught, Carlos Place, Mayfair, London W1K 2AL
When The Connaught reopened in 2008 it reimagined what a hotel bar could be, and it remains an icon to this day. Designed by David Collins Studio, handcrafted plaster ceilings meet oak panelled walls accented by platinum silver leaf, while marble surfaces and deep green leather furnish the space. Art Deco elegance is infused with an air of devil-may-care conviviality, spread across three intimate rooms. Come for a bespoke libation from the famed martini trolley – the most extravagant of which costs 140 GBP – and stay for sushi and black truffle pizza.
Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London
Best for: Drawing room jazz and caricatured walls
Address: 252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN
Rosewood expanded its London footprint in 2025 with the opening of The Chancery Rosewood in Mayfair, joining Rosewood London in Bloomsbury. It is at the latter that you’ll find Scarfes Bar, named in honour of British artist Gerald Scarfe, whose caricatures adorn the walls. His surrealist style informs the theatrical menu, featuring playful creations such as Naked Italian (a deft twist on a whisky sour, made with Macallan whisky and topped with a poached melon ball garnish) and Lost & Abandoned, a vibrant, floral mix of gin, vermouth, raspberry and amaro. Add nightly live jazz, crackling fires, and meticulous mixologists dressed in double breasted white blazers, and you have one of the finest examples of a hotel bar in the world.
BKK Social Club at Four Seasons, Bangkok, Thailand
Why: Gilded glamour and Latino spirit
Address: Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok, 155 Rajadamri Road, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330
There is no shortage of excellent hotel bars in Bangkok, but BKK Social Club at the Four Seasons hotel at Chao Phraya River has the edge for its dramatic setting, with soaring gilded arches, alongside a smart cigar lounge. Taking its cue from the Belle Époque era of Buenos Aires, colonial-style gates frame the space, draped in foliage.
Mixologists in lab-like white coats shake vibrant cocktails that draw on the heritage of Latin America. Order the sour-style Frida Kahlo, which stirs bourbon, lavender maple and coconut, topped with a swirl of blue curaçao liqueur. Look out for specially branded ice cubes, from the BKK Social Club logo to a jalapeño chilli pepper, inspired by the Mexican mascot at the 1986 World Cup.
Bemelmans at The Carlyle Hotel, New York, US
Why: An illustrious piano bar with panache
Address: 35 E 76th Street, New York, NY 10021, United States
At Bemelmans – the Upper East Side’s legendary piano bar – the night often ends in a spirited singalong as Emmy Award-winning pianist and composer Earl Rose plays Frank Sinatra. Bartenders in Ferrari-red blazers reportedly serve up to 1,000 martinis a night, accompanied by beef sliders and homemade pigs in blankets. The walls are adorned with original murals by Ludwig Bemelmans, who was paid in accommodation when he completed the artwork in the 1940s.
The American Bar at Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder, Scotland
Why: A seductive den with Highland charm
Address: Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder, Perthshire, Scotland, PH3 1NF
This dimly lit Art Deco milieu at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland balances suave sophistication with a hearty dose of Highland charm. The bar menu, The Rose Compendium, draws inspiration from 19th century horticulturists and features hand-drawn botanical studies. Among its highlights is Amber Stem, a Gleneagles take on the classic Rob Roy. For the cocktail, Glenturret whisky created three unique malt blends, each mixed with rosehip vermouth and bitters.
Chateau Marmont, Los Angeles, California
Why: Hollywood hideaway with legendary allure
Address: 8221 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90046, USA
Modelled on a Loire Valley castle and owned by hospitality veteran André Balazs, the legendary Chateau Marmont has long been a discreet home-from-home for Hollywood’s elite. Its intimate bar is a magnet for Tinseltown’s creative community, where you’re likely to spot actors, writers and Hollywood execs sipping Marmont Mai Tais on low-lit velvet banquettes. Note that photography is prohibited, so no selfies by the chandeliers.
Monterrey Bar at The Standard, Miami, US
Why: Retro-chic style with playful sophistication
Address: The Standard Spa, 40 Island Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139, USA
The Standard’s bars reliably fuse glamour and edge, and the Monterrey Bar in Miami is no exception. The intimate, speakeasy-style space exudes a relaxed, retro-chic energy. Slink into a vermilion banquet or pull up a stool beneath the Murano glass chandelier and order a Monterrey Penicillin, mixed with Glenmorangie, lemon, honey and ginger. The shelves are playfully lined with a 1980s pop art collection by artist Geoffrey Rose.
