Why do most hotels in the US treat club lounges as a liability?

Strangely enough I have found Doubletree hotels have some of the best soft product of club lounges. The times I've stayed at a property that has one, it has become my property of choice for whatever area. The employees are able to make guests happy to the point that the club manager is able to ask for whatever they want, and usually win whenever a bean counter tries to institute cuts to save money.

I've found club access can run $75+ a night at many properties (on top of regular room rate), unless I have specific knowledge a hotel actually has decent offerings I would never pay for a club room.

On a related note when I see how dire some RCC's are, it impresses me anyone would buy a membership.

@Will - could not agree more regarding RCCs. The Honolulu lounge immediately comes to mind, since that is my home. Very dire indeed. And now that they have closed the President's Club there, it has actually gotten worse. And I am a paid member. Will rethink my membership at the end of the year.

I don't understand--the HNL RCC (and most RCCs) provide a quiet place to work, free wifi, and a decent selection of snacks and newspapers.

No, it's not like some lounges outside the USA that feature extensive dining options, but I'm very content with RCCs.

And if you're flying once a week, they are well worth the memebership price.

Agreed that US club lounges are well below international standards, with a few exceptions.

My all time favorite, is the Marriott Marquis (Times Sq.) NYC. I've booked into that hotel as opposed to the other Manhattan Marriotts just because of it. That lounge even has a check-in desk for Plats. (Golds, too??) It is very nice to give bags to bellmen, take the elevator to the lounge and have a glass of wine while sitting at a nice desk checking in. I don't even mind paying for the wine. Evening snacks could easily be rated a 2-star buffet.

On the opposite end, I was in the New Orleans Renaissance (Arts) last week and even for free it was overpriced. At 8:30 I arrived for breakfast (served til 9) and found cold coffee. Attendant said it was too late to make more. I carry Starbucks microground, so I asked for hot water and made some, but then found out they were out of milk.

My biggest complaint, tho, is that most US lounges close on the weekends (Fri night, Sat all day and Sun AM). As someone who usually flies home Sat mornings, this always ends a stay on a bad note.

I myself have never paid for club access, nor will I ever pay for it with one exception. The majority of my stays are either at a Hilton property or a Starwood property. As a top level elite at both properties I have found the club access to be useful but not worth any money they could charge me. The only exception to this rule that I can think of is at Disney luxury properties. I have and will continue to stay at the yacht club concierge level as they serve the most delicious breakfast you can get on any Disney property. The same is true for tge Boardwalk and Grand Polynesian. Also tge hosts and concierges on tge select levels can, will, and do make anything happen. It's kind of like talking to Mickey himself.

I don't know if you have heard about it or not, but Nashville is getting a really upscale intercontinental next year. Looks very promising.

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental/en/gb/new-hotels/nashville

Many businesses of all kinds are very short sighted and want every element of their operation to either be a profit center or cost them very little. What they often forget are the services that are used by their most loyal customers (like club lounges) - services that help to increase revenue and profits by making and retaining customers in the first place! Any business that doesn't understand that super-serving their most loyal clients is an investment rather than an expense is viewing their expenditures with a very narrow perspective.

I have to agree that the IC SF has one of the (if not the best) lounge experience I've had in the US. I echo Lucky's experiences there, and as a frequent stayer, the guest relations staff has taken time to get to know me. In addition to Luis, Adrian is a hard worker and very helpful. I've arrived 5 min before breakfast ends, and they've brought their offerings back out just so I can tak ewhat I want. They bring out more of those delicious almond croissants when I've asked (almost every stay =P). Props to Shehani (guest relations manager), Bridget, Regina and Justin who all "man" the lounge. In conversations with Shehani, she's admitted wishing she could offer more complete food and drink, akin to what you'd see internationally, but that 1) their budget is not large enough, and 2) the cost of food in SF is marginally more expensive. Understandable, but I think they do a fantasmic job as well. =)

Intercontinentals definitely seem to be the exception. I was at the New Orleans one last year and their club lounge offered an excellent level of service

I absolutely loved the club lounge breakfast at the Park Hyatt Shanghai. Such a great variety of Asian, European, and American items. It was a phenomenal hotel to take advantage of with BWB free nights!