Hotels With Bustling Food & Beverage Outlets: What’s The Sweet Spot?

Earlier, I wrote about how I’m planning a trip to Hong Kong, and am deciding on which hotels to stay at. In passing, I mentioned how the Peninsula Hong Kong strikes me as being a “luxury factory,” with the lobby overflowing with non-hotel guests.

A reader asked for some more commentary on this, and said “I know exactly what you’re talking about, but am wondering more specifically what you think of these places and how it has an effect on which hotels you choose to stay at.”

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You’d think that I’m asking myself questions here, because this is a post that has been in my “ideas” queue for a long time, but which I never got around to writing. So I think this is about as good of a time as any. Specifically, I want to talk about hotels with popular food & beverage outlets. As I view it, these are a blessing if well managed, while if not, they’re a curse. Let me explain.

It’s nice when hotels have “lively” dining outlets

When you think of the factors that contribute to a good luxury hotel stay, there are many things that might come to mind — a well-designed room, flawless service, extensive amenities, and great restaurants and bars.

Hotels want good dining outlets for a variety of reasons. For one, they make money, both with hotel guests and locals. Beyond that, they can elevate the status of a hotel, and certainly make it a lot more well regarded, and that can also translate to higher room rates.

I find that most luxury hotels fall into one of three categories when it comes to popularity of dining outlets:

• Some hotel restaurants and bars gain no traction, lack a vibe, and are typically just occupied by hotel guests, with outsiders not even considering them
• Some hotel restaurants and bars are really popular and well regarded, and have a great mix of customers, between hotel guests and locals
• Some hotel restaurants and bars take on a life of their own, and sort of overpower the hotel, almost turning the hotel into something that feels like an afterthought

Personally, I think that second bullet point above is the ideal situation. It’s nice to be able to stay at a hotel and feel like you’re in the heart of the action, without it being overwhelming. Many hotels (especially in Asia and Europe) actually have destination restaurants and bars that people want to visit.

I also have to say that as an introvert, I don’t necessarily mind hotels that fall into the first bullet point above, but that’s just because it’s usually somewhere I can bring my laptop and work while having a drink or meal. Admittedly that’s not otherwise good for any party, but rather, just for me.

When hotel dining outlets become annoying…

As I see it, there’s a fine line between a hotel having lively food & beverage outlets, and it starting to degrade the (hotel) guest experience.

Let me explain, starting with my Peninsula Hong Kong reference above. The Peninsula Hong Kong is probably the city’s most iconic hotel, even if it’s no longer the best. As a result, all kinds of non-guests just pop into the lobby to take a look, and at some point that becomes overwhelming.

I remember I had afternoon tea there a decade ago, and I was horrified by how the lobby felt like a department store on Black Friday. There was a queue of dozens of people waiting for afternoon tea, and I remember thinking to myself “goodness, I wouldn’t want to stay here.” Of course let me acknowledge I was part of the problem by being there as a non-hotel guest having afternoon tea, and also, things may have changed since then, but that’s my recollection.

I think another issue is that at some hotels with popular food & beverage outlets, the hotels just get outrageously busy in the evenings, you end up in the elevator with a dozen non-guests, drunk people are acting like fools, etc.

I think the Ritz-Carlton NoMad New York is an example of a property that’s right on the edge when it comes to this. The hotel has several Jose Andres venues that are super popular with locals and guests alike, which is great. But the hotel also has a small lobby, and it can get crowded both there and at the elevator banks in the evenings, and I think that starts to detract from the experience.

Furthermore, in my opinion, it’s also important for hotels to actually hold back some reservations for guests, or at least prioritize them. Now, I don’t know what the right formula is, though I know that as a guest, I’m kind of annoyed if I can’t actually get into any of the restaurants or bars at a hotel, because I view that as being part of the experience.

For example, I remember a few years ago I booked a stay at the Tampa EDITION, shortly after it opened. I got in touch with the concierge, only to be told that they don’t have preferential reservations at their venues for guests, and that everything was booked out for the entirety of my planned stay. So if I wanted anything other than breakfast, I could basically just order room service, or hope for the best at the bar. I canceled my stay…

Look, I don’t expect to get into the single best restaurant at 7PM on a Friday night a couple of hours in advance, but I think hotel guests need to be shown some preference, and that right balance needs to be found. Let me give two Paris luxury hotel examples.

The Four Seasons Paris George V has some incredible food & beverage outlets, and they do an excellent job holding back some tables for guests. The hotel has a charming bar, and while there might be a wait for non-hotel guests, they’ll almost always get you something with a minimal wait if you are a guest. I appreciate that.

For that matter, I think Four Seasons is probably the single most consistent hotel brand in being on the same page as me when it comes to doing everything possible to have venues be popular, while still keeping them for hotel guests. I find a similar practice at most Four Seasons properties around the world.

Let me contrast that to the Ritz Paris, which is perhaps the city’s most famous hotel, with the Ritz Bar and Bar Hemingway. These bars are popular with outsiders, but when we stayed there, we had to queue like everyone else to get into the bar, and there didn’t seem to be any priority for hotel guests. It definitely detracts a little bit for the experience.

I don’t want to come across as overly spoiled here, or as having unrealistic expectations. My point is simply to say that some luxury hotels view popular food & beverage outlets as an extension of their (hotel) guest experience, while others almost view them entirely independently.

I always leave with a much more favorable impression of a hotel stay if it falls more in the former category than the latter category. So I also try to plan my hotel stays accordingly, and seek out hotels that I feel offer that level of service.

Bottom line

Good food & beverage outlets can contribute positively to a luxury hotel stay, though I’d argue that not all luxury hotels do an equally good job with this. I appreciate when hotels have these, with two caveats.

First, it’s important that food & beverage outlets don’t detract from the experience for hotel guests too much, in terms of crowding in the lobby, elevators, etc. Second, hotel guests have to be prioritized to some extent with reservations and being seated, or else these venues detract from the experience for hotel guests, rather than adding to it.

What’s your take on bustling hotel food & beverage outlets? Do you like them, and do you have any pet peeves?