The World's Best Hotel Bars—According To A Global Hospitality Expert

Forbes

3 days ago

In a city renowned for outsized personalities, Max Block has carved out his own prominent space as a trusted curator and F+B expert amidst the Los Angeles culinary landscape. The former co-host of the popular podcast/talkshow Table Setting, serves as a liaison for some of the biggest festivals in and around Southern California, including Coachella.
Late last year he launched Maison Citrus, an invite-only dining club in the idyllic Hancock Park neighborhood of his hometown. Working in concert with a parade of notable chefs in a cozy, well-appointed dining space, his team has already hosted Hollywood execs from Amazon Studios, A24 and CAA, along with top-tier talent including Pedro Pascal and Joe Jonas.
But when he's not busy holding court for A-listers in LA, Block is on the road for as much as half of the year. He is constantly seeking inspiration from every corner of the globe. Often these moments arrive while mingling with fellow hotel guests (or quietly reflecting solo over Pina Coladas) at bars and restaurants in five star resorts from Paris to Parrot Cay.
We caught up with Block during a brief moment of downtime in Los Angeles. In a particularly revealing mood, he shared with us a collection of guarded-treasures: wondrous watering holes that would help even the most experienced of jetsetters drool with envy. If you can't find inspiration in these places, he contends, you are unlikely to find it anywhere.
Read his recommendations below…
I love a great tiki drink and of all the hotel bars I've been lucky to frequent there's something incomparable to being on a beach in Hawaii and sipping through a handful of fruit-forward beverages adorned in fanciful glassware or with umbrellas. The Rosewood's Shipwreck Bar takes the concept to the farthest level – a final boss of a tiki experience. From the Guava Flow to Conrad's Mai Tai, (named after the bars most cherished bartender) every cocktail is crafted expertly. I grew up spending winters at the original Kona Village and there's something perfectly sweet now returning as a (still young) adult able to enjoy the island's unrivaled setting, drink in hand.
From the second you step foot on property at Gabriella Khalil's Palm Heights you've already immediately decided that you're moving in for good. The hotel's Coconut Club takes all the best ethos of a beach bar and spins it on its axis. You convene and converse with fellow hotel guests over the blissfully leisurely days spent at the idyllic resort. I could linger, sand between my toes, at The Coconut Club for far too long and just let life cascade away with the perfect Piña Colada in hand.
The pulsating energy of Miami meets aperitivo perfection at the hotel's Bellini Bar. The design is everything you want in a quintessential 'hotel bar:' it's inviting, convivial and retains a level of intimacy that you rarely find in the city. It's the perfect place for a quick cocktail before setting out into the bustle of Miami's nightlife; saddle up to the bar and order their namesake drink – created in 1948 by Founder of legendary Harry's Bar, Guiseppe Cipriani. And for a brief moment you get the feeling you could be 5,000 miles away staring into the Mediterranean.
Franco's is just fun. It's the ideal blend of rowdy and refined; packed to the gills every time I've had a chance to pop in. Best enjoyed with a group of friends after a day at sea, the winding trek to the bar makes your first drink--of many--that much more well-earned. Lean back, enjoy the salty ocean air while listening to the cacophony of other sartorially inclined visitors' conversations; enjoy one of those 'I'm on vacation, f**k it' Italian cigarettes from a neighboring patron and soak it in. You'll dream of coming back from the moment you leave.
Being from Los Angeles, I've always been on the hunt for the charming airs of New York's pinpointed hotel bar culture and sadly have been mostly unimpressed in my years as a legally drinking Angeleno (don't worry not you Tower Bar!). Enter, The Bar at Hotel Bel Air. Nestled off Sunset Blvd. and tucked away at one of the city's most shockingly slept on properties, you're treated to a jewel box of an era long passed. I'm a sucker for a good martini and jazz, and at The Bar at Hotel Bel Air both are delivered in spades. It's the perfect midweek date night and a chance to feel like you're somewhere, anywhere, but in Hollywood. Keep the martini's coming and the jazz playing.
A downright good mixology bar at the impeccable Capella Hotel in Sydney makes my list for its effortless charm and timeless glamour. Paying homage to the Victorian era through a novel and contemporary Australian lens, McRae feels like a trapeze between past and present. One of the standout cocktails on a recent visit included a sake and lemon thyme sipper with aniseed, striking a balance of herbaceous and savory cloaked in a far-too-drinkable package. It certainly doesn't damper the mood being surrounded by Simone Hagg's expertly curated art collection spotlighting Australian creatives.
There is no hotel bar list without Bar Hemingway. I've had the great pleasure of visiting over the past two decades and it's simply *chefs kiss*. There's a reason why it's on so many lists and it has earned its place among the greats. If you're lucky to get in, take a seat at the bar, preen around to (politely) check out the characters who are your compatriots on this journey and let yourself unwind. The martinis are magic and the atmosphere is palpable. They just rarely let anyone enjoy more than two of them in one sitting. I vow to achieve one day that fabled third martini before retiring to my room.