The Beat

Our Favorite Hotel Summer Drinks

August 25, 2011 D.C., Hollywood, Palm Springs, The Beat

The hotel cocktail can be overpriced, rushed, and cranked out with the same care as a beer on tap. But it can also be deliciously reviving, the perfect complement to a sunny afternoon or evening outdoors. Here are our favorites to move you gently through the last few weeks of scorchingly pleasant weather.

The Parker Palm Springs – Fresh Squeezed Lemonade: We love the cold, tart taste of fresh squeezed lemonade and the Lemonade Stand at the Parker is devoted solely to this. With poolside ordering and shady lounge chairs, this is our favorite setting for an hour drowned in our Kindle and some Balzac.

W Hollywood – Berry Caipirinha: A good caipirinha is neither too sweet nor too sour, and the W Hollywood has struck the perfect balance of both. We love the addition of muddled strawberries which nearly turns the drink from a cocktail to a Jamba Juice.

W D.C. – Mixed Berry Mojito: Nothing seems more decadent than sipping a mint and berry cocktail on a weekday afternoon against the backdrop of snipers patrolling the rooftop of the White House. We love this refreshing cocktail for all the reasons we love mojitos (mint, lime) and berries (sweet, slightly acidic).

Ciel Spa

August 21, 2011 Spaaah, The Beat

Like the Mandarin Oriental and the spa at the Standard Miami, there are certain spa destinations in our future that we’ve plotted like bank heists. Ciel Spa is on our roster for the end of this month (August), and our full-on consumption of amenities, run through the fitness center, and dip in the rooftop pool will soon be reported here, as fast as a 50-minute massage reaches “time” . . .

Squeezing the Lemon

August 17, 2011 Hollywood, The Beat

Summer days are hot, smothering, and oppressively wonderful, and we’re devastated when they’re gone. (Not entirely gone, as temperate weather in Southern California ensures, but not 80, with fresh lemonade, night swims, and pool parties..) With a month and a half of deluxe summering to squeeze, we’re working poolside and reporting vigorously, determined to gulp every last drop. Today’s mission: a sunny lounge chair at the W Hollywood rooftop, and a plate of our favorite ceviche tacos.

We loaded our Kindle, packed our notebook, and headed to the 12th floor rooftop pool. Swatting past tables of posturing and big moves that come standard in this town, we enlisted the hostess in our quest for a sunny lounge chair. (The one on the end near the bar? Perfect.) Our afternoon passed in a blitz of heat and plunge into a new book, and we emerged as satiated and tranquilized as a Day 3 vacationer.

Our advice? The vacation you need just might be in you own city. And it’s nearly effortless to take it.

The W Hollywood rooftop pool is open daily from 11am-6pm (though we don’t recommend weekends).

Comes With the Territory

August 15, 2011 The Beat

We love sharing our recommendations, which we’ll post here for the record. We’ve been asked the following in the last month:

Which hotel should I stay at in Hollywood? W Hollywood or The Roosevelt
I’m booking a hotel in NYC, what hotel would you stay at? W Union Square
Where would you recommend in LA for brunch? Chateau Marmont
It’s my first trip to NYC, what should I make sure to see? Gramercy Park Hotel Rose Bar, Standard Hotel, and a perfunctory stop by the rooftop at Hotel Gansevoort
What’s a good Westside restaurant for a more intimate birthday dinner? Gjelina in Venice

The Dreamers

August 12, 2011 In the Air, It's Not Going To Happen, The Beat

You can always spot the car that’s just run a red light. It’s the only car on that side of the street bolting at mach speed, with a driver furtively scanning for police. Such is the mentality of the entitled business traveler at the airport, recovering from a delayed flight. It’s the waiting room of United SFO, notorious for fog-related delays, with a full operation of complainers in swing.

“UN-believable!” shouts a man in a suit, red face and bulging eyes possibly indicative of an untreated thyroid problem. “I have a meeting in LA in two hours and it’s YOUR fault if I miss it”

“I’m NOT flying into Long Beach. NO. You’re going to put me on the next flight to LA or –” Thyroid snaps back to his mobile, “Brian, these jerk-offs at United say my flight is delayed an hour and a half AT LEAST, excuse me–”

“If I have to pay for a ticket on another airline, which I will, I am invoicing YOU the cost”

And on. And on.

Oh yes, that delayed flight. What did we do? We stepped calmly to the desk, arranged a different flight, and settled into an email starting with “I’m so sorry I’m going to be late…” After all, what are the chances your new client is on the same plane?

We’ll just say it’s happened…