In many instances the quality of the club lounge a hotel offers (or the mere existence of one) can be the deciding factor when I make my hotel decisions.
For me club lounges are a lot more than a place to have a continental breakfast and appetizers in the evening. Instead it can be a great place to get a couple of hours of work done during the day in relative peace, a place to get recommendations for sightseeing from a dedicated concierge, or in many instances a place to enjoy the sunset or skyline view.
As such I figured I’d share some of my favorite club lounges from hotels I’ve visited. Admittedly this list isn’t definitive since I’ve yet to experience a Ritz Carlton club lounge (though will do so in Hong Kong in a couple of weeks), as I’ve heard their lounges are among the best.
With that in mind, here are some of my favorites:
InterContinental San Francisco
Club lounges abroad tend to be considerably better than those in the US. Most club lounges in the US charge for alcohol and serve little more than a rabbit’s diet consists of.
Then there’s the InterContinental San Francisco, which is by far the best club lounge I’ve visited in the US.
For one, the food offerings are excellent (and plentiful). For breakfast they serve all kinds of meats and cheese, croissants, scrambled eggs, cereal, etc. Then during the day they have soup, followed by afternoon tea with a variety of sandwiches and scones. In the evenings they also have an extensive spread, consisting of just about anything you could want, including a couple of hot dishes. Then late at night they have cookies, sweets, and aperitifs. Alcoholic beverages are complimentary in the evenings (which is rare among US hotels).
But what really sets this club apart is the staff. They rival the best in the industry, not only in terms of their friendliness but also in terms of their attentiveness. This applies to both the waiters and reception, which I can’t say enough positive things about. After your first visit they remember your name, and you’re greeted as such with every subsequent visit.
The premium for a club room is typically about $80/night, and Royal Ambassador members are given complimentary access.
I don’t think there’s a hotel in the world that offers better city views than the InterContinental Hong Kong, which is located in an ideal location on Victoria Harbor. If you get a harbor view room you literally feel like you’re in a boat on Victoria Harbor.
As such, the club lounge also boasts great views of Victoria Harbor and has one of the most impressive and extensive club lounge spreads I’ve ever seen. The breakfast spread is almost as big as the one found in the main restaurant, including several hot dishes. Later in the day they serve afternoon tea with a wide selection of teas, scones, and sandwiches. In the evenings they also have an extensive buffet, which includes several hot options.
As a Diet Coke fanatic I was especially pleased to see that when they served Diet Coke with lime they did so with an ice bucket for the can. That has to be one of my favorite beverage presentations ever!
Lastly, the highlight has to be that the club lounge is one of the best places from which to view the nightly “symphony of lights” that occurs in Hong Kong. While standing outside to watch them can be fun, enjoying them from inside with a glass of champagne isn’t too bad either.
The premium for a club room is typically about $100/night (Royal Ambassadors have to pay for access as well).
At some hotels the club lounge benefits go far beyond the lounge itself. One of those hotels is the InterContinental Bali, where the club is basically a resort within a resort. Club guests not only have access to a special pool, but also get a meet and greet service at the airport along with complimentary transfers in both directions.
Beyond that, the service and offerings for the club are fantastic. As a club guest you can have breakfast in the main restaurant, via room service, or in the club lounge. While most club lounges just have a buffet, the club at the InterContinental Bali actually has an a la carte menu as well, available all day. As a result, you could literally stay at the InterContinental in a club room and not pay a dime for food or drinks the entire stay.
The premium for a club room is typically about $150/night (Royal Ambassadors have to pay for access as well).
There are only a few Park Hyatts that have club lounges, and this is because it kind of contradicts the Park Hyatt “concept.” Park Hyatts emphasize everyone feeling at home, and as a result they avoid club lounges for the most part, so that there’s not a “hotel within a hotel.”
One exception is the Park Hyatt Melbourne, which does have a club lounge.
Not only is it incredibly elegant, but it has an excellent evening spread, consisting of several hot dishes, all kinds of cold options, and a fantastic dessert spread.
One of the unique things about the hotel, though, is that the club lounge isn’t open for breakfast, so club guests get complimentary breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant, Radii. This really is a case where you get the best of both worlds, since the breakfast buffet in the restaurant is spectacular.
The premium for a club room is typically about $90/night, and Hyatt Diamond members are given complimentary access.
Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur
Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur has one of the best club lounges I’ve seen in the Starwood system. As a club guest you can have breakfast in the lounge or the restaurant, though I highly recommend the restaurant, which has one of the most impressive breakfast buffets I’ve ever seen (along with Le Meridien Bangkok). In the evenings the spread is great as well, including a handful of hot dishes and all kinds of cold options as well. To top it all off the lounge boasts great views of Kuala Lumpur.
The premium for a club room is typically about $60/night, and Starwood Platinum members are given complimentary access.
Those are some of my favorites. I’m quite looking forward to trying the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong in a couple of weeks to see how the club lounge experience compares to the above.
What are your favorite club lounges?
Need Award Booking Help? Our fee is as low as $75 per ticket if you book your hotel through us.
If you enjoyed this, join 100,000+ readers: please follow TravelSort on Twitter or like us on Facebook to be alerted to new posts.
Become a TravelSort Client and Book 5-Star Hotels with Virtuoso or Four Seasons Preferred Partner Amenities!