The hotel club level used to be more of a hindrance to enjoying a destination than a perk. Maybe your parents booked a beach resort with a club lounge for the family when you were younger, and you walked in with wonder and expectation. What you saw was bland food and cheap drinks served throughout the day to a crowd only interested in getting their every dollar’s worth. The adults were drunk on mid-tier booze, and the kids had enough sugar from semi-stale cookies to keep them up for days.
But here’s the good news: Club levels have been reinvented by high-end hotel brands looking to differentiate themselves from the lowest common denominator crowd. Food is made to order via real chefs from dynamic, seasonal menus. Premium wines and spirits are poured around the clock in an environment catering to your every whim. Benefits might range from grab-and-go snacks to dedicated concierges and butler-style amenities.
“A great club level experience isn’t just about access, it’s about how it makes you feel,” says Jason LeDoux, general manager of The Langham, New York, Fifth Avenue. “At The Langham Club, it’s the unspoken details: a warm welcome by name, a remembered cappuccino preference. [We try to] create something far more meaningful than just another club lounge — a genuine home away from home.”
Hotel club levels — the good ones, anyway — are cool again. They’re exclusive but not persnickety and have excellent service without excessive cost. They serve food and drink that’s worth your time and caloric intake, not merely a way to “get your money’s worth” while forgoing the destination’s real culinary delights that await beyond the hotel’s front doors.
More people are taking notice, eager to get in on the action for themselves. “Especially post-pandemic, travelers are increasingly looking for elevated experiences that offer space, flexibility and a sense of privacy,” LeDoux says. “Our club offering has become a key driver of guest loyalty. What we’re seeing is a shift from ‘this is a nice-to-have’ to ‘this is essential to how I travel.’ Whether guests are here for a few nights or a few weeks, the club gives them a rhythm and comfort that feels distinctly their own.”
The club level done right can be a game-changing feature. It’s the table always booked just for you, the service on stand-by right when you need it, the caffeine pick-me-up or whiskey chill-me-out you crave within arm’s reach. These club level leaders fit the bill, whether you’re a business road warrior, booking a staycation or heading out on that next big getaway.
The Langham, New York, Fifth Avenue
LeDoux says there are layers to The Langham Club experience, like a residential atmosphere and intuitive service in addition to a strong culinary offering. And during the course of a few nights at the hotel, that atmosphere naturally develops as you come to recognize other guests and catch up with them about their day. You end up congregating in the lounge before and after meals, or before and after leaving the hotel for any reason, because why wouldn’t you?
The service team will ensure your clothes are pressed as you sit back and enjoy a book from an extensive collection or bring a snack back to your room. Indulge in a glass of Champagne, which is free-flowing throughout the day, alongside the several times food is served, including breakfast, lunch, and cocktails and canapés. Breakfast is made to order, and the team strives to make your requests come to life. For example, if you want a classic NYC breakfast sandwich on a bagel, they’ll get it done. While every day is a good day at The Langham Club, try your best to come in on a Friday night. That’s when the club offers full caviar service with all of the fixings, alongside their premium bubbles, of course.
The Langham combines a distinct and attentive service that falls somewhere between the hands-on attention one expects in certain Asian markets, plus the thoughtful discretion and swank of the U.K. “Our British heart, Asian soul and global mindset is something we’re very proud of, and it differentiates us from other luxury brands out there,” LeDoux says. “That ethos runs through every touchpoint of the guest journey, but the club allows us to distill it even further. It’s where our colleagues can build real relationships with guests.”
Fairmont Pacific Rim
Fairmont Pacific Rim, a gem on the Vancouver, British Columbia, waterfront, is the city’s impeccable, must-book stay. And its 20th floor Fairmont Gold Lounge is one of its key amenities. With dedicated club level check-in and hands-on service, the team has a miraculous ability to know who you are, when you’re coming and going, and what you might need or want at any given moment before you’ve even developed the request or question in your head.
Across the brand’s footprint, booking a stay in a Fairmont Gold room provides access to its club levels. At Fairmont Pacific Rim — one of a handful of Fairmont properties in its Vancouver hub — these rooms were recently renovated. Forest greens, dark woods and lush plants bring the beauty of the surroundings into the accommodations themselves.
The property’s snazzy and stylish lounge offers Vancouver’s best view, with a constant stream of seaplanes landing and taking off in Vancouver Harbour right outside its windows. Food offerings are broken down into four services, including breakfast, afternoon snacks, canapés and dessert, with breakfast based on an a la carte menu and cooked to order. A self-serve honor bar is available throughout the day, offering options like premium batched cocktails, wines and local beer.
The Fairmont Spa has become a go-to for locals and travelers alike (thanks to its phalanx of amenities), the hotel’s pool terrace is a prime city hideaway and The Botanist Bar has now garnered a well-deserved international reputation. Yet, it’s the Gold Lounge that separate the property even further.
The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco
The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco‘s white-columned, stone facade — the hotel calls a 1909 neoclassical building home — makes it appear as if The White House itself is your hotel. And with The Ritz-Carlton Club experience, you will indeed come to believe you’re receiving presidential treatment.
The club features a dining area and a larger living room space with couches, board games and books, all with a cozy, welcoming vibe that lends itself to becoming your go-to hangout. Guests staying on the eighth-floor club level walk right into the lounge when they step off the elevator, ensuring staff have a chance to greet you, offer a bite or handle any other requests that arise.
Added perks included dedicated concierge services, club lounge check-in and check-out, daily clothes pressing and morning coffee or tea delivery at your request. Help yourself to a pour of California bubbles or wine from an ice bucket, partake in a freshly-baked cookie or candy assortment throughout the day, or grab a power bar to bring back to your room.
Food service is broken into four daily offerings, including breakfast, lunch, hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, and dessert, with a menu that changes daily. A consistent theme is breadth and quality, as well as a dedication to showcasing a true San Franciscan touch in terms of cultural and culinary offerings. During my stay, one evening’s dedicated Japanese menu was a particular highlight, with yakitori, unagi bowls, udon noodles and miso soup all on-hand.
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The daily lunch spread is also impressive, with crudite and charcuterie, a DIY salad bar, soup and hot dishes, and a panini press to turn slider-sized sandwiches into delightfully gooey meals. A club lounge panini press with help-yourself premium booze in a welcoming setting with friendly service? Yeah, this is it. This is the hotel club done right.
The Ritz-Carlton Club in its San Francisco location, one of the brand’s sparkling flagships, is about as good as it gets. You’ll spend more time and partake in more of your meals in the club than you were likely planning on, and it might reduce your time spent gallivanting across the city, dining and drinking in its boundless restaurants and bars. But you won’t regret it.
That’s the difference between the club levels of yore and today’s finest offerings. You’re not missing out on something better. You’re not doing yourself a disservice. It’s not quantity over quality or taking advantage of inclusive offerings rather than doing something worthwhile. It’s supreme hospitality with top-tier food and beverage served in luxurious settings, with a daily crew of regulars and knowledgeable staff who keep the whole operation churning with an adept, smooth elegance.
“There’s a refined ease to the way service unfolds here — it’s polished but never performative,” LeDoux says. “The Langham Club is envisioned as a sanctuary for our guests, an elevated space that blends exclusivity with approachability. It’s akin to an elegant private residence, with colleagues who bring a personal, bespoke quality to service. That’s what defines hospitality for us.”
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