I love a hotel with a good coffee bar. Having said that I haven’t come across many. The only three I know in New York are Sant Ambroeus at The Loews Regency, Stumptown Coffee at the Ace Hotel and Pomme Palais at The Lotte New York Palace. All three hold a special place for me personally and I am sure for many others!

My taste in hotel coffee bars is also very specific. By a hotel coffee bar, I literally mean a relatively small coffee shop with a small door opening to the public and perhaps one opening to the hotel lobby but equally inviting people from the hotel and off the street into its world. The concept is very romantic to me. It has a transient vibe of constant movement yet an air of familiarity. 

Sant Ambroeus at Loews Regency 

Every time I have been to Sant Ambroeus at the Loews Regency, I have seen a fabulous mix of people, guests of the hotel, the residents of the area, tourists, and sometimes people who are just catching up for work. I once met the make-up artist/brand owner who I had heard a lot of; Edward Bess whilst he was picking up lunch.

The coffee bar has an air of casualness yet elegance to it since it is Sant Ambroeus but different to the other locations in New York.

It is a perfect place for run-ins, stop over after the morning walk or pitstop for a coffee before you head out for early evening commitments. 

Stumptown at the Ace Hotel 

The Ace Hotel is just plain cool. It is a place where you’ll see freelancers working away on their laptops during the day which transcends into a buzzy night with live performances and an energetic pull that you can’t seem to avoid. To add to that enigma, Stumptown Coffee is around the corner of the hotel and connects to it. The coffee bar is buzzing. It isn’t literally on ground level so once you climb up a few stairs and enter it, the life on the street is really one out of a movie. I love sitting in the window and watching life go by. I also love popping by and picking up Stumptown coffee beans usually a day before I head back to London. I feel like Stumptown feeds to my energy that I have whilst in New York and whats better than being next door to a Le Labo boutique – doesn’t get more New York than that!

Pomme Palais at The Lotte New York Palace

Last but not the least, The Lotte New York Palace may be huge, in terms of luxury and space. But the coffee bar, Pomme Palais makes you feel like a part of the community. It holds a special place of memories in my heart, as I was grabbing a coffee there before a very important pitch. We never won the account, but I got a very good feeling by being there. The place is bustling, with so many professionals from around the area, travelers and yet an air of comfort. Since it is also an extravagant patisserie not just a coffee bar it has more warmth to it and a reason to stick around longer. For hotels that may seem intimidating to some, due to high price points or a general air of extravagance, patisseries like Pomme Palais create a bridge for those who want to experience the atmosphere at a smaller scare. It really is a smart concept if more luxury hotels were to adopt it!

So my case is, more hotels need that transience in the form of a swanky third-wave coffee or rustic or even timeless bar (not too big, not too small!). There is something fluid yet permanent about it and has created some wonderful memories for me and I am sure many others.  Do you agree?