The middle of August brings together a tourism trifecta: School won't start for another few weeks, baseball is still in full force and the football preseason is under way.
Many people will find themselves staying in downtown hotels, visiting the Inner Harbor, catching a game and, yes, grabbing a drink at the hotel bar.
Hotel bars are the odd uncles of the nightlife scene. They're often clean, streamlined and sterile, with pricy drinks. But the service tends to be better than your average corner bar, and when you're living a few floors up, the convenience can't be beat.
With this in mind, I recently toured three downtown hotel bars to see how they stood up against Baltimore's regular bars and clubs. Here is what I found.
Tavern 101
Fairfield Inn & Suites
101 President St., Baltimore
410-837-9900, greenfairfieldinn.com
Tucked into the environmentally friendly Fairfield Inn & Suites, the small but homey Tavern 101 was a pleasant surprise. The bar's interior decorators did their homework: Tavern 101, which opened last summer, has pressed tin ceilings and four glass DeGroens chalices in cubbies on the dark wood bar back. DeGroens, a popular brewpub which closed several years ago, used to occupy the same address as Tavern 101. It's good to see Tavern 101 giving a nod to its predecessor.
Since Tavern 101 has large window banks facing west, the bar is filled with natural light until late in the evening. Corner bars should never be bright inside, but in hotel bars, that's OK. The two ceiling fans are connected via the same long pulley, which spins both at once. It's fun to watch.
Happy hour, which runs from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, is the best time to hit up Tavern 101. Draft beers such as Blue Moon, Heavy Seas Classic Lager and Victory Prima Pils are $3, and Bud Light and Yuengling are $2. Some wines by the glass are $2, and rail drinks are $2. For a hotel bar, those prices are tough to top. The service was fast and friendly, though my friend, Joe, and I were some of the only customers there one evening this week.
Tavern 101 specializes in crushed ice drinks, which are made fresh at the bar. Sweet Iced Teas, made with iced tea vodka, and Cranberry Lemonade Crushes are each $5. If you want, you can head to the outdoor patio on the other side of the lobby and take advantage of the weather — while it lasts.
Diamond Tavern
Hilton
401 W. Pratt St.
443-573-8777, hilton.com
The Diamond Tavern's location can't be beat: It's within spitting distance of Camden Yards, and a short walk from Ravens Stadium and the Inner Harbor. It's also a prime example of soulless corporate hotel bar.
The long, granite-topped bar, high ceilings and huge windows are well and good, but the tavern has almost no character. The day we went, it didn't have much beer on tap, either — the only working drafts were Budweiser and Stella Artois (which are owned by the same company). Each is $5.
Instead of happy hours, the Diamond Tavern runs a daily special called Diamond Deals. Drafts are $3 and wings are 50 cents on Mondays, bottles of wine less than $50 are half-off on Tuesdays and martinis are $7 on Wednesdays. That's a step in the right direction, but the tavern needs full-fledged happy hours in addition to the daily specials to compete with the other bars and pubs around the stadiums.
The Diamond Tavern's service also left a lot to be desired. Our bartender didn't keep an eye on our drinks, and his shirt was dirty and stained. That's unacceptable in a Hilton bar. The management needs to take a cue from Tavern 101.
Explorer's Lounge
InterContinental Harbor Court Hotel
550 Light St.
410-234-0550, harborcourt.com
If Tavern 101 and the Diamond Tavern are bleacher seats, the Explorer's Lounge is a skybox. With its rugs, plush furniture and safari theme, this elegant bar and lounge seems to represent another era.
While the Explorer's Lounge has four beers on tap (Bud Light, Guinness, McHenry and Sam Adams), which range from $4.50 to $6, you'll want to go with spirits, not suds. Baseline martinis are $10, but if you want one made with name-brand liquor, it will run you about $15.
The service is sharp and knowledgeable; bartenders know when to talk and when to listen. The view of the Inner Harbor isn't bad, either.
A night at the Explorer's Lounge isn't cheap, but if you dress sharply and have some money to burn, it's a high-end way to spend a night.
sam.sessa@baltsun.com