What Makes a Great Hotel Bar We take a look at what makes a modern hotel watering hole stand out and pick a few favorites.

Let's meet at the bar in your hotel," my former colleague Lloyd suggested when it became clear that our intersection in Toronto would be limited to a late-night drink.

My one night in Toronto spent in a hotel bar? It sounded grim. Hotel bars have always been ideal for gathering a group together before you head off to dinner somewhere else, or for sipping a glass of wine while waiting for your spouse to finish dressing. As the sole venue for an evening's entertainment, though, most are sorely lacking.

It's one thing if you're in London and stop in for a drink at The Lanesborough or the Connaught; that drink doubles as a visit to a cultural artifact. In New York, I've made a pilgrimage to The Algonquin to commune with the spirits of Dorothy Parker and Robert Benchley.