Mix and match: setting the hotel bar apart

When the Savoy re-opened in 2010, following a three-year refit, there were queues to get into the famous American Bar.

"People were saying: 'My god, they're queuing in the lobby!' They couldn't believe it," recalls Robbie Bargh, founder and director of the Gorgeous Group. "I said: 'Of course they're going to queue - the Savoy has been closed for so long and people have missed it'. The American Bar is magical."

It was ample proof of just how important a great bar can be to a hotel. As the man behind the creative agency that has helped conceive, launch and revitalise hotel bars around the world, Bargh knows this better than most. "A hotel bar can be something quite wonderful - somewhere you walk in and think: 'It's Christmas day!'" he says. "It's somewhere people want to go back to again and again. It's got to be memorable."

This sentiment is something that increasing numbers of hotel operators are beginning to understand. In recent years, hotel bars around the world have been transformed from places where weary travellers might enjoy a late-night gin and tonic into destination venues that serve a variety of drinks to a mixed crowd in an unforgettable environment.

A good example is Artesian Bar at The Langham, recently named the world's best bar by Drinks International magazine. Alex Kratena, Artesian's multiaward-winning head bartender, believes that hotel bars need to offer something distinctive in an increasingly competitive market. "We live in a global world where everything is becoming similar," he says. "You find the same brands on the high streets; the same fashion whether you live in Moscow or London.

"That's why it is crucial to have a unique and different offering, otherwise you just became one of thousands. In order to succeed, look at what others are doing and then do something else."

Leave nothing to chance

At Artesian, this uniqueness comprises a magnificent Chinese Chippendale-style back bar; a drinks list that is long on high-class rums; world-class service; and Kratena himself, who is one of London's most respected bartenders. When Artesian opened in 2007, Bargh's Gorgeous Group helped put together the cocktail list.

It was an example of one of Bargh's key rules: leave nothing to chance. "In a good hotel bar, there's the attention to detail, there's the theatre," says the 43-year-old, who has been in the industry for 22 years and founded Gorgeous Group in 1999. "It's about how the bartender makes the drinks, the lighting, the drinks, the snacks. What do you see when you sit down? What do you smell? The music is so important.

"It has to be somewhere where you are able to do business, take a date, be entertained. It's about putting all those things together. This means that as much time should be spent on glassware as on who works there. It's not about menus - it's about bringing the experience to life with that menu. People often forget about the bar: they'll hire the executive chef six months before opening night, but they'll employ the bartender a week before opening. Drinks service is as important as food service."

For Kratena, the crucial element is the people. "Great staff create great bars," he declares. "You can spend millions on interiors, consultancies, stock, glassware, equipment - but that's only worthwhile when the right people run the place. A bar without a great team is worth nothing! The bar business and hospitality in general is all about people; that's why you need the right people to run it."

It's a similar story at the Connaught Bar in Mayfair, which has won a dizzying variety of awards since it opened in 2008. The director of mixology at The Connaught is Agostino Perrone, who believes that good staff can make guests feel a real part of the creative process. "It's about asking: what is the customer looking for at that moment?" he says. "It's something individual; it's about interaction. After their first drink, when they're more relaxed and you can have a conversation, you can learn more about them. That's when you can suggest something more personalised."

As Perrone suggests, bartenders are far more than just drink-preparers. Indeed, it's a more complicated job than many people give it credit for, claims Bargh. "Bartenders have got to be therapists, creators, chefs, bon viveurs, entertainers, teachers, listeners, your boyfriend, your girlfriend," he says. "To tend a bar is to bring life and to be hospitable."

Bargh believes that all of these factors combine to produce a story that envelops the customer. "It's an emotional thing," he says. "What you can't do is rely on one story; you have to get everything right. It's not as formulaic as it used to be: hotel bars used to be dark, stale, dingy rooms where you'd get a gin and tonic, a glass of wine or, if you were lucky, a very dodgy cocktail.

"Now it's about the quality of the ice, the standard of the glassware, the garnishes, the music, the lighting, the seating, the height of the tables and the chairs, being able to change the music depending on the circumstances - this all matters."

Give and take

The Connaught was out on its own in terms of combining the comfort of a hotel bar with the creativity of a cocktail bar when it opened five years ago, Perrone explains. It's continued success owes a lot to teamwork and an understanding of the extra value a bartender or mixologist can bring to the customer's experience.

"We have a very good team," 35-year-old Perrone says. "We work together: waiters pass messages from guests to the bar about what they like, so we can go and talk to them. From the customer's point of view, having me or another member of the bar team going to their table is a privilege; it's like a chef coming to your table to talk to you."

There's a financial side, too, of course. Hoteliers who neglect their bars are missing out, Bargh points out. "You can get an extra £10-12 a head if you do it right," he says. "It's annoying when hoteliers leave the bar until the last minute. If you can create a destination with your bar, that's what makes it work."

The flipside of this is that a bar must be generous. One example of this is the cocktail recipe cards given to Connaught customers when they leave. "It's like when you get a print-out of the menu from a restaurant," says Perrone. "You can try it at home for your friends and colleagues. You can take it on your travels and, wherever you are, ask them to make the same drink.

"We like to make it feel very personal for the guest. We see customers who travel all over the world and come back with ideas for ingredients. We can then create something bespoke for them to remind them of their latest journey. That's very important for us."

It's also a clever way to ensure that the customer doesn't forget about the good time he or she has had. In the end, says Bargh, it's about creating a story. He cites not only the Connaught Bar's recipe cards, but also one of the Gorgeous Group's recent projects at the Morrison Hotel in Dublin. "The hotel has a great history of music, so we told this wonderful musical story with the drinks," he says. "It gave everyone there an opportunity to talk about something different surrounding the drinks list."

The hotel bar continues to evolve, and new standards are being set every year. This means that, for hotel operators, it's more important than ever to stay on top of your game. This is an approach that Kratena understands very well. "I believe that, even if something isn't broken, you should make it better," he says.

"I am never happy with what I have at the moment; constant evolution is what I believe in, so long as it's delicious and fun. While we have been very privileged to receive some attention recently, we work every day not only to meet guest expectations but to exceed them."