Aloft Hotel

[mugofbeer]

Their management may be interested that a reputation is starting to develop they may want to quash. Lots of people are reading this.

[Richard at Remax]

Sounds like the males here need to frequent places with female bartenders. That does exist here, believe it or not.

The Sip comes to mind

[kevinpate]

I don't pub much. When I am out, more often than not I am with my lovely. She brings out the friendly in all folks. Just something about her soul.
When I used to do the meeting after the meeting evenings with coworkers, well, let's just leave it as I was the lone ugly duckling in a rather good looking gaggle of fine feathery friends from both genders. Guess I've been a bit spoiled over the years.

[NWOKCGuy]

I've tried going to WXYZ twice - both times within their posted hours and both times the bartenders told me they were closed. Haven't tried a third time.

[bchris02]

I second whoever said management needs to take note of these problems and make adjustments. With all the new places opening up in OKC, establishments need to be at the top of their game or people will just go elsewhere. Competition is a lot stiffer than it used to be and because of that, I expect to see survival of the fittest play out among OKC's bar and restaurant scene over the next few years.

[JRod1980]

By NO means should any guest be overlooked, or not served because the bartender is too busy flirting with the opposite sex. As a current bartender and soon to be a bar owner, I know that the train of thought amongst a majority of bartenders is that males tip female bartenders better and females tip male bartenders better, hence they focus their attention on them specifically. While the bartender should take responsibility for their actions, I would put more responsibility on management to make sure that situations like that don't take place. Sometimes bartenders don't realize that if they help make the establishment successful then in turn they will be successful because more clients will come in for a drink and they will make tips from both male or female. So my advice is that you notify the management about any issues that come up like not being served because a bartender was too busy flirting. Or you could not express your concerns, wait until FlashBack RetroPub opens up and go there instead ��.

[catch22]

By NO means should any guest be overlooked, or not served because the bartender is too busy flirting with the opposite sex. As a current bartender and soon to be a bar owner, I know that the train of thought amongst a majority of bartenders is that males tip female bartenders better and females tip male bartenders better, hence they focus their attention on them specifically. While the bartender should take responsibility for their actions, I would put more responsibility on management to make sure that situations like that don't take place. Sometimes bartenders don't realize that if they help make the establishment successful then in turn they will be successful because more clients will come in for a drink and they will make tips from both male or female. So my advice is that you notify the management about any issues that come up like not being served because a bartender was too busy flirting. Or you could not express your concerns, wait until FlashBack RetroPub opens up and go there instead ��.

Well I hope you train your bartenders out of that thought. I will tip a male bartender the same as a female bartender, if service is equal. I'm not there because of the genitals of the bartender. I'm there for a drink. Make a regular out of me, and I always tip north of 20%. Treat me like crap because I'm a male and am not tingling your bells, and I'll leave you pretty close to 0% tip. Bartenders need to get that crap out of their head. If your bartenders are there to flirt, they are more likely to cost you money by giving away your product as a tool to get a girl's number, either by "forgetting" to ring in a drink they poured, or by over-pouring on purpose. You are paying for their flirting. And they are stealing from you (the bar owner) to do that. Directly stealing -- by giving your product away; and indirectly stealing your future sales as they run off would-be regulars.

I hope you keep that in mind with your bartenders.

Edit: One last thought. You also do not want your bartenders "cockblocking" or becoming the competition with male patrons who are trying to meet girls. Guys have enough competition, and don't need to compete with the bartender. It will ensure guys don't come back, and it will ensure low tips from male patrons. If they want to flirt they need to come in on their day off, and not do it while serving drinks. It's a recipe for disaster.

[OKCisOK4me]

Easy way to fix that, Catch. Hopefully one of your very good friends becomes a bartender and you hang out where they work. First class service always. At least, that's how it worked out for me.

[dankrutka]

I actually listened to a really interesting Freakonomics podcast on tipping (highly recommend) and the basic conclusion from numerous studies was that tipping is discriminatory. On the whole, people do not tip based on the quality of service, but actually tip based on demographics. In short, attractive, blonde, white women get the highest tips regardless of service. They also discussed whether tipping should even be legal. Very interesting.

Anyway, not sure how much this contributes to this discussion, but I found it interesting and it might be relevant to how waitresses/waiters act.

[OKCisOK4me]

Even if tipping were illegal, people would still do it. Apparently, I was not part of that study, lol.

[dankrutka]

Here's the podcast for anyone interested: Freakonomics » Should Tipping Be Banned? A New Freakonomics Radio Podcast

[David]

I actually listened to a really interesting Freakonomics podcast on tipping (highly recommend) and the basic conclusion from numerous studies was that tipping is discriminatory. On the whole, people do not tip based on the quality of service, but actually tip based on demographics. In short, attractive, blonde, white women get the highest tips regardless of service. They also discussed whether tipping should even be legal. Very interesting.

Anyway, not sure how much this contributes to this discussion, but I found it interesting and it might be relevant to how waitresses/waiters act.

Heh, in my experience waiting tables back in college, not only do attractive, blonde, white women get better tips they also tend to get better section assignments from the floor managers.

[Pete]

Beautiful women get favorable treatment in virtually every aspect of life, even by other women.

When it comes to something as completely arbitrary as tipping, you can bet the favoritism is even more substantial.

[dankrutka]

And it's not just attractive, white women. White people, irregardless of service quality, are tipped higher than other racial groups. Again, interesting research and podcast...

[Anonymous.]

Dank, you should read/listen to Levitt's entire Freakonomics book. Amazingly capturing book for being about economics.

[turnpup]

Word of the day: Cockblocking. I'm going to have to find a way to use that in a sentence sometime!

[CuatrodeMayo]

I've used the word, but not necessary in that context...

[NWOKCGuy]

What other context have you used cock blocking?

[CuatrodeMayo]

What other context have you used cock blocking?

[turnpup]

On the way to the WXYZ bar at the Aloft Hotel, where I hoped to score some free drinks with the bartender, as I am a blonde, blue-eyed white female, a guy named Plu Pan cockblocked me when I had my turn signal on to get into the right-hand lane to exit. So I had to go to the next exit and double-back. By the time I got to the Aloft Hotel, the bar was pretty full. Lo and behold, there was Plu Pan, eyeing the hot women in their 40s.

Urban Dictionary: cock block

[HOT ROD]

hot cougars.

[Plutonic Panda]

On the way to the WXYZ bar at the Aloft Hotel, where I hoped to score some free drinks with the bartender, as I am a blonde, blue-eyed white female, a guy named Plu Pan cockblocked me when I had my turn signal on to get into the right-hand lane to exit. So I had to go to the next exit and double-back. By the time I got to the Aloft Hotel, the bar was pretty full. Lo and behold, there was Plu Pan, eyeing the hot women in their 40s.

Urban Dictionary: cock block

Sounds about right. I was also thinking about getting my bartenders license, but I don't want to make Catch mad, so I'm becoming a pool boy instead!

[Plutonic Panda]

hot cougars.

[warreng88]

From the JR:

These Walls: Aloft Oklahoma City Downtown-Bricktown

By: Molly M. Fleming The Journal Record January 16, 2015

OKLAHOMA CITY – In downtown, NE Second Street has a modern look, with Level Urban Apartments rising on the north and the OK Sea shipping container development on the south. The contemporary feel continues as the street meets N. Walnut Avenue, where Aloft Oklahoma City Downtown-Bricktown sits.

The metal-clad building owned by New Century Investments owner Jim Thompson opened in April 2014 and has 136 sleeping rooms. The exterior is just the beginning of the design style that makes this building stand out from other hotels. The hotel’s marketing audience is people ages 25 to 40 years.

The Bricktown Aloft at 209 N. Walnut Ave. has features not seen in the chain’s other offerings. The hotel line is a smaller-sized brand for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc.

“(Aloft is) a modern twist on hospitality,” said Angela Smith, director of sales and marketing at Aloft Oklahoma City Downtown-Bricktown.

When guests enter the front doors, they are greeted with a center concourse that allows them to easily see the large open lobby, bar area to the right, and snack bar to the left. The light wood flooring and ceiling lead into a polished cement-floor lobby, where lime green, orange, and purple pop off the walls and furniture.

While the look is different than many hotels, customer service names are, as well. The snack area, which has breakfast items, is called re:fuel, and housekeeping is re:fresh. The elevators are called lifts. Meeting rooms are better known as exchange rooms.

People can take a lift to see features that make the Aloft different from other locations. On the sixth floor, guests can host a wedding, conference, or other event in the 9,000 square feet of meeting space. Space sizes range from a large ballroom that holds 200 to 250 people to a small meeting room. Each room offers views of the city, even the small meeting room.

“There’s not much we can’t do,” Smith said.

The hotel has long tables that can be set up when people might need desks, and round tables for banquets. A cocktail hour for events can be held outside on the furniture-filled patio. Smith said the hotel plans to host happy-hour events this spring and even bring in some soft, live music.

Another feature that sets the Oklahoma City location apart is the two-story WXYZ Bar. While every Aloft has the bar, it doesn’t have the same amount of space, as others are just on the ground floor. Smith said the bar hosts a disc jockey on Saturdays to make the place quite lively.

“The bar turns into almost a nightclub,” she said. “It gets hopping.”

When the DJ isn’t playing hot beats, people can watch the Oklahoma City Thunder or other sports event on one of the bar’s large TV screens. There is even a drop-down projector-size screen that can be seen from the second floor.

Other special features include a parking garage, as other Alofts have a parking lot. Also, the hotel has a two-story Celebrity Suite with a grand staircase. Yes, celebrities do stay in it, though Smith couldn’t disclose any names.

[warreng88]

double post