02/24/09

Roided up Bouncers!

by agentorange

I've never been so insulted in my life. I got yelled at by the Chuck Liddell-looking bouncer (balding w/a bad goatee) for "yanking" my ID out of his hand. Essentially a move trying to provoke me to be abused by the staff. He proceeded to stare me down for the rest of the night. The hotel staff seemed apologetic for the incident, but did not make too much of an effort to right the wrong.

• Pros: You get to feel inferior
• Cons: See pros

12/04/08

Great place to hang out, catch a drink, and have a dance

by rshpringer

I LOVE this bar for many reasons: (1) it is in Westwood, which means that those of us who live on the Westside have a fun place to go to for less than a $10 cab ride, (2) It is upscale but low-key, so people dress and act with class and professionalism. there are no trashy clubrats here, only quality people. no pretentiousness! (3) the drinks are pretty strong and reasonably priced, so you can have a good night without paying a huge price for it. The only drawbacks are: (1) smoking patio is too small, (2) they don't always have music, so you just have to pray that luck is on your side that night... and (3) the valet takes a while to bring your car. BUT all of these cons are worth working through because most clubs in LA have these same problems, so I'd rather deal with them somewhere nice like the W instead of some overcrowded, hypertrendy club...

• Pros: Good crowd, good location, good drinks
• Cons: Small patio, doesn't always have music

04/19/08

LA lounge scene

by lascene

This place is terrible. I do not recommend that anyone visit the whiskey blue. We went there the night of march 4th for a friends birthday. We had dinner at mastros then headed to the bar in which we had a table and bottle service reserved. When we arrived it was a royal mess outside...which we may expect...but the doormen were rude...which we would also almost expect under the circumstances!! Well we finally got seated and ordered our bottle.... and 1/2 an hour later we are harshly and abruptly being kicked out of the bar due to fire marshall violation in which they exceeded capacity!! OK..so as u know bottles arent cheap..we had just dropped like $500 on a bottle and had like 3/4 of it left when we were kicked out!! So for the next 4 weeks we consistently tried to call and speak to a manager abt the incident. Literally.. 1 month later SEAN the manager of whiskey blue called and was the rudest man I have ever encountered!!! Not once did he apologize for the incident..and on top of that he was condescending and rude. He had the nerve to say that it has been sooo long since the incident that "he wasnt sure what happened" and that "his bussers said that all the bottles were empty." He was basically calling us liars..I then reminded him that we had been calling for a month with no response...to which he said "well that doesnt matter...there is nothing we are going to do." Now I'm sorry ..but the least he could have done was offer an apology and seems genuine about it. He was the the rudest man and I will never go to another randy gerber bar again based on the management and lack of respect. We are all professionals who travel frequently and generally get bottles each time we go out...after my experience with SEAN (general manager of the whisky blue) I will never again go to a Randy Gerber bar ... or stay at a W again .. for that matter!!! PLEASE people..take your business elsewhere!!

• Pros: decent DJ
• Cons: TERRIBLE MANAGEMENT

11/20/07

RIP OFF!

by whipsmart85

First the positives. Nice looking bar, great neighborhood and a good amount of eye candy.

I have been to this bar a few times and have enjoyed my visits, but this past Saturday was the first time I've been there on a weekend. I wanted to just drop in with a friend for a quick drink before heading home, so instead of driving around to look for an open spot in the local neighborhood, I decided to just valet instead. Boy was that a mistake. I had no idea that valet parking is a $20 flat rate when going to the bar. My friend and I had our expensive cocktails and then promptly left. I am so disgusted with the hotel for being such rip-off artists. I'm sorry but $20 for valet in Westwood is completely unreasonable. Needless to say, I will not ever go back. Not even if I find free parking across the street. I'll pay $20 to park on "rookie night" on the Sunset strip before I ever go back to the W in Westwood. At least on the strip, I'll feel like I got my money's worth.

• Pros: Nice bar
• Cons: Valet parking is unreasonably expensive!

02/04/07

Too Expensive, Horrible Service, Great Atmosphere.

by skja

We stayed at the W hotel and reserved tables at Whiskey Blue. Initially we dealt with Melissa, who was very nice, and helped us with making the reservations.

The W is a beautiful hotel and Whiskey Blue is a great Bar, don't get me wrong. But, if you're thinking about bottle/table service Whiskey Blue is NOT the place to get it, believe me. The waitresses were extremely nice, when they came around. Our guests were pouring their own liquor except for when they needed an extra bottle then the waitresses seemed to be quick to bring the alchohol to the tables.

Seems to me that these guys need to take a trip to Vegas and visit the bar/club at the Mirage. If you want great table service, at 300 dollars per bottle, go to Vegas or any other night club in LA. I am sure you can throw a dar and find a better club.

• Pros: Atmosphere, Decor.
• Cons: Too expensive for what they are selling.

10/27/06

funky, low key lounge

by chauncey80

still one of my favorite bars in LA. low key loungy type place. although i prefer the lounge circa their renovations which was aimed to cater to locals rayher than hotel guests. the entrance is awsome and very dramatic. nice mood lighting/ candles everywhere.

• Pros: beautiful modern hotel
• Cons: parking is rediculous, not as inviting after the renovations

08/02/06

Fun, can be hard to get in to

by cutiekatie

I went here for my friend's 21st- a bunch of us got heckled by the people at the door for a bit. When there's an event in town or a movie premiering, it's super hard to get in. The drinks are really pricey but very well mixed. Good mix of a crowd.

05/21/06

Great lounge...

by hksweetie

Went there 3 times within the same week. The weekdays there are nice because it's a lot calmer and just a great place to hang out with coworkers or friends after work. On Fridays it's definately a lot more crowded but the atmosphere is still really good and they have great music. We even saw Andy Dick there and he started talking to us for a while too. But weekends are really hard to get in so you better make reservations before hand if you're trying to get in on Sats.

• Pros: easy parking, great music, reasonable prices

03/25/05

Attractive people - but gets cheesy

by chains007

You're guaranteed to see really, really attractive people here. The bartenders are also pretty hot themselves. Came here on a Thurs night after dinner - was pretty nice up until 10pm rolled around - then it got crowded and the people got cheesier. Definitely very LA - good place to get tourists to check out the scene.

07/15/04

Chic lounge at Westwood's W Hotel where affluent and attractive are the only dress-code requirements.

by Katie Heffernan

The Scene
Westwood and Hollywood hipsters enter this edgy bar in the W Hotel via an immaculate, frosted-glass staircase flanked by a cascading waterfall. The modern, open space is broken only by two ornamental partitions that vaguely separate the red, back-lit bar, expansive lounge areas and adjacent cafe. Like the jeans of its 20- and 30-something patrons, the lounge's leather couches are low-slung. Velvety chairs--including those in back by the outdoor patio--reduce crowd congestion by encouraging pretty patrons to mingle while seated.

The Draw
Strikingly sexy clientele come to see and be seen--even the bartenders, who wear black halters and miniskirts with side slits, are beautiful. Operated by Rande Gerber, the impresario behind Skybar and a former model himself, the fabulousness quotient is no surprise. At this elite singles' scene, pickup lines must be perfect and pockets well-lined--though Biggie provides grooves, expect to do more romancing than dancing.