Redwood Room Hotel Bar / Lounge

Downtown / Financial District, San Francisco –

Locals don’t usually make a point of hanging out in hotel lounges, but they make an exception for Redwood Room. Located in the luxury Clift Hotel, the venue has been exuding (upper) class since the 1930s, and the long bar – reportedly carved from a single redwood – is a frequent stop for people who never have issues paying off a credit card.

Wealthy executives drop in for a snifter after a long day, relaxing beneath an illuminated display of premium liquor as they make eyes at the chic ladies sipping orange blossom martinis.

Chandeliers cast a dim glow from the high ceiling, barely lighting the regulars who file in with their bursting bags from Sephora and Saks – and given the chichi surroundings, it’s no surprise the space is frequently booked for posh birthday celebrations and glitzy galas.

The calm air of sophistication gives way to more of a club feel Wednesdays through Saturdays when DJs spin a mix of house and Top 40, and trendy young professionals flood in from all over the Bay Area to shake a little and flirt a lot.

Plasma TVs display an ever-changing array of digital artwork, but most of the guests are too busy scoping out who’s available and – as the case may be – who’s for rent.

An upscale venue tempered with laid-back intimacy, Redwood Room is a hip lounge for well-to-do denizens in need of some cultured schmoozing, old-world charm, or just the oldest profession in the world.