Thank you, hotel bars. In just a few years' time, you have taken the Twin Cities nightlife scene to the next level of cool. You have enabled those of us who live in fly-over land to rub elbows with those who are flying over. You have given us the über-cool Graves and the artsy-cool Chambers. And, just as those places cool off, you give us the W Hotel in the renovated Foshay Tower. Hotel bars -- once the domain of lonely, rumpled traveling salesmen -- are not only as hot as any nightclub, some of them are nightclubs (with no cover!). Three swank hotels have opened in Minneapolis since August -- the W Hotel, the Hotel Minneapolis and a funky little place called aloft (so hip, it's all in lowercase). Like the Chambers and Graves before them, each is anchored by a fun, flashy and refreshing bar scene. Holiday Inns these are not.

There was a time when crashing a bar at a hotel where you were not a guest seemed uncouth -- almost like going into someone's home, drinking their liquor and then leaving. Nationally, the boutique W chain, among others, helped change that by creating destination bars that attract more locals than hotel guests.

In Minneapolis, the W is far and away the metro's blockbuster hotel bar. On weekends, its first-floor bar (dubbed the Living Room for its abundance of oversized furniture) transforms into a nightclub playground for a loud mass of dressed-up, pampered partyers.

"They know, and it's not just the travelers, the W means 'party,' " said the hotel's developer, Ralph Burnet. "And they party hardy."

The Republican National Convention had a role in this sudden uptick of new hotels. But with the Republicans gone, we're stuck with these bastions of swankness, so we might as well put them to good use.

They're needed, too, because there hasn't been a big splash in the nightclub scene since Aqua and Envy opened side by side 18 months ago. You know times are tough in the nightlife industry when hotel bars are the hot thing. But maybe that's an unfair slam on hotels-as-clubs, since some serious players are behind these hot spots. Real estate mogul Burnet masterminded the W's Foshay renovation (he also owns Chambers), with the interior by Toronto firm Munge Leung Design Associates. The W brand is also felt in the build-out of aloft. And Morrissey Hospitality, the company behind the St. Paul Hotel, now has Hotel Minneapolis.

With this glut of hotel bars at an all-time high, the places that sparked the trend are now playing catch-up. The Graves closed its once-mighty Infinity Lounge earlier this year with plans to reopen the space as Bradstreet, a small-plate/mixology lounge, in November. And the Chambers is in the midst of a rejuvenation, with a more lively courtyard scene with colorful furniture, a pool table and cabanas, and changes coming to its minimalist fifth-floor club.

If you're still feeling weird about hanging out at a hotel bar, think about this: You won't be the only one without a room. Even if all the guests from the W's 230 rooms were in its bar, they'd only be a fraction of the hundreds of Twin Cities clubgoers that fill the dance floor each weekend.

And if you're feeling extra special after having too much to drink -- and you're looking to ramp up your own cool quotient -- make like one of those frumpy business types flying over us: Get a room.

aloft

How about some Hungry Hungry Hippos with that infused pineapple-chipotle tequila cocktail? That combination of fun is the main idea at w xyz (yes, that's its name), a colorful, LED-lit bar inside the aloft hotel. As the name suggests, they do things a bit differently here. The chipper staff greets you with a big "Aloha!" They call their drinks "elixirs." And littered throughout the joint are childhood board games -- it's like a chic version of the Chatterbox in south Minneapolis. About that name: it's a play on sister company, W Hotels. The bar, lying close to both the Guthrie Theater and the Metrodome, hopes to be a neighborhood staple among downtown Minneapolis' condo crowd. It's off to a good start. Today it hosts a Twin Cities fashion show. Soon it'll start "Diva DJs" a Thursday groove night featuring local female DJs. And while they might only have four tap beers, they're all local, too. (900 Washington Av. S., Mpls., 612-455-8400, starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels.)

The W Hotel

Everybody from suburban moms to downtown clubbers has been running to check this place out as if their lives depended on it. There's a lot to see. The first-floor bar is called Living Room, but they should've just called it Nightclub, because when the weekend hits that's exactly what it is. Its 40-foot quartz bar is lined with pretty people who squish together, drinking, dancing, doing what pretty people do. Around the corner and 27 floors up is the W's crown jewel: Prohibition. It's fashioned out of Wilbur Foshay's former office suite -- now a set of interconnecting rooms made for partying in the sky. Nooks and crannies abound, perfect for late-night snuggling. There's even a bed in one corner. The drinks are what you'd expect -- bold and expensive. Try the Epiphany (made from Veuve champagne, elderflower liqueur and pear vodka). It's a $12 girly drink even guys will love. (821 Marquette Av., Mpls. 612-215-3700, starwoodhotels.com/whotels.)

Hotel Minneapolis

There's been some hoopla over restaurant Max's wild, some say awkward, interior design. When they renovated the old space -- the grand Midland Bank -- they kept the bank's large marble columns, but added a plethora of other out-there design touches. Namely, those exaggerated red glass petals that loom over the dining room. Whatever the case, at least they make the place interesting. Happy hour (4-6 p.m. and 9-11 p.m. Mon.-Fri.) has been a hit, where the bar shows off its flat-bread creations, mixologist-tinged cocktails and extensive wine list. Like the hotel bar at the nearby Westin (also located in an old bank), the wine cellar sits in the old vault. Now if restaurant Max hurts your eyes, there's always the chilled-out lobby bar, quaintly dubbed the "LB." (215 4th St. S., Mpls., 612-340-0303, therestaurantmax.com)

thorgen@startribune.com • 612-673-7909