Roll into Aloft’s bar, Corner, at 5 p.m. on a Friday, and you’ll find a group of Humana employees unwinding after a long week that I can only imagine is spent sitting behind stacks of insurance claims— a tiny slit in a wall of paper, so they can see out into the world they’ve left behind.
They’re regulars, according to the bartender, and part of the happy hour menu was built with them in mind.
Check-in is a breeze, and I’m quickly at ease, as the receptionist tells me that only my key card will take the elevator up to my sixth-floor room. No one is walking in off the streets of downtown Louisville and wandering the halls. At least, not without paying for a room. I set my bag on a table in front of a window, in my room, and open up the bag they handed me at the desk. It’s full of chocolate and peppermints. It’s a good start.
We head back down to the bar for dinner and drinks - the menu is short but varied enough to satisfy us all. A turkey club (one of the best I’ve ever had), a burger, buffalo wings, sides of fries and crispy Brussels sprouts. An old fashioned, red wine and local beer on tap. The place even has jerky pairings to go with the bourbon. Tell me that Larceny goes with “Lumberjack Maple Bourbon” and I will believe you, taste untasted. I didn’t know before this that I needed jerky pairings, but lo and behold, I now find myself hoping for them everywhere I go.
We do shots of Old Fo’ in our own bubble, as people sit in their own bubbles all around. Sam Sneed is DJ’ing and a few folks have come in from the street. A couple is having drinks on a couch. A single woman sits down the bar from us, staying in the hotel for the night. A few guys crowd the pool table. People move in and out as we eat and drink.
We’re not worried about who’s going to drive, because the best thing about a hotel bar is the hotel attached to it: We have a modern, sleek corner room - an amazing view of the street, without any of the car honking or shouts that you expect from a room in the city. Everything is beautiful, but functional. Shampoo and conditioner dispense straight from the wall of the shower (no calling down because you forgot your toiletries), a pocket door divides the shower and from the rest of the room.
The bed is huge and, since the hotel has been open just a few shorts weeks, just like new. Even with the couch folded out into a bed, there’s a ton of space. We’ve brought up our drinks from the bar, moving around, gaping at the view, Snapchatting our room. I look for the ice machine and find it in the basement, in a room next to the fitness center. It is a clean and well-equipped room that I will most certainly not make it to in the morning. But a girl can dream.
It’s the best night’s sleep I’ve had in so long (I highly recommend getting out of your house for one night every once in awhile and sleeping in a bed that you didn’t have to buy and wash the sheets for. It’s glorious). I wake up to the best view.
If you get up early enough at Aloft, you can go downstairs and grab a made-to-order omelet from the breakfast station, as well as some fresh espresso. If you hadn’t guessed, I didn’t wake up early enough for that, but the smell of breakfast afterward made me really regret hitting snooze so many times.
If you book a room in advance, staying in the hotel is actually a pretty affordable night (about $100 for the cheapest room), with prices at the bar pretty standard. I am definitely considering spending another night like this, especially when Forecastle comes back around. Until then, I’ll be dreaming about those jerky pairings.
You can also find Justin Paul Lewis playing in Corner on Tuesdays (5-7 p.m.) for his weekly residency. The bar will be adding more performers as the weather warms up. For Valentine's Day, Aloft will be offering a screen-free dinner (turn in your phones and enjoy your date, for once), complete with heart-shaped flatbread pizza, cocktail specials and special rates on rooms for the night. The specials will be offered the whole week of Valentine's Day. For more info, contact Lauren Jenney (lauren.jenney@aloftlouisvilledowntown.com).
Image: Aloft Louisville
