Trading Spaces: Hotel Cinderella Stories Go From Day to Night

Hotels are getting creative with spaces that can serve more than one purpose, which also serves the guest in more ways than one. You need look no further than hotels like Hartford, Connecticut’s, Goodwin for some of the city’s most mouthwatering cuisine and cocktails at night, with a fun donut shop and locally roasted coffee to put a little pep in your step in the a.m.

At The Goodwin boutique hotel in the heart of Hartford, Connecticut, sexy Bar Piña serves up curated craft cocktails in front of a back-lit bar and it’s not too uncommon to see folks on first dates soaking up the vibe: great tunes, worn-just-right leather couches, antique rugs and Spanish-inspired bites from Restaurant Porrón next door. But during the day, the space has the glow of a neon sign outside and a much sweeter scent: the hotel’s Donut Shop, where executive pastry chef Kristin Eddy serves up fresh baked goods, frittatas and locally roasted Giv beans.

At Pangea Pod Hotel in Whistler, British Columbia, lots of space is shared: restrooms, and different “wings” with train compartment-style sleeping quarters. In the morning, the breakfast nook looking out on the skiing and mountain biking village serves up avo toast, specialty lattes and chia bowls, but, in the evening, the space transforms into The Living Room — a bar and cocktail lounge, with live music, brews and bites like cheeseboards and flatbreads that make it one of the hippest places to see and be seen.

Pod Hotel, The Living Room. Photo: Pangea Pod Hotel

Boston gets its first trendy food hall-inspired experience at Bar Mercato at Hyatt Centric, near historic Faneuil Hall. The new hotel’s grab-and-go café counter is convenient for tourists and business travelers alike, as is the wine, beer and vermouth counter that replaces the caffeine buzz from 7 p.m. onward nightly.

Aloft Austin Downtown guests can get their fill of Austin’s Legendary Roaster, Little City and homemade baked goodies and juices in the morning, linger over an afternoon glass of wine and grab a to-go lunch or tasty local specialty dinner like Texas green chile and chicken enchiladas. Those who want to party can take a trek upstairs for Upstairs at Caroline, a backyard party vibe with cornhole and oversized Jenga, along with cocktails and craft brews to take the party far into the night.

Skiers can rejoice thanks to the ultimate convenience at Hyatt Place in Park City, Utah. Start on the slopes early thanks to a morning coffee shop, then head back to put away your skis and shower for a cocktail or glass of wine at the multiuse hotel bar/café space.

The lobby is the go-to spot at the Society Hotel in Portland, Oregon, where Society Cafe is a multiuse lobby, café and lounge. The day starts with fresh pastries, coffees and topped toasts; serves salads, sandwiches and snacks mid-day; and at night, the craft cocktails and locally brewed beers and ciders come out to play.

It’s a Cinderella story when the Lobbyist Bar transforms itself from a buzzy place for cocktails and convo to a continental breakfast bar at the brand-new Hotel Concord in New Hampshire’s state capital. It’s adults only in the evening, but, in the morning, kids enjoy fruit, pastries and fun butterfly murals.