In ultra-cosmopolitan San Francisco or Los Angeles, celebrities, trendsetters and nightlife connoisseurs flock to hotel lounges. In Kansas City, out-of-towners staying in large hotels tend to stampede whatever entertainment district is nearby, leaving hotel bars virtually empty. The Plaza Marriott has come up with a solution to this problem. After a $9 million renovation that was completed this summer, the 280-room midtown hotel revealed the Marriott International Greatroom: a sleek space designed for business travelers, vacationers, staycationers and anyone who just wants the swirl of anonymity and sexiness that only a good hotel lounge can provide. Best of all, you won't drop a car payment on one of its blueberry-ginger mojitos or the organic-basil gimlet. The full menu can be had until midnight, and the Greatroom's discreet, tall-backed booths make it the perfect place to rendezvous with your secret fling, meet up with your visiting guest, or just pretend you're a celebrity.
