JamesEaston

The JW BKK used to require long pants for men but the management got tired of getting screamed at on a daily basis so shorts are ok now . RC HKG and RC SIN club lounges as well as a lot of other club lounges in Asia like MO and S-LA won't let you in with shorts, but I'd guess that all MC exec lounges would.

I just had to google "crocs". They are those (absurd looking, sorry I know that's terrible) plastic things that I've seen in shops but never in real life. It seems to me they belong in the shower of a public gym or pool, not the street or a club lounge . I'm guessing the attendant at Grosvenor House took issue with the "crocs" more than anything else

SkiAdcock

1. I was wondering the same thing.

2. Agree.

Cheers.

Scheitan

And who wouldn't?

SkiAdcock

1. I've stayed at GH many times, but the new exec lounge on the ground floor just opened 2 weeks ago so haven't seen it (other than the pics in the official GH thread which someone posted right after it opened).

2. Glad to hear everything else is going well!

3. I tend to agree w/ the others - crocks???

Cheers.

VickiSoCal

I confirmed with GH "casual elegance" is the dress code. No clarification on what that means.

ohmark

So, it would appear, that a lounge attendant has been empowered to apply his/her personal vision of "casual elegance" and throw offenders out. Ludicrous.

VA1379

I was at GH in 2009. At that time, they gave a letter listing requirements of executive lounge access, including hours, asking guests to not take food and drink out of the lounge, and the prohibition of anyone under 16 in the evening. For the dress code, they wrote something along the lines of smart casual. I wore sneakers, khakis, and a collared shirt. I saw guys wearing jeans with jackets. I would interpret their dress code to mean showing no skin below your knees for guys, including feet, no T-shirts or jeans with holes, and no gym clothing. I walked around London all day, and I was not going to bring dress shoes just for lounge access.

In my stay, I saw them ask one woman to leave one night, but it was not due to dress code. She became quite upset, and the drama reminded me of a Mexican TV drama, except all the arguing was in English.

jr1202sr

http://www.sandiegorestaurants.com/a...-codes-defined

Casual Elegant
Now that you saved your jeans and tennies for the casual kitchens, and your blazer and khakis for business-casual settings —what can casual elegant presume? Restaurants calling for this stratum of dress want guests to slip into dressed-up versions of their casual attire. This can vary, depending on the extent an individual wants to dress up. For him, it could be a dark suit or a button down with trousers, made complete by a sportcoat. For her, a formal pants outfit, or a snazzy black dress complemented by an evening wrap or clutch bag would be perfect for such a grand scene. Both women and men will find turtlenecks, darker colors, and leather shoes to be universally accepted as supplements to casual elegant outfits.
Business casual and casual elegant may be troublesome to untwine from each other but the difference lies in the level of personal adornment. Elegant will require more flare, especially for women. You may want to bring out some of the finer jewelry, bolder makeup, and dare to show more skin. Men can don the smoother ties, cufflinks, and may want to wear a black and blue suit before over a gray or tan one.

Why not

Business Casual
To grasp the concept of outfits that comprise the business casual closet, apply the polished-yet-comfortable look to item you would don to the workplace. Now, understandably, with the plethora of businesses, this dress type becomes obscure, leading to many ideas of what is considered appropriate. The job search engine, Monster.com, offers a definition for this ambiguous category, stating, "In general, business casual means dressing professionally, looking relaxed yet neat and pulled together." The key word in that definition is professional, and when taking clients out to lunch or just meeting someone in general, you want to be apart of the higher stature that the chosen restaurant wants to convey. When recommending business casual, the restaurant most likely wants the guests to feel easful, yet apart of the tip-top dining atmosphere.
For women, business casual comprises suits, collared shirts, knee-length skirts, and tailored dresses. Capris are okay if they are of a dress-pant material, which is usually not denim or heavy cotton (remember rougher fabrics are technically apart of the casual-only category). Tennis shirts and trousers are apart of the business casual’s lower stratum, but just as acceptable. Clothing that reveals too much cleavage, chest, back, stomach, feet or underwear is not befitting for a place of business, nor is it for a business-casual-type setting.
For men, a combination of a collared shirt,which can range from a tenis/Polo shirt or a button down, and dress pants or trousers, such as khakis, all tucked away and made neat with a belt or blazer, is idyllic. The shoes should be in the neighborhood of loafers or tie-ups—sneakers should be excommunicated. Those should always be shed unless entering into a casual-friendly dining milieu In a business-casual work environment, clothing should be pressed and never wrinkled. Convey a professional look, and if you can do that, you won’t have a bit of trouble complying with the restaurants’ recommendations

VickiSoCal

I am very tempted to write back and ask them how a casually elegant 12 year old girl should dress before heading out to a day exploring Hyde Park.

SkiAdcock

I've seen people wearing jeans in the GH exec lounge (in fairness, they didn't have holes in them).

My guess is this was an overzealous (and/or new) lounge attendant, given that the OP was in the lounge 2x earlier in the day & the lounge attendants were friendly & welcoming.

Cheers.

lexdevil

Hope so. My fear is that with the new lounge (and possible sale) they may be trying to upgrade the impression of the lounge.

I emailed and await a clarification. The last thing I want to do on my vacation is waste energy stressing out over what to wear for breakfast or a quick drink in the evening.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, I wonder how the dress code interacts with the guarantee of breakfast for elites. If I don't have "a formal pants outfit, or a snazzy black dress complemented by an evening wrap or clutch bag," how will the hotel make good on this guarantee? I've always thought that the purpose of the lounge was to make travel easier for Marriott's best customers. This policy does precisely the opposite.

goingbananas

I always have a "lounge attire" at the ready. So, if I am in shorts in my room getting work done, etc. I would change into jeans at a minimum, golf shirt, dark socks and a pair of cole haans and off I go. Never any issues on the dress code.

SkiAdcock

Re: the sale. I wouldn't worry about it. GH was sold a few years ago to an Indian company that is now having financial difficulties & now an Indian billionaire who stays at the property is interested in acquiring it as he considers it a trophy property. Marriott still manages/has a contract to manage GH.

Re: the lounge. Again, I think this was a one-off by an overzealous lounge attendant.

I've stayed at GH for many years. My guess is the casual elegant has always been the dress code or biz casual, but I've seen people in jeans. Other than the robe/slipper wearing person I've never seen anyone tossed out of the exec lounge.

Cheers.

Lane412000

Follow-up to my original post:

Went to lounge this evening in polo shirt, jeans and dress shoes. In the lounge were gentlemen in shorts, one in a muscle shirt, one male in shorts and hiking shoes/boots, saw one female in halter top and tight shorts. My wife refused to allow me to confront the person who asked me to leave the executive lounge last night.

I am unsure if I should ask to speak to a manager about being asked to leave the lounge when I now see individuals dressed in a manner that I know does not come close to casual elegance.

To those who plan on staying at the hotel, you will find an excellent hotel. Except for this one issue last night, our stay has been very positive.

SkiAdcock

1. I would. Given that you were in the lounge earlier in the day yesterday w/ no problems & the earlier staff said nothing about your appearance, you explained about the lost luggage, & that the attendant was reluctant to let you even get your wife before leaving, I think the management should know so they can train/better inform their staff. Find out the attendant's name so that they know who to talk with, as it sounds like one over-zealous attendant.

Let them know that your experience at GH (this aside) has been good to date, but this could have spoiled it & that others (since you posted on a BB) are now questioning whether to stay at the property, that you know they want all guests to feel welcome, and that you think the attendant could have handled things better.

2. Glad to hear it!

Cheers.