Concierge lounge access?
 

I have never stayed in an executive room with lounge access so had a few questions regarding access to the concierge lounge:

1. If staying in executive room and someone visits you at hotel (friend/relative not hotel guest), are you allowed to take them to the concierge lounge for breakfast/evening drinks?

2. Are beer/mixed drinks reduced price or normal hotel bar prices?

3. Are children allowed in lounge with parents?

Thanks in advance for any information.

1. Rules do not explicitly allow such guests, but most hotels will not question you or the guest, if the guest enters the lounge with you.

2. Beer/wine and spirits are sold via an honor bar process in the lounges at prices that range from normal hotel bar prices to moderately higher than normal.

3. Children, accompanied by their parents, are allowed in most lounges (with some exceptions in Europe). Well-behaved children are especially welcome.

Some lounges in the US and most lounges outside of the US offer free wine/beer (sometimes more). As long as you bring 1 guest it should be fine since 1 or 2 guests per rooms are generally the same price anyway and your friend could be staying in your room. I have once brought 3 guests (and asked before) and they said it was fine ... I gave them a good tip at the end of the day.

From my limited experience with the Executive lounge with Marriott (and Hilton), they never check anything. You will either need your room key to access the executive floor where the lounge is, or need your room key to unlock the lounge door. Either way, once your are there, they kind of assume you have the access. It's kind of an honor system.

I will put down an extra person on my reservation if I plan on taking a guest into the concierge lounge just to be on the safe side.

In NA, this matches my experience as well. But outside of NA, I've seen a number of lounge agents checking room numbers and even room occupants. And they may very well charge if you bring in someone who isn't listed as staying with you.

Renaissance LAX and LAS have a book for guests to sign into the lounge. Renaissance LAX also has a placard stating that they will charge extra for any non-hotel guests who come into the lounge (it was something like $30/day a few years ago).

I've seen the sign-in at a couple of the nicer international lounges.

Generally, I think the intention is that the beer/wine prices are close to their regular bar prices. (That is, although hotel bar prices are notoriously high, I don't believe they intentionally mark C-lounge prices even higher than that.) The main difference is that the lounge is going to be just a few bottles - Heineken and Amstel seem near-universal plus a couple of that country's local macrobrews - whereas the lobby bar probably has a few beers on tap.

I'm not sure if they mark up wines to account for generous pours in the lounge. :o