brooklynmatt

Am I alone in liking to bring my own bottles to hotels (wine)? And walking into restaurants with a glass poured in my room to kick things off?

It's certainly due to being cheap, but they're still pricey bottles, just without the 3-4x markup.

obscure2k

I believe that this topic is more suitable for the Travel Buzz Forum.
Obscure2k
Moderator
LuxuryHotels

nba1017

I've done similar things.

In the room I see no issue with it. Obviously a bottle in a restaurant is fine if you're willing to pay corkage. I'm not sure how a hotel would feel if you bought a bottle down to the bar. Some might ban it altogether, some might ask you to pay corkage, others (particularly if you're a regular) would look the other way. I think a lot depends on the time/day and the space you're taking up.

At my favorite local restaurant/bar, perhaps the nicest perk they've extended to me is unlimited free corkage even in the bar as long as I'm respectful about it. Hotels that I've spent a good amount of time in do similar things, probably following the line of reasoning that drinking tends to beget more drinking...

cordelli

Nope, we do it all the time, all of our bags have corkscrews in them


I would never do that. I may bring a bottle and pay the corkage fee (if they allow that) but I would not just walk in with a glass. In some areas it's probably against the law to bring your own open alcohol into a place that has a liquor license.

chgoeditor

No, you're not alone.

Tacky (and, as others have pointed out, possibly illegal). Would you also bring you own appetizers to a restaurant?

ctbarron

1. Wine in the room all the time. If I am staying for a few days I usually go on a supply run after checking in. Wine, ideally something local, is on the list.

2A. Hotel bar/restaurant? Bottle maybe but expect corkage fee. I usually ask about this first. Glass no...but I confess I did do this many moons ago when I was much younger/poorer/cheaper. Half the time a waitress would come up and ask if we wanted a refill while stating they "forgot" what we were drinking.

lovely15

All the time to number 1, never to number 2. That's just low class.

brooklynmatt

Low class? You know me too well!

In my defense this far it's been on cruises and casinos where it's shared revenue centers and encouraged debauchery- however I'm checking into the St Regis Bal Harbour and thinking a bottle of Chardonnay 'for the room' would be wise...

I'm fine with corkage when poured for me, but I disagree when it's in room or strolling around booze.

slawecki

it is illegal in most states. in some states, it is even illegal for you to carry your drink from the bar(for example) to the table. however, i do not ever recall a standing wine tasting that did not allow walk around with glass in hand.
sounds inconsistent.

lovely15

It wasn't a judgment on you, just your action.

brooklynmatt

I guess it could be that. I do tend to purchase wines that are not available in the restaurant and could use that as a cover, but the truth is I would rather spend $100 retail for 4 glasses of great wine than average wine at $25 a glass... The stuff I like often isn't available at many places though...

So I'm cheap and picky, and spend a ton of money at these places, and tip well...one visit was into the 4 figures in just tips... I'm not sure it's low class to be upset with 4x markups on average bottles

nerd

Oh, but it's not. Did it appear someone implied that it was?

N965VJ

What States? I've asked hotel bartenders for a "to go" to take back to my room, and can't ever recall being told that wasn't possible.

pinworm

In Australia this is a common practice for dining out. For a small fee you can bring your own bottles in, and they open and serve it for you. It's a great idea.

LaserSailor

I used to haunt NYC in the early 2000s and it was common to have restaurants without liquor licenses,,,in which case BYOW was the rule ..no fee...they got you on desert...