Glow

I’ve come here on several occasions to get my drink on and the cool atmosphere. Too bad it’s closed now, but it was definitely a place to lounge and enjoy some drinks with friends.

Cool spot to hit for a fun and classy evening with a special someone or friends. Came here to grab some drinks with friends and listen to some live entertainment. Occasionally they have local artists play here. So far have really enjoyed the music the two times I’ve been here. Then set up inside is very cozy and romantic with soft lighting from the fireplaces and large plush couches. This lounge is in the Marriott Hotel by Via Marina and Admiralty Way.

I had a very good time at glow would recommend it for a quiet evening to meet with a friend or a date due to its laid back atmosphere

Cool atmosphere but service was incredibly slow and staff had no personality. I was seated in the lobby area, maybe it’s better outside. For a hotel bar, it’s good as I don’t have high expectations. The signature cocktail I got was over flavored, next time is just order wine.

So I went down to Marina Del Rey to visit a friend and he’s like «Dude lets go to glow»

Beautiful setting with fire places, great lounge furniture and great service. Awesome food and sweet cocktail servers.

Was just there for drinks/​apps after work. I suggested the Ritz-​Carlton but my friend and former co-​worker suggested something different, so we came here. Big mistake. Terrible, slow service, for starters. And a depressing atmosphere in the lobby bar and in Glow itself. I felt like I was at a lower end hotel, not at all befitting its great Marina del Rey location. Even the server’s outfits were depressing and dreary. Definitely sticking w/​the Ritz the next time I do after-​work cocktails in MDR.

Organic wines, summer evenings sitting by the fire. Beautiful ombience. This is a really fun place to go with a group of friends with the big comfy couches sitting by the fire on a Friday evening. Sometimes they dj’s but since it is outside and there are hotel guests it becomes more background music. Definitely recommend it.

Their happy hour was okay. Not much of a fan, however, their outside seats are nice, since Glow is located inside of a Marriott Hotel. Oh Happy Hour App, you guide us to the interesting-​est place.
Once you enter the hotel from the front, you’ll see the bar on your left. Ahead of you, there is a outside patio lounge for those who want to drink or chit chat. For you smokers, I believe you can smoke outside. And for those who do not like the smokes, I suggest you to stay inside.
The bartenders were cool. Great people to chat with. I told them my phone was dying and if it was okay to charge. Woohoo, I was able to charge, use my phone and enjoy my drink without leaving my phone by itself.
Boyfriend got his usual black label neat. Um, you cannot go wrong with that so he was satisfied. I got myself a Manhattan. It was pretty good.
If you’re planning to drive here, prepare to pay for that valet parking, well, it is a Marriott hotel. No idea how much it is since we did not drive, so good luck! If you’re planning to just check it out, try street parking, but watch out for residential parking and such. No one wants a parking ticket.
Note: limited seats at the bar!

Celebrated my husband’s 40^th birthday this past weekend and we had a GREAT time! The atmosphere was perfect and the service is outstanding! I can’t say enough good things about the staff at Glow. They really made my husband’s party special.

Came here to hang out for a couple of hours after having dinner at a nearby restaurant — the place is inside the Marriott hotel, valet parking is $ 12 and is classified as a nightclub but it is more a lounge place. There was a DJ who was spinning some decent tunes so I guess it could be a nightclub if you drank enough.
The ambiance and vibe started out quiet but as the night rolled on, it got busy and a little more happening and loud. It’s a good place to go and chill out, hang with friends and have conversations or meet new friends too. The crowd was older but if you are just looking to hang and have a drink, Glow is not too bad.

Glow is located inside of the Mariott (Hotel) Marina Del Rey, and has nice outdoor seating and even in the daytime the fireplace is kept burning for ambiance.
The seats are as comfortable as nice outdoor patio lounge furniture is generally.
They do have a happy hour that begins at 5:00pm on weekdays.
The parking is okay in the area, you can either do the valet with the hotel (I have no idea of the cost but based on speculation I’d venture to guess it could be expensive) or find street parking outside in the neighboring areas along Washington Blvd where there’s 2 hr meters and also if you’re willing to walk, maybe a few residential street parking spaces (but I doubt many without having a multitude of restrictions since this is walking distance from the beach).
The service here was good, very accommodating.
The food was okay and on par with what’s expected by hotel bar food standards in both quality and price.
I went here at a late afternoon, pre-​evening weekday, so it wasn’t crowded.

Great cocktails.
Great vibe.
Great service.

I came here with a bunch of girlfriends for a bachelorette party. The maid of honor lives close to this area and heard it was a nice place to go for a more subdued evening out.
It was VERY subdued. It was a very nice outdoor space. Open, but intimate because of the candles and lighting and the huge fireplace. There were a lot of people there around our age (don’t you dare ask how old I am! haha)… it was definitely not a place for college kids, which was nice. Sometimes I don’t mind a little beer pong, but we’re trying to get fancy here.
It was a Saturday night and although we were expecting something chill, we were also expecting to dance. The DJ wasn’t allowed to play top 40 hip hop. How the hell are we going to get our groove on if there wasn’t danceable music? It’s Saturday night for goodness sake! It’s supposed to be party night! At the end of the night, the DJ gave the maid of honor a cd of his hip hop mix. We listened to it in the car and wow… we missed out. The music on his cd was 1990’s/2000’s hip hop and R&B, you know the good stuff, not any of this crappy autotuned rap crap which have lyrics that don’t make sense — «I’m a venereal disease like a menstrual bleed»… does Lil’ Wayne not know periods aren’t VDs??? Idiot…
Anyway, two of the girls and I kept drinking because that’s really all we could do there. Drink, chat, drink, chat some more, keep warm by the fire place, drink… The drink prices were average for Los Angeles. I honestly don’t remember how much I spent on the round of drinks I bought. So that means it was neither expensive nor cheap.
I would go here again if I wanted a place to relax and chill with a date. I wouldn’t come here for my bachelorette party though, it was wayyyyy too chill for that.

I have partied a few time at Glow oh say, back in 2007 or so. Things have changed since then. A lot. I remember a packed bar, dancing, bouncer and the ability to get in to some shenanigans.
Fast forward to a Friday night in 2012. No bouncer, not very crowded, and yes a DJ, but only about 4 or so white chicks dancing with each other. The crowd has matured, early 30’s, with dudes suited up, hoping for it to be legen… wait for it… dary! lol.
All in all this place is chill, nice for a drink and conversation if you want to be able to hear your companions. Things will not get crazy here. It’s located at the Marriott in Marina del Rey. You probably really only know about it if you are familiar with the area.
I do like the outside/​fireplace/​couch ambiance.
Tip: Park in the public lot #10 right across the street for about $ 3, instead of shelling out change with the hotel valet service.

Beware! Happy Hour ripoff, misleading customers! Went here on a Friday night for drinks. This place has certainly changed from just a few years ago. Appeared to be a lot more mediocre and rundown. The outdoor seating area opens through glass doors from the lobby and is full of cigarette burned seats. We wanted to sit outside but there was a bunch of loud wedding revelers so we opted to come inside. The inside décor is nothing to write home about either, just a regular hotel bar.
They were supposed to have a Happy Hour on Friday nights from 6 – 10 PM, when most drinks are half-​price. Trouble is you don’t know which drinks and there’s nothing to tell you, not the menu nor any card. They have signs everywhere saying cocktails are for 6 bucks during happy hour. When you look at the menu all of the cocktails are one price for 12 bucks. So we started ordering drinks and were happily drinking away. The big shocker comes when you get the check. Half of our drinks were full price and half were not! Totally ludicrous! Even with the half-​price tequilas at 6 bucks they added on 0.75ç per drink. WTF??! I asked the waitress what the heck is going on with this and she said «oh, probably had an additional ingredient for which they charge 0.75ç for.» Now that is one massive BS explanation if you ask me!
The food was terrible. We ordered some, Calamari appetizers and chips. The calamari was undercooked and tasted like fried rubber bands in off-​tasting batter. In fact, it was so bad, it made my girlfriend sick.
All in all, would definitely not recommend this place to anyone for drinks and or food. There are a lot more places around in the area where you can have decently priced drinks and nice food!

Glow is a pricey, yet subtle escape in Marina del Rey for those looking to have a real conversation with others in an outdoor cabana, couch, or near a fireplace. It’s located in the MDR Marriott and enforces a dress code (so no flip flops and board shorts).
Plan to spend hotel rates for valet (gulp) and $ 6 for a Fat Tire or Stone IPA draft beer. For a nicer cocktail, try the sweet Teddy with Tequila, St. Germain, Apple Juice, and Lemon Juice.
My best tip is to come for Happy Hour 5 — 7 p.m. Monday — Thursday or until 10:00 p.m. on Friday. That’s right Happy Hour from 5 — 10 on Friday night when some cocktails are $ 6 and a few draft brews are $ 3.
For food, it’s trendy bar fare like Truffle Chips, Ahi Tacos, Burgers (like the $ 14 Black & Blue), Sandwiches (Grilled Cheese please), etc. Try a Margharita Flatbread Pizza if you are in the mood. So far, my experience has been its better to just nibble here for drinks and then go elsewhere for dinner.
The service matches the vibe. It’s professional. It’s hip. It’s warm if you’re close to the fire. It’s pretty much true that if you come with a good attitude, you’ll find one at Glow. I especially liked that they stayed out of your way when it was clear you were happy and just enjoying the conversation with your guests. Bravo!
This may not be a glowing review of Glow, but I do recommend it if staying at the Marriott or nearby and you are looking for a relaxing upscale place for a few drinks.

Wow, a mature adult hangout with very few douche-​bags!
Nice, comfy couches, warm cozy fireplaces and heat lamps, soft music, mature crowd, reasonably priced drinks, and clean bathrooms. Lots of baby daddy and baby mamas.
Easy parking in Lot 10 across the street $ 1/​hour.

I LOVE the outdoor patio setting and fireplaces. Perfect for a date or a night out with friends. Drinks are good and the crowd is decent. I don’t believe there is a cover.
There is a paid parking lot across the street that is pretty convenient or you can valet at the hotel.
HUGE con for me was the music… they have a DJ, but the music is nothing that I enjoying listening to. If they would at least have a variety on genres, it would make it more appealing to me.

With a name like «GLOW”– you think unce unce unce, right? A little trance, a lot of bright lights, perhaps some glow sticks. Well, all I can say is that I don’t ever remember going to a hotel bar and having a hootin’ time.
That being said, GLOW, is an outdoor lounge at the Marriot, I believe. We strolled in there like a mad posse of ladies, only to be greeted by a cute doorman and a not so happening crowd within. Felt very much like an episode of the Twilight zone.
The crowd that night happened to be older, I say 50. And they looked like they were visiting LA from the mid west. Lost of glitter, big boobs and big hair.
I don’t remember the music that night, but the drinks were strong. Definitely took the edge off. I probably wouldn’t visit GLOW again, unless I was actually staying at the Marriot for a hoe-​down convention.