Ghost Lounge

CLOSED. I called the Hotel San Carlos. It is, indeed, closed. I’m so super sad. So many great memories in this place. :(Sob.

The GL does a great job of trying to blur the lines between «vintage/​retro» and «not wanting to put in the financial resources to make this place snappier»
GL actually does have some really beautiful areas. The bar area is very well designed as is the elevator/​hallway area. But with overall picture, it seems like they could do a little bit more to keep this place clean and attractive.
The dance floor/​dj area is decent at best. Moderately sized and there are poles in the corner for your date to lose her dignity. The DJ was mediocre at best on this particular night. If you’re in the mood to dance in an energized atmosphere, I would agree with other people’s sentiment in saying that you can start your night here (but why bother), but dont end up here.

5^th stop on the dine around tour.
The allure of mango, berry, and pomegranate vodka and gin mixed with oj, pineapple juice, and cranberry juice aka their Tropical Zumbie lured us to stop in, as we weren’t really interested in trying anything else. We walked in, and were kind of shocked at the mix and match of all of the décor in the place. In the front were those fake wood tables with, as what Jon described them as, chinese buffet chairs, which was stark empty. Most of the crowd was in the bar area and the little lounge behind the bar. The nice bouncer directed us to have a seat wherever we liked, and we decided to just grab our drink from the bar and get a seat in the lounge.
We each got a drink and plopped ourselves down. The drink left much to be desired, though I will say it was strong. We pounded them down, remarking on the lackluster décor and were outta there. I can’t say I’ll be back.

This place is unfortunately often overlooked, probably due to insufficient marketing. The place has a cool, pre-​retro (as in forties or fifties?) feel. It’s kind of lush or WAS lush and I can’t determine whether the decidedly worn tired feel adds to the appeal of this place to me.
Anyway, this is not a bad place to hang out but it wouldn’t be the highlight of a night out in downtown Phoenix. I have to say that we got great, attentive service with exactly ZERO attitude and that is a large part of why I am giving this place four stars.
You’d probably want to start here rather than end up here but all in all, Ghost Lounge will definitely be on my next downtown bar hop.

What better place to go on Halloween weekend than a haunted hotel bar, right?! Wrong! This place has so much potential, especially on Halloween, but they are not doing something right. The music was bad. Staff was not very friendly, except the door guy, he was cool! Not very many people. Needless to say, we didn’t stay very long.
A definite lack of imagination and marketing!!! Really, this place should be poppin’ for Halloween, it’s a freaking haunted hotel and the bar is called ghost lounge! Today I checked out their website and they serve food and have specialty drinks. Ummm, I didn’t see any menus on Saturday, if I had, I probably would have ordered a specialty drink and they would have made a few extra bucks off of me! Such poor marketing and planning!
Our drinks were only $ 4 each! Pretty cheap. However, I ordered a sex on the beach and what I got was not what I expected. I googled it and apparently there is a version that has midori in it, but I was expecting vodka, peach schnapps, oj, and cran.
I will give this place another chance and I hope I have a better experience next time!

Ugh. Gross space, rude and slow bar tender. Did not know the answer to the question «what do you have on tap»? The reply, «I don’t know, I don’t really like beer.» Not sad to leave.

Pretty good drinks. Cool atmosphere. Knowledgable bartender. Had a great time last time I was there and I will return.

Ghost Lounge… Where do I even begin? If you live in the immediate downtown area, it is very convenient and centrally located. I’ve been here so many times, but can’t really say I’ve had an outstanding experience. The bartenders and servers are great! Quick to get to you, and very knowledgable in their alcohol! It’s the crowd I guess… Unfortunately, downtown Phoenix doesn’t attract much of any crowd, so Ghost Lounge’s customer base usually consists of a weird mixture of tourists and locals. There is always a subpar dj. There is a «swing» night one night a week… people get all decked up and swing dance… good for them… swing is still alive and well…
My (only) favorite part about this lounge is the actual bar area itself! Very antique-​y and supposedly haunted, it just gives off a very creepy vibe… And the patio with misters that actually work make for a relaxing evening on a hot summer night… as long as you don’t mind fending off the homeless guys trying to bum cigarettes and money.

I don’t really know about the Ghost Lounge. It seems like it doesn’t really know what it wants to be. I have only ever been on Saturday nights, and I always get a weird vibe from it. The lounge itself is huge, but there are never very many people here, save for some groups that maybe just wandered in after walking around and hearing the music. There is always a DJ on Saturdays, and if memory serves me correctly, it is usually a mix of Top 40 hip-​hop. There is a decent-​sized patio out front with a nice mister system, but then there is an enormous dining (?) area that is always dark with random tables pushed to the sides of the room, decorated with tourist-​y pictures of Old West Arizona. I dunno what this part is about but it always just feels lonely. The bartenders, drinks, beer selection and prices are all great, but I just don’t feel like this bar offers anything very special in comparison to some of its nearby competitors.
I have been here a few times and it is never the destination bar. We always wind up here after A: a night of bar-​hopping and wanting one final drink before we head home, or B: when neighboring Seamus McCaffrey’s is too crowded to get a drink.

Been here for two Saturdays in a row. The first time was awesome. It was packed and lively and they had $ 4 vodka red bulls all night. The music was good, too.
The second time, it was completely dead. Probably because the first time the place was packed with people that were on some sort of pub crawl. Anyway, it was like a total different venue second time around. Good thing it is walking distance to a bunch of other places so we had the option to leave and go somewhere else.
So I guess this place is hit or miss. It can be fun if there is an event going on. I hear they have an awesome zombie extravaganze on Halloween thats pretty amazing. Will have to check that out, maybe.

I definitely had a 5 star time there only because I was there with some 5 star friends. To be more critical, they were just lacking some juice. This place has some potential but management is lacking funds and/​or creativity. They have a lot of open space that is taken up by carpet with scattered tables and chairs. The DJ was playing random music, from Latin, to old school, to pop. It didnt help that he only had one speaker! Dancing was just not the same. Ha!
I reserved the little room in the back for my birthday and the price was very reasonable to book it with a bottle of champagne and vodka. They had it chilled on ice with lots of soda and juices. However, they left it all as self serve. We mixed our own drinks and the only thing we were able to order in our room was some nachos. We were never assisted throughout the night.
Having the reserved VIP section was what kept us there. If it wasnt for that, I dont think I would have stayed very long.

I am lovin the ambiance of this lounge! As soon as you step inside you forget that you are in Downtown Phoenix. It’s kind of dark and has a bit of a vintage feel to it. I met some friends here after work for an art show and had a great time. This is a great place to go to on a date or to grab some drinks with friends. I ordered the strawberry pecan salad and it was just ok the chicken was bland and the lettuce was a notch under being fresh. I had a glass of their house white wine and enjoyed chatting it up with my friends and checking out the art and live performances.
I give it 3 stars for ambiance and 1 star for the food, I’m sure I’ll be back and give the food another try!

Undecided but 3 stars for now. Outside small patio area seemed much more crowded than the sprawling interior. Still had some Hotel San Carlos’esque’ touches with chandeliers, plush formal seating room, old school hotel carpet … but you still didn’t get the ‘vintage hotel’ vibe from the bar… which was somewhat disappointing.
I was mostly bummed with my experience because the bar the advertising 80’s and 90’s night… but it was all 2011 top 40 singles… WTF… I was looking forward to jamming to Duran Duran and Toto.
Drinks were well priced and strong … my favorite combination. The bartenders were really great and of course location location location… Right in the heart of downtown, a hop skip and a jump from Civic Center Park (or Jellyfish Park as I like to call it), and best of all its attached to the haunted Hotel San Carlos.
If you stop in to Ghost Lounge do yourself a favor and explore the hotel. FYI the pool on the third floor is alway unlocked if you want to dip your feet in on the sly ;)

This is a great place to start a night in downtown Phoenix. The hotel has an interesting/​haunted history. During the fall there are ghost tours, but if you stay the night, you might get one of the staff to show you around.
There are some nice historical photos of Phoenix on the walls, and chandeliers hanging. (I’m always a fan of a chandelier). The drinks were reasonable, and it’s a good location to walk to other bars/​restaurants in phoenix.

I’ve been to this place a couple times, but the first time was for a comedy show that I decided to go to pretty much at the last minute and was late for, and a result I wasn’t here very long and never got a good feel for the place. I came here again for a birthday, light rail pub crawl and I’m still not sure how I feel about the place.
I was here on a Friday, and it was empty. I’m not a «club» person, and I’m usually all for going to places where I can actually sit & have a conversation with the people I came with, but this place just seems like it’s funner when there’s people around (if that makes any sense). It sounds like this place has more going on, on Saturdays from the sounds of the reviews (I didn’t see/​hear a DJ when I was here), so maybe that’s a better night to come.
I do like the bar area though, and there’s a place with couches and skeleton that’s fun to taken drunken pictures with. Our group was here for about an hour and we pretty much spent the whole time over in that area. The drinks are reasonably priced, and they do have drink specials on the weekends (I don’t remember what they are though).
Overall, this place is just kind of a weird atmosphere for a hotel bar. I’d come back (maybe on a Saturday when there’s more going on), but it would probably be part of a bar night on the light rail (that’s why I came here this past time). I wouldn’t come downtown just for this place though.

I have found myself here a few times. Mostly on Saturdays around 9 for thier Comedy Shows (and Reverse Happy Hour). I have a thing for local comedy. Yea, sometimes the comedians are a little rough around the edges but they all have to get their practice, test out their style and get their starts somewhere.
A few times I stick around later for the DJ. They usually spin some great mixes and vary their DJs now and again. When it gets packed the flow is a bit difficult and it can be tough to get a drink at the bar at that point. When that happens I usually find my way back to a bar closer to home.

Had high expectations for the lounge of the Hotel San Marcos, stopped by out of curiosity on Urban Wine Walk. While initially was happy to stumble upon a rather throwback gem, impression quickly waned both with the bar’s ill-​planned choice of serving out of plastic cups, jarringly incongruent with the hotel’s Monaco feel, and the wines being barely drinkable. Took us all but 10 minutes to make our exit.

And here we have stop #4 on the Urban Wine Tour. We strutted our way down to the Hotel San Marcos and it immediately reminded me of the über-​adorable Mosser Hotel in San Francisco. This puts me in a zen, relaxed state of mind and I prepare myself for an enjoyable time in the lounge.
They did not disappoint! (Of course, since it’s the 4^th stop on the wine tour, perhaps my vision may or may not have been slightly impaired.)
ANYWHO! The place was crowded, but as soon as we walked in 3 spots opened up at the bar, ROCK STAR PARKING? WHAT?! OH HELLS YEAH! So we sit down, the bartender then tells us that for the Urban Wine Tour they aren’t just doing the single sample… they are doing ALL THREE! Ooooh Weee! Now you’re speaking my language (although they had already run out of the advertised bruschetta, I was in no mood to complain). All 3 wine samples were tasty, proper temperatures and all! I especially enjoyed the merlot he served us (can’t recall if it was the item listed or if he decided to wing it for us though).
It was obvious that we weren’t the only ones who were feeling the vibe of the place, it is not a large place, but something about it invites you to chat with the people around you. It just FEELS friendly in there. Totally different than the first 3 places we stopped at.
Needless to say, I’ll be back.

So this is my 2^nd shot at Ghost Lounge. Teh first was a few weeks ago with a buddy of mine and it wasn’t so hot. We got there kind of early when they were still doing the stand-​up comedy (which could be totaly great) but they comedian wasn’t funny, so it was kind of lame and we bounced out.
Wifey and I just finished drinks at Hanny’s and I wanted to take her by Ghost Lounge, just to show her what it was all about. She’s a huge fan of anything haunted, and the Hotel San Carlos, so I figured it was at least worth the walk – by. The DJ was in full on party mode, and there was a pretty decent sized crowd. got a few drinks, danced for a while. I really had a great time at this little spot. Its definitely not your typical dance club or even bar, but that’s part of the charm. If you don’t go with too high of expectations and just want to dance and have some drinks at a iaid back cool little spot, this is it. Snottsdaliens need not apply.

I was really looking forward to this spot, as Hotel San Carlos is such a dynamic location and lends itself so well to a lounge environment. But my experience was less than stellar. Less than mediocre, actually. But I can see this turning into a prime night spot if some changes are made. Like: neutralizing that funky odor; lowering the bartender side of the bar area, so they aren’t towering over you; banning staff from using cell phones on the job; discouraging staff from sitting on the bar (this should be alleviated once the leveling of the bartender zone is completed); educating the staff on the history of Hotel San Carlos [come on, people! You host a haunted hotel event every October. It’s fun to learn the freaky side of the property along with the hip end of it.]
Will I be back? More than likely. But some serious attention needs to be paid here. Prior to being served, I envisioned this as a primo location for hosting a ‘30s gangster event, with cigar smoking on the patio, martinis, clappers and all the glamor of that era. I can still see it, just not as passionately. Fix your issues, or be prepared to vanish like a ghost after a proper smudging.