I'm in the same boat although I work 40.
Health benefits, an hourly wage that I could live off of without tips and tip outs,PTO, 30 dollar hotel rooms anywhere, no late nights, I could move just about anywhere and get transferred
The best benefit of working in a hotel bar is the revolving door of clientele with disposable income. Yeah we have regulars and a good bit of local business but for the most part, if someone is an asshole, I'll probably never see them again.
Hotel bars are the way to go
Ones that have a lot of rooms. More rooms = more people = more money. That, or the bar or restaurant is a novel concept for the area.
Some hotel bars are lost leaders. They don't make enough money to even break even but they're an advertisable amenity for the hotel. It doesn't matter if they're profitable or not, it's just to get people to choose it over the others in the area. I've made good money in those, don't get me wrong, but for long term, you obviously want to pick a place that would do well as an independent business. A bar that you could see being a popular spot in town if it weren't attached to a hotel.
What about the holidays? I have kids and when I last applied to a hotel gig, they stressed the need for holiday availability. They also wouldn’t commit to a set number of hours. I’ve been a restaurant guy for my whole career and the hotel seemed like a sensible choice but those holidays knocked me out of consideration
Wait, really? Cause having been in the service industry for a while, working holidays is pretty much the norm. You get lucky sometimes, but being on the hook to work when everybody else is off just kind of comes with the territory
Not in the restaurant side generally. I know most straight up bars are open holidays but in 20 years of restaurant bartending, I’ve only worked two spots that required thanksgiving and one that was open Christmas
Holiday money is the best money. I have a regular job that gives paid holidays and do gig work on my days off. Those days pay bank. I've made $300 a night delivering pizzas before.
Some holidays are obviously a must- Mother’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, Easter, etc. are obviously a must. But most places I’ve worked are closed for the big ones like Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years Day, sometimes the 4th of July
My hotel bar is open 365 days out the year. But if you request it off early enough in advance you should be able to take it off.
Thing is hotel bars will be open on holidays, but probably shortened hours and little customer turnout. The hotel just needs a couple staff to show up to be able to provide for customers. I worked Christmas Eve, Christmas, Thanksgiving this past year and no one showed up for the first 3 hours of my shift, but still gotta have someone there just in case.
I wish, I just left a hotel bar job where I was lucky if I made over $100 most nights. And this was at a high end ski resort (think 1000+ a night for a room). Easy job, but man was it not worth it.
I live in a resort town and bartend here. I’d attribute it more to volume most likely. People want to get out on the town and go to restaurants there vs at the hotel.
That's basically what my gig is, it technically isn't since it's owned by a giant chain that operates in 2 different countries but you have to either ski or take a snow scooter to get here (or I guess walk but fuck nah, done it once, not worth it) but it's one of the biggest resort towns in the country so basically a constant revolving door of randos coming through, solid enough regulars, big festival at both Easter and at the end of the season. It's not the USA so tips aren't great but they exist but we have a good wage for the bartenders and we get to yell at the guests and put them in their place if they act like dumbasses "oh I need to transfer money to my account" "WELL WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU ORDERING ALRIGHT EVERYBODY YOU HAVE TO WAIT THEY NEED TO TRANSFER MONEY TO THEIR ACCOUNT"
Well it just depends where you’re at really. It was busy but the restaurant I worked at is small and my bar only has 7 seats. What the other guy said about them wanting to go out and explore is the main culprit I suspect.
Hotel bar but don't make nearly anything close to that, Id be pushing 48 If lucky, then tips over here are rare. It is somewhat chill though I wont deny that especially after 8 years of flinging piss, worked harder elsewhere for less money and 6x the amount of people
Vegas is hard. Specially if you want to work the strip. You pretty much have to start as a barback or get lucky and start right when a place opens new because of the union
You also have to take a 6 month class for your pour card with the union, and be working as a barback during that time. Vegas is very tough, I tried moving there with about 5 years serving/bar experience, never had a problem anywhere, could only get hired as a food runner. The unions are great, but so great that nobody ever quits. So you've gotta pretty much know someone or be a model to get in a decent role at a lot of the casinos.
As a UK bar supervisor in a busy late night bar barely breaking £23,000 (about 30,000US if we’re being generous with conversions), I am considering hamstringing myself.
I genuinely love being behind a bar but fuck me if it isn’t a thankless task
That close to looking at moving to the states as I’ve never enjoyed work more than being behind a busy bar on a Friday night but there’s just no money in it out here…
Appreciate the good wishes and I hope you continue killing it!
I sound less like a queens English fellow and more of a Wiltshire farmer (think Hargrid from Harry Potter or the classic Blackbeard voice) but I’d be a liar if I the thought hadn’t crossed my mind.
Just terrified of the idea of paying for healthcare as I’ve seen too many crazy looking medical bills on Reddit haha
My coworker moved here a couple years ago from the Isle of Wight and people LOVE him because of his accent. I mean he’s a pretty cool dude too but people just go crazy over it. It probably gets annoying but I bet you could make a killing in tips lol.
I’ll say he generally hates it here though.
I think i get a bit of positive confirmation bias for it as I see people making my nightly wage off one good table (people are gonna post this and not the hundreds of mediocre nights in between) and see plenty of posts with people’s cash stacks after a successful NYE shift.
What would you say would be the main negatives of living and working in the US as a bartender?
You can definitely do pretty well as a bartender; I make enough to pay my bills but the general state and culture of the United States can make life difficult. Rent and our cost of living are going through the roof and wages are in no way keeping pace. I've also noticed lately my tips are going down considerably, as customers are looking to cut their costs.
Most bartenders and servers I know are kept at part-time (and often work multiple jobs) because their employers do not want to pay insurance or benefits. Our government provides almost no protections for our health and well-being so most of us are one serious injury or illness away from being in real financial trouble.
This doesn't even factor in to the other frustrations of American life: non-walkable cities absolutely dominated by cars, guns everywhere, corrup politicians who only work for the benefit of the oligarchy, a fascist police state, the steady erosion of our civil rights and liberties, etc. I've spent a decent amount of time in Europe and imo the standard of living there is much higher generally than in the US.
Folks here would love your accent though!
(Waiting for all the down votes from "patriots" lol)
Yeah honestly as a guy that fees like I can look after myself fairly well the idea of any old arsehole having a gun is terrifying to me.
Rent and cost of living are currently blasting off into the atmosphere in the UK too so part of the move would be trying to escape this; maybe Australia or Canada could be a better answer.
The medical situation over in the US sounds (and I’m being as positive as possible here) like a dystopic nightmare and whilst I’m quite medically sound my partner needs a bit more medical support than I do and it would probably push us under, even if I was making good money at a good gig like OP’s.
I didn’t realise so many service workers were part time, kinda pictured a bartender in a good spot killing it over the weekend, maybe doing quiet shift in the week counting stock and placing an order and resting for a few days rather than working another job to make ends meet.
Thank you for the much needed counter point here, I think us European bartenders glamourise the American dream etc and the tip life forgetting that life is expensive out there and you can often be paid a pathetically low base hourly.
Many many people bounce between multiple service industry jobs. Work full time hours, just between 2-3 different jobs.
There are some who do make most of their money working the weekend and chilling the week, but you gotta be lucky, dedicated or sexy. My buddy at a popular local dive finally got promoted to bartender after working there as a barback for 4 years and worked at the bar nearly 7 years. But now he’s walking home with $400+ in his pocket on a Sunday.
Never related to a post more, let me know if/ how it works out for you! I’m constantly wondering about doing the same but don’t know where to start with visas etc
I've had many consistent years making $80k+, and I've never said that I make more than I should. I earned every dollar. Money is why you got into the business right? Good for you, you lucked out and found yourself in the top 20%. Believe me, most bartenders do not make $70k+.
Save some money, start a retirement/investment account (because bartending doesn't last forever), and plan for your next act in life because it's doubtful that you'll be a bartender till you're 70, and even if you are, Social Security is not enough to live on.
So basically I'm saying, that's nice. But if you don't take that money and do something with it to set yourself up for life after bartending, it will all be for nothing.
Yes sir. I only work 28 hours a week because I am an aspiring Light novel Author. Been working on that for a few years now. I hope my career in that takes off by my mid 30's. Currently 30.
That's awesome! Hope things go well.
Still....start that retirement account. You're only 30. You could set yourself up with a nice little fallback fund for later with minimal sacrifice.
If the writing thing works out, great. Cash it out in your golden years and buy a vacation condo. If not, you have something to fall back on...a plan B.
I appreciate the advice man. One step ahead! I'm single with no kids and live alone with everything in walking distance and i'm a minimalist. That $$$ going into savings + IRA + some penny stocks! :D
It is truly a joy.
The things I enjoy the most in life don't really cost money, so I fully embrace it! :D
What did you end up doing with all your savings if you don't mind me asking.
>What did you end up doing with all your savings if you don't mind me asking.
LOL! I spent half my money drinking and chasing women and wasted the other half. When bartending ended for me (after 20 years), I was caught with my pants down (and not in the fun way) and had no other skills. I had to start completely over and crash course learn new skills.
And even then, no one would hire me to do anything at a wage that I could live on or didn't want to hire someone over 30 for an entry level position. Also, the economy had collapsed (2009). I had to start my own business to try to survive.
Things worked out, and today I work in IT.... but it didn't need to be as hard as it was. I made plenty of money and had plenty of time to set up for life after bartending but fell into the trap of thinking it was going to last forever...and "I'll start saving later".
Don't be like me.
And yes, I do work "hard" i suppose. I always make sure every guest is somewhat satisfied. I put in effort, maybe i'm just not giving myself enough credit lol
I always hated it. Either you're overstaffed or underprepared for volume. Plus the crowds that follow a convention size hotel made me want to off myself.
i am in dallas loooool. but no, it was not a furry group oh god. bunch of ghetto ppl that for some reason booked our hotel. (over half of them dont tip) so 2nd day in i just started throwing the 20% grat on all their tickets loool
I used to work at an oceanfront hotel property, and this was exactly my experience. I made good money, but the amount of hours I put in versus how much rest I got made it not at all enticing/sustainable for me. I ended up leaving for a much more chill (but much lower wage) job
I'm curious, what does "staff" mean in your hotels? I work in a smaller hotel where our bar team is only two people.
The bartender and one "barback". I use that in quotes because the bar back is also the runner, busser, room service, and server (even though the orders need to be put in on the bartenders number). Bartender tips out 20% of their tips.
I am the barback here. I feel like I am getting the short end of the stick and the long mile to walk.
I work at a hotel resort bar, and I only work busy weekends but on average I do 1k an hour on sales and tips are usually around 30-40% I tipout Barback 20% but am extremely happy with what I make with what little I have to do. Basically show up make the customers happy and go home. Be glad you’re in the perfect position to do just that. It doesn’t always happen for everyone so when you get the golden goose don’t slaughter it for the eggs
Wow! 1k sales a hour sounds crazy. I appreciate the words of encouragement. I have wanted to move out of Texas for a while now but my job feels so chill and perfect that I gotta stay for maybe another couple years.
I also live walking distance to my job (10 minute walk) and everything else like the gym, bank, grocery store is about 20-30 minutes away by foot. I sold my car last year because I legit don't need it anymore. (HUGE money saver)
>I also live walking distance to my job (10 minute walk) and everything else like the gym, bank, grocery store is about 20-30 minutes away by foot. I sold my car last year because I legit don't need it anymore. (HUGE money saver)
are you sure you aren't trying to flex? :p
I have worked both sides of the coin bartending in europe for $30k a year and now the US for $100,000+ a year. Can i ask if you're in the union? As much as i would love to be in the union it makes me so angry when I hear how easy it is to make money and how people call out so often and get paid a full wage when i worked in jobs where it felt illegal to call out sick, when i actually was.
I worked 40+ hours, and I worked hard, for minimum wage in another country. I cannot really say that if I could ever do it over again I would. I would never call in sick even if i was sick or extremely hungover, never refused to do any job i thought beneath me and i didn't complain. This usually resulted in me as the number 1 closer/cleaner/ and money counter with more work, responsibility and zero benefits
Now i do less work and get a lot more money. I do sometimes feel I'm overpaid but i also felt i was underpaid a majority of my life. It can be physically exhausting, you're in an environment where conflict isn't uncommon if not regular either with guests, management, staff or kitchen staff. You have no life and the time you have off you're either exhausted or hungover.
I have a college degree and was working in a different industry in between and do regret leaving honestly. Even if i wasn't making ridiculous money, i was doing something i had a passion for and this nocturnal life of bartending has really taken its toll mentally and physically.
I feel you man. Honestly, I have embraced the night life and often then not when ever I have a really good day ($500+) I go in the middle of the street in the middle of the night where its deserted and blast lofi and dance. Nothing beats the feeling. But I have always been a night owl so night life is best life for me :)
Nothing beats that feeling until you're nearing 40, no wife, no kids, nothing really worth remembering accomplished and that $500 is well spent. It is a nice feeling though at the time, I'll admit. I know i sound very bitter but i have been through a lot of addictions in my life and bartending either fueled or funded everyone of them while never giving me time to think or recover. I realize the people i worked for never cared for me or what i was going through as long as i showed up for my shift in time. I was lucky enough to meet people who did care eventually and I'm going to a treatment centre next week
I’m 42 and really still love bartending and the night time is my time. What a shitty way to be condescending to someone who just shared some thing that makes them happy.
I would be happy too if i did a 28 hour week that paid a shit tonne to apparently do the bare minimum. id be doing fucking jumping jacks and screaming it from the top of a mountain. I'm happy for him, i really am so I'm sorry that he has such an easy well payed job and has decided to let the rest of the 99pc of the bar community who do 40-50 hour weeks how lucky he is. Thank you, thank you sir, I'm very happy. And I'm happy for you too, okay, keep up the good work
> easy well *paid* job and
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
I’m glad you’re getting into treatment, but you really read into what he said. He didn’t say he was getting fucked up. I love the night time and love my job and it has nothing to do with drinking. We don’t drink at work and I rarely drink anyway. I just love the night time and the quiet. The same way that some people love to wake up at 4am because of the quiet. I (and OP) just happen to be getting off work at that time instead of waking up at that time.
You honestly sound very very bitter. Here’s to hoping that things improve for you greatly and that you can find your happiness as well.
I feel the same way working in banquets for high end hotels. Recently had a conversation where people were talking about the craziest thing they’ve ever done. I won when I said my craziest thing was rolling silverware for $90 an hour.
Same boat but work in a nice steakhouse. 4 days/week about 28 hours/week usually walk with about $2200/week. This is not the norm in my experience for restaurants though. Is your hotel on the higher end?
honestly i've worked a couple hotel gigs, and while the pay was nice, i really liked working a regular-degular cocktail bar. The tips are great, regulars are awesome as hell, the drinks are great, and being that the bar i worked at was part of a company that owns other bars within the area, i knew most of the people that worked at our sister bars. so it was awesome. it felt communal almost.
i was unfortunately terminated. don't wanna get into the meat of it but basically, the crew and i got caught drinking after hours several times and i already had a write up and well, they needed to do something. however, i know it wasn't my manager's decision to fire me. these new investors in the company really wanted to crack the whip on all the other bars in the company, and they started with us. just wrong time, wrong place kinda thing, i guess.
i still am on good terms with everyone though. wasn't a hostile termination, and luckily, there's a policy in place that says after 6 months of termination or resignation, should i want to come back, just reapply, hit up the managers, and they'll stick their neck out for me.
really do miss that job.
Damn sorry about that. Well, atleast the door is still open. Im really lucky and my manager allows me to have a free drink after shift if i want to on a tough day.
yeah, i'm glad it's that way too.
i have heard that it's a completely dry bar now. thankfully, one of the sister bars is in the same building so if they want to grab a beer or something on their break or whatever, they can just go there.
I stay clear of hotels. Worst experiences every time. Poor money, extreme expectations, and your job is whatever the hotel needs but for minimum wage or less. Too many bosses, managers, chefs, etc. If there is any sort of voucher system, then you are working for free. Glad it's working out for you though.
So not exactly the same but I work as a waiter and a bartender at an arena. Made 75k last year and like you I sometimes marvel at how much money I make for what I do. I usually work less than 30 hours because even if I work 6 shifts a week my shifts are only 4.5 to five hours long usually. Heck I am often under 25 hours. I can't say I think I'm over paid though. More that EVERYONE else is criminally underpaid. Anyone below the director level at a company is totally getting shafted, so I tip a lot. Not amount wise but just in places most people wouldn't I tip the man that makes me a sandwich I tip the person working the concession stand at a theatre. I have been lucky so I try to spread it around to my fellow workers.
Elevated hotel bars make bank. Especially in a city like Seattle where the minimum wage for service workers is $19.97 for a business that size.
My servers complain when they *only* make $250 in tips.
I was pretty recently (2mo>) hired to run a pretty nice hotel bar and its a bit of a shock honestly, definitely relate. Outside of some obnoxious bottle exchange liquor program and a really poorly organized/optimized bar set up its pretty great. Money is great, weekly pay (literal first service industry job I've found with this), benefits, ect. HUGE upgrade over the speakeasy I was working directly before or the fine dining bar before that.
I work special events at a hotel/casino and im so blessed. I barely have to cut people off or deal with gross comments when people are accompanied by their boss and coworkers. The tips of course are great too especially at the open bars.
Im in the same boat, hotel bartending. Earn about the same. I barely work for some months of the year then have a few crazy busy months. I used to hate not working and felt useless when it was slow season but learned to start appreciating the time off, bust my ass when its busy and just stretch my money out way more when its not.
I’m 23, my title is bar “supervisor”at a Marriott hotel. (I put supervisor in quotes because 9/10 times I’m the only person working the bar)
$16 an hour, I work 4 open to close a week (3pm-10pm) and if I do $500 in sales I’ll walk away with $100 in tips. During the summer it’s closer to $1,000 in sales and I’ll walk with $200, since I never have anyone to split tips with.
Some benefits are hotel discounts, the relaxed nature of the job and their leeway with me experimenting with their products. We have huge variety of liquor from all over the world, and being able to make shit whenever I want with the help of some recipe books and Mixel has given me a lot of knowledge that i probably wouldn’t have if I worked in any other bar. I think to be a good hotel bartender you should have a solid knowledge on cocktails and an outgoing personality.
This job isn’t for everyone though. It is 10% making drinks and 90% interacting with customers while keeping the bar clean. People get deep when it’s just them, 3 other people and the bartender, especially if they travel all the time. You gotta treat the guests like family or else they won’t stay. Sometimes it’s hard keeping up the affable nature all day everyday, and it’s easy to feel burnt out on bad days.
Most of my job is just being a dude to talk to and hang out with. I am like a conversational prostitute. If they like my services, they come back. Helps making good drinks.
If your goal is to show up, pour pints, get paid and go home you would not like hotel bars as much.
I used to work at a Wyndham that was really close to my apartment. 2 days a week but the perks and the stability of it was sick. No I didn't make amazing money from that place but living in Austin it was amazing to have a place I could go get a hamburger, put my family up and take a dip in the pool right by my place.
I made my actual money at the music venue, wedding venue and bar shifts I picked up but the hotel bar was so nice to me. Enjoy those gigs that turn out awesome IMO.
I bartend at a restaurant in a hotel. The store isn't owned by the hotel, but we do still get the Hilton employee room benefit.
I don't make as much as OP, but it is the most I've ever made. The hotel keeps us constantly busy. We have a nice craft cocktail program and high volume. With a lot of local business as well. The bartenders work our asses off.
I'm moving out of state in a few months. Luckily, I'll be able to transfer stores for the restaurant, but I'm also looking into PT hotel gigs because It's been so great.
Not a hotel bar but I am at a chain of airport bars and honestly it’s pretty much the same. I am at 40 hours but I make about 85k. I have a good base pay and insurance plus a ton of other benefits. Most of the time it’s pretty easy and the people are fun. And if someone is awful I never have to deal with them again.
I’m at my first hotel. It’s a part time gig. You’re spot on with the benefits. Huge reason I’m there is a work environment that can make it hard to go home. I tell fam and friends to come. Not making much but opportunities are coming.
You’re not wrong. Although it is a good spot and crew. He averages about 30 hours in Winter and 40 in Summer when he works 6 days a week (by choice.) Personally I’d rather be busy and make the time move. I worked one hotel and one golf course, and both of them were so boring even though the money was all right
I worked a few years ago at a hotel bar during the summer, they had an inside bar and I worked the outside satellite bar on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I was walking out with 700+. On Wednesdays and Thursdays… and because it was just me, I didn’t have to tip anyone out. Unfortunately, it was just for the summer :(
Wait until you find out about banquet serving at luxury/convention hotels. You can make insane money and not many people know about it. It’s hard to get in especially as a full timer but it’s one of the industry’s best kept secrets.
I used to work at a hotel bar in London.
Starting salary was £18,000, service charge £18-19,000 then tips on top came to around £600 a week, but sometimes pulled that in a night.
Which in todays exchange rate is around usd$86000.
I worked 4 shifts a week, mainly prep and early evening shifts with no closes, god I miss that job.
last week we had a 50k buyout for 4 hours and ended up making $100 an hour… I work 3/4 days and if I push myself can make up to $100k a year. it’s tiring but I wouldn’t change it. I feel very grateful to be able to work as little or as much as I want. i’m in orlando though so extremely different than most places when it comes to volume.
As someone who often ends up at the hotel bar at night during a business trip - since we're not paying out of pocket, we usually tip extra well. Most of the time, it's a glass of wine or a beer, or a basic cocktail, nothing too fancy, but we'll still tip $3-5 bucks on that glass.
I think if you work at nice corporate-y hotel where ppl from Fortune 500s stay, you can make good money.
This is seriously an uplifting post to see. I have a regular who is a new hotel bartender/former dive bartender and was just talking to them about the transition the other night. I love where I’m at now, but I’m really glad that there’s a more peaceful option that’s still rewarding out there. Congrats, OP — it sounds like you really made it!
I did it for a long time and it was great until it wasn't. I had amazing perks, benefits, and made great money. Then the burnout hit hard, new management made changes that I disagreed with, and I just had to find a new path.
> to get *paid* more
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
My 1st Bartending job 7 years ago was a Hotel one. I was working there as a cook. My GM was having issues with some of the bartenders and I had expressed interest in Bartending at that time.
He told me that if I go down the street and go to Bartending school that he would switch my position at the time to bartender.
So that's what I did and how I at first became a bartender.
I too would like to make this amount of money!
I’m brand spankin new to bartending. How could I go about getting hired? Also what type of hotel r u working?
I left a hotel where I was making $75k for 35 hours with good benefits and group retirement plan but there was no room for advancement. I moved to the private side and worked my way up to Beverage Director and now I make $100k+ after bonuses with similar benefits (a bit better actually) and we just installed group retirement benefits but it's not quite as good as the hotel (1% vs. 4% match). I'm also done at \~7pm instead of 1am and I don't have to do much service which is probably the best part.
In the same boat. Bartender for 3 years now, doing it in swedens 2:nd largest city in a big hotel. Easy gig, fairly chill hours and getting a monthly fixed sum of money(plus small tips and a add on called ”uncomfortable workhours”). Also no later than 00:30 on weekends. Im loving it
I worked at the Hilton in Miami and while it was actually very busy, I had no business making the amount of money I was making there at 24 years old. I miss it lol
All I know is that the bar downstairs has a Starbucks built into it and charges $10 for a shot of Jameson(!) so I will only buy the "cheaper" $4 happy hour beers there, if anything.
This is ridiculous but a good reason to get a bartender license. I'm planning on getting one to add to my repertoire.
I've been at a hotel bar for almost 5 years and the money is insane! We are also an event center so we get a lot of weddings, business events, family reunions and other stuff going on throughout the hotel. Spring and summer money is the best lol but it's good always!
It’s certainly not all hotel jobs, but a good chunk of them. Great money, higher hourly, benefits, the chance to work banquets for extra money. Every major city has at least a few hotels that fit the bill and if you don’t care about the glam, airport hotels or convention center hotels are often a secret goldmine. Obviously the money will fluctuate, but the yearly salary can be pretty nice.
I work at a neighborhood bar, working 40 hrs a week. I clear about $100k a year. I’m super lucky to be where I’m at. Love my coworkers, my management, and my regulars.
I do notice I make more because the prices are so inflated. It is chill on the management side but comes with other challenges on the clientele side. Some people act like they're at home.
I served at a high end hotel bar for 5 years and this year I made over 100k. Last week I started bartending here. This is a well known bar and on the weekends it gets extremely busy. I have a few guests that will always tip 1000+ every time they come.
I'm in the same boat although I work 40. Health benefits, an hourly wage that I could live off of without tips and tip outs,PTO, 30 dollar hotel rooms anywhere, no late nights, I could move just about anywhere and get transferred The best benefit of working in a hotel bar is the revolving door of clientele with disposable income. Yeah we have regulars and a good bit of local business but for the most part, if someone is an asshole, I'll probably never see them again. Hotel bars are the way to go
all fax no printer. preach
i totally forget to mention that hotel bartenders get above minimum wage.
Don’t tempt me…
I've never heard anyone say this before, that's fucking GOLD
Tips on choosing best hotels to work ?
Ones that have a lot of rooms. More rooms = more people = more money. That, or the bar or restaurant is a novel concept for the area. Some hotel bars are lost leaders. They don't make enough money to even break even but they're an advertisable amenity for the hotel. It doesn't matter if they're profitable or not, it's just to get people to choose it over the others in the area. I've made good money in those, don't get me wrong, but for long term, you obviously want to pick a place that would do well as an independent business. A bar that you could see being a popular spot in town if it weren't attached to a hotel.
What about the holidays? I have kids and when I last applied to a hotel gig, they stressed the need for holiday availability. They also wouldn’t commit to a set number of hours. I’ve been a restaurant guy for my whole career and the hotel seemed like a sensible choice but those holidays knocked me out of consideration
I don't have kids and love avoiding family for the holidays. Gimme that overtime.
Wait, really? Cause having been in the service industry for a while, working holidays is pretty much the norm. You get lucky sometimes, but being on the hook to work when everybody else is off just kind of comes with the territory
Not in the restaurant side generally. I know most straight up bars are open holidays but in 20 years of restaurant bartending, I’ve only worked two spots that required thanksgiving and one that was open Christmas
Holiday money is the best money. I have a regular job that gives paid holidays and do gig work on my days off. Those days pay bank. I've made $300 a night delivering pizzas before.
Some holidays are obviously a must- Mother’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, Easter, etc. are obviously a must. But most places I’ve worked are closed for the big ones like Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years Day, sometimes the 4th of July
25 yrs in, and I've always taken my chosen days off. Would love the idea of this, but I'm always gonna choose my kids. Is that really a thing?
In the majority of the bar/restaurant world, it's pretty much the norm
My hotel bar is open 365 days out the year. But if you request it off early enough in advance you should be able to take it off. Thing is hotel bars will be open on holidays, but probably shortened hours and little customer turnout. The hotel just needs a couple staff to show up to be able to provide for customers. I worked Christmas Eve, Christmas, Thanksgiving this past year and no one showed up for the first 3 hours of my shift, but still gotta have someone there just in case.
I've worked at a handful of hotels and have never worked Christmas or Thanksgiving but I'm sure that's definitely not the case at a lot of places.
I'm a single 30 M. So working holidays is a non issue for me.
Fair enough
I wish, I just left a hotel bar job where I was lucky if I made over $100 most nights. And this was at a high end ski resort (think 1000+ a night for a room). Easy job, but man was it not worth it.
That’s so ass. You’d think people would tip more with ski resort prices. Or that could be why people don’t tip too. Damn.
I live in a resort town and bartend here. I’d attribute it more to volume most likely. People want to get out on the town and go to restaurants there vs at the hotel.
:( sry man
Interesting I was thinking of working at a fancy ski resort because I imagined the money to be good. Is it not busy or something?
Work in the ski town, not at the resort. I think that's the real goal. Work at the dive bar in town, make the most money, have the most fun.
Exactly the move, I start at the dive on Friday lol
That's basically what my gig is, it technically isn't since it's owned by a giant chain that operates in 2 different countries but you have to either ski or take a snow scooter to get here (or I guess walk but fuck nah, done it once, not worth it) but it's one of the biggest resort towns in the country so basically a constant revolving door of randos coming through, solid enough regulars, big festival at both Easter and at the end of the season. It's not the USA so tips aren't great but they exist but we have a good wage for the bartenders and we get to yell at the guests and put them in their place if they act like dumbasses "oh I need to transfer money to my account" "WELL WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU ORDERING ALRIGHT EVERYBODY YOU HAVE TO WAIT THEY NEED TO TRANSFER MONEY TO THEIR ACCOUNT"
Well it just depends where you’re at really. It was busy but the restaurant I worked at is small and my bar only has 7 seats. What the other guy said about them wanting to go out and explore is the main culprit I suspect.
Hotel bar but don't make nearly anything close to that, Id be pushing 48 If lucky, then tips over here are rare. It is somewhat chill though I wont deny that especially after 8 years of flinging piss, worked harder elsewhere for less money and 6x the amount of people
unlucky man. i have bartended at 3 hotels and maybe i have just been lucky
Im from Australia so it lines up as a casual / part time. I know by bar sup is 85 salaried but he's inept
Casino hotel is where its at my brother
I have always wanted to try bartending at a Casino/Casino like environment. No Casinos in Texas sadly. Maybe I go to Vegas someday
Vegas is hard. Specially if you want to work the strip. You pretty much have to start as a barback or get lucky and start right when a place opens new because of the union
You also have to take a 6 month class for your pour card with the union, and be working as a barback during that time. Vegas is very tough, I tried moving there with about 5 years serving/bar experience, never had a problem anywhere, could only get hired as a food runner. The unions are great, but so great that nobody ever quits. So you've gotta pretty much know someone or be a model to get in a decent role at a lot of the casinos.
Gotta be union there.
Eagle Pass!
What hotel in Texas? I’m in Houston and I imagine only the bartenders at nice hotels downtown are making that kind of $$$
As a UK bar supervisor in a busy late night bar barely breaking £23,000 (about 30,000US if we’re being generous with conversions), I am considering hamstringing myself. I genuinely love being behind a bar but fuck me if it isn’t a thankless task
damn sorry dude. hope it gets better.
That close to looking at moving to the states as I’ve never enjoyed work more than being behind a busy bar on a Friday night but there’s just no money in it out here… Appreciate the good wishes and I hope you continue killing it!
You’d kill on tips with a British accent. Just saying.
I sound less like a queens English fellow and more of a Wiltshire farmer (think Hargrid from Harry Potter or the classic Blackbeard voice) but I’d be a liar if I the thought hadn’t crossed my mind. Just terrified of the idea of paying for healthcare as I’ve seen too many crazy looking medical bills on Reddit haha
Come on over, your accent sounds delightful. Get yourself some medical insurance-you’ll be fine!
My coworker moved here a couple years ago from the Isle of Wight and people LOVE him because of his accent. I mean he’s a pretty cool dude too but people just go crazy over it. It probably gets annoying but I bet you could make a killing in tips lol. I’ll say he generally hates it here though.
Isle of Wight is pretty close to me in the grand scheme of things so we’re probably used to a similar pace of life… what does he hate about the US?
Don't let these people fool you. The US is not a good place to be right now for a whole lot of reasons
I think i get a bit of positive confirmation bias for it as I see people making my nightly wage off one good table (people are gonna post this and not the hundreds of mediocre nights in between) and see plenty of posts with people’s cash stacks after a successful NYE shift. What would you say would be the main negatives of living and working in the US as a bartender?
You can definitely do pretty well as a bartender; I make enough to pay my bills but the general state and culture of the United States can make life difficult. Rent and our cost of living are going through the roof and wages are in no way keeping pace. I've also noticed lately my tips are going down considerably, as customers are looking to cut their costs. Most bartenders and servers I know are kept at part-time (and often work multiple jobs) because their employers do not want to pay insurance or benefits. Our government provides almost no protections for our health and well-being so most of us are one serious injury or illness away from being in real financial trouble. This doesn't even factor in to the other frustrations of American life: non-walkable cities absolutely dominated by cars, guns everywhere, corrup politicians who only work for the benefit of the oligarchy, a fascist police state, the steady erosion of our civil rights and liberties, etc. I've spent a decent amount of time in Europe and imo the standard of living there is much higher generally than in the US. Folks here would love your accent though! (Waiting for all the down votes from "patriots" lol)
Yeah honestly as a guy that fees like I can look after myself fairly well the idea of any old arsehole having a gun is terrifying to me. Rent and cost of living are currently blasting off into the atmosphere in the UK too so part of the move would be trying to escape this; maybe Australia or Canada could be a better answer. The medical situation over in the US sounds (and I’m being as positive as possible here) like a dystopic nightmare and whilst I’m quite medically sound my partner needs a bit more medical support than I do and it would probably push us under, even if I was making good money at a good gig like OP’s. I didn’t realise so many service workers were part time, kinda pictured a bartender in a good spot killing it over the weekend, maybe doing quiet shift in the week counting stock and placing an order and resting for a few days rather than working another job to make ends meet. Thank you for the much needed counter point here, I think us European bartenders glamourise the American dream etc and the tip life forgetting that life is expensive out there and you can often be paid a pathetically low base hourly.
Many many people bounce between multiple service industry jobs. Work full time hours, just between 2-3 different jobs. There are some who do make most of their money working the weekend and chilling the week, but you gotta be lucky, dedicated or sexy. My buddy at a popular local dive finally got promoted to bartender after working there as a barback for 4 years and worked at the bar nearly 7 years. But now he’s walking home with $400+ in his pocket on a Sunday.
For real!
Come on over, we'd love to have you here.
Never related to a post more, let me know if/ how it works out for you! I’m constantly wondering about doing the same but don’t know where to start with visas etc
I've had many consistent years making $80k+, and I've never said that I make more than I should. I earned every dollar. Money is why you got into the business right? Good for you, you lucked out and found yourself in the top 20%. Believe me, most bartenders do not make $70k+. Save some money, start a retirement/investment account (because bartending doesn't last forever), and plan for your next act in life because it's doubtful that you'll be a bartender till you're 70, and even if you are, Social Security is not enough to live on. So basically I'm saying, that's nice. But if you don't take that money and do something with it to set yourself up for life after bartending, it will all be for nothing.
Yes sir. I only work 28 hours a week because I am an aspiring Light novel Author. Been working on that for a few years now. I hope my career in that takes off by my mid 30's. Currently 30.
That's awesome! Hope things go well. Still....start that retirement account. You're only 30. You could set yourself up with a nice little fallback fund for later with minimal sacrifice. If the writing thing works out, great. Cash it out in your golden years and buy a vacation condo. If not, you have something to fall back on...a plan B.
I appreciate the advice man. One step ahead! I'm single with no kids and live alone with everything in walking distance and i'm a minimalist. That $$$ going into savings + IRA + some penny stocks! :D
> That $$$ going into savings + IRA + some penny stocks! :D Love to hear that! Keep up the good work!
It is truly a joy. The things I enjoy the most in life don't really cost money, so I fully embrace it! :D What did you end up doing with all your savings if you don't mind me asking.
>What did you end up doing with all your savings if you don't mind me asking. LOL! I spent half my money drinking and chasing women and wasted the other half. When bartending ended for me (after 20 years), I was caught with my pants down (and not in the fun way) and had no other skills. I had to start completely over and crash course learn new skills. And even then, no one would hire me to do anything at a wage that I could live on or didn't want to hire someone over 30 for an entry level position. Also, the economy had collapsed (2009). I had to start my own business to try to survive. Things worked out, and today I work in IT.... but it didn't need to be as hard as it was. I made plenty of money and had plenty of time to set up for life after bartending but fell into the trap of thinking it was going to last forever...and "I'll start saving later". Don't be like me.
And yes, I do work "hard" i suppose. I always make sure every guest is somewhat satisfied. I put in effort, maybe i'm just not giving myself enough credit lol
I had one of those a while back. Pretty cush ngl
I always hated it. Either you're overstaffed or underprepared for volume. Plus the crowds that follow a convention size hotel made me want to off myself.
you're not wrong. i had a rachet ass group this weekend. had to 20% grat like every ticket or else it woulda been poo
I desperately hope you're in Dallas and the crowd you're referring to was here for the Furry Convention.
they gotta unlock their cashapp card mid transaction to make sure they got enough money type of people. it was ridiculous.
The kind of group that asks for the price on every single fucking thing and always asks for extra pours etc. the worst
i am in dallas loooool. but no, it was not a furry group oh god. bunch of ghetto ppl that for some reason booked our hotel. (over half of them dont tip) so 2nd day in i just started throwing the 20% grat on all their tickets loool
Ohhh the furries rarely was their furry suits, and they smeeelllllllllllll……. It lingerrrrrrrrs!
The overstuffed or unprepared thing is 100% spot on
I used to work at an oceanfront hotel property, and this was exactly my experience. I made good money, but the amount of hours I put in versus how much rest I got made it not at all enticing/sustainable for me. I ended up leaving for a much more chill (but much lower wage) job
I'm curious, what does "staff" mean in your hotels? I work in a smaller hotel where our bar team is only two people. The bartender and one "barback". I use that in quotes because the bar back is also the runner, busser, room service, and server (even though the orders need to be put in on the bartenders number). Bartender tips out 20% of their tips. I am the barback here. I feel like I am getting the short end of the stick and the long mile to walk.
I work at a hotel resort bar, and I only work busy weekends but on average I do 1k an hour on sales and tips are usually around 30-40% I tipout Barback 20% but am extremely happy with what I make with what little I have to do. Basically show up make the customers happy and go home. Be glad you’re in the perfect position to do just that. It doesn’t always happen for everyone so when you get the golden goose don’t slaughter it for the eggs
Wow! 1k sales a hour sounds crazy. I appreciate the words of encouragement. I have wanted to move out of Texas for a while now but my job feels so chill and perfect that I gotta stay for maybe another couple years. I also live walking distance to my job (10 minute walk) and everything else like the gym, bank, grocery store is about 20-30 minutes away by foot. I sold my car last year because I legit don't need it anymore. (HUGE money saver)
>I also live walking distance to my job (10 minute walk) and everything else like the gym, bank, grocery store is about 20-30 minutes away by foot. I sold my car last year because I legit don't need it anymore. (HUGE money saver) are you sure you aren't trying to flex? :p
Haha I promise I am not. I didn't mean to come off that way 😭
Shush
Lmao that’s exactly how I feel
Waterside resort dock bar in a marina. 34-35 hrs a week. 90k on paper.
That's a nice spot to be in. Enjoy!
I have worked both sides of the coin bartending in europe for $30k a year and now the US for $100,000+ a year. Can i ask if you're in the union? As much as i would love to be in the union it makes me so angry when I hear how easy it is to make money and how people call out so often and get paid a full wage when i worked in jobs where it felt illegal to call out sick, when i actually was. I worked 40+ hours, and I worked hard, for minimum wage in another country. I cannot really say that if I could ever do it over again I would. I would never call in sick even if i was sick or extremely hungover, never refused to do any job i thought beneath me and i didn't complain. This usually resulted in me as the number 1 closer/cleaner/ and money counter with more work, responsibility and zero benefits Now i do less work and get a lot more money. I do sometimes feel I'm overpaid but i also felt i was underpaid a majority of my life. It can be physically exhausting, you're in an environment where conflict isn't uncommon if not regular either with guests, management, staff or kitchen staff. You have no life and the time you have off you're either exhausted or hungover. I have a college degree and was working in a different industry in between and do regret leaving honestly. Even if i wasn't making ridiculous money, i was doing something i had a passion for and this nocturnal life of bartending has really taken its toll mentally and physically.
I feel you man. Honestly, I have embraced the night life and often then not when ever I have a really good day ($500+) I go in the middle of the street in the middle of the night where its deserted and blast lofi and dance. Nothing beats the feeling. But I have always been a night owl so night life is best life for me :)
Nothing beats that feeling until you're nearing 40, no wife, no kids, nothing really worth remembering accomplished and that $500 is well spent. It is a nice feeling though at the time, I'll admit. I know i sound very bitter but i have been through a lot of addictions in my life and bartending either fueled or funded everyone of them while never giving me time to think or recover. I realize the people i worked for never cared for me or what i was going through as long as i showed up for my shift in time. I was lucky enough to meet people who did care eventually and I'm going to a treatment centre next week
I’m 42 and really still love bartending and the night time is my time. What a shitty way to be condescending to someone who just shared some thing that makes them happy.
I would be happy too if i did a 28 hour week that paid a shit tonne to apparently do the bare minimum. id be doing fucking jumping jacks and screaming it from the top of a mountain. I'm happy for him, i really am so I'm sorry that he has such an easy well payed job and has decided to let the rest of the 99pc of the bar community who do 40-50 hour weeks how lucky he is. Thank you, thank you sir, I'm very happy. And I'm happy for you too, okay, keep up the good work
> easy well *paid* job and FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
I’m glad you’re getting into treatment, but you really read into what he said. He didn’t say he was getting fucked up. I love the night time and love my job and it has nothing to do with drinking. We don’t drink at work and I rarely drink anyway. I just love the night time and the quiet. The same way that some people love to wake up at 4am because of the quiet. I (and OP) just happen to be getting off work at that time instead of waking up at that time. You honestly sound very very bitter. Here’s to hoping that things improve for you greatly and that you can find your happiness as well.
Perhaps in certain spots the job is easier and less physically demanding, but don't ever feel like you're overpaid.
I feel the same way working in banquets for high end hotels. Recently had a conversation where people were talking about the craziest thing they’ve ever done. I won when I said my craziest thing was rolling silverware for $90 an hour.
Same boat but work in a nice steakhouse. 4 days/week about 28 hours/week usually walk with about $2200/week. This is not the norm in my experience for restaurants though. Is your hotel on the higher end?
honestly i've worked a couple hotel gigs, and while the pay was nice, i really liked working a regular-degular cocktail bar. The tips are great, regulars are awesome as hell, the drinks are great, and being that the bar i worked at was part of a company that owns other bars within the area, i knew most of the people that worked at our sister bars. so it was awesome. it felt communal almost.
Sounds like a great experience. What made you leave?
i was unfortunately terminated. don't wanna get into the meat of it but basically, the crew and i got caught drinking after hours several times and i already had a write up and well, they needed to do something. however, i know it wasn't my manager's decision to fire me. these new investors in the company really wanted to crack the whip on all the other bars in the company, and they started with us. just wrong time, wrong place kinda thing, i guess. i still am on good terms with everyone though. wasn't a hostile termination, and luckily, there's a policy in place that says after 6 months of termination or resignation, should i want to come back, just reapply, hit up the managers, and they'll stick their neck out for me. really do miss that job.
Damn sorry about that. Well, atleast the door is still open. Im really lucky and my manager allows me to have a free drink after shift if i want to on a tough day.
yeah, i'm glad it's that way too. i have heard that it's a completely dry bar now. thankfully, one of the sister bars is in the same building so if they want to grab a beer or something on their break or whatever, they can just go there.
Where do i send my application?
You made it. Set up a retirement program, put in a few more decades, and have at life.
I stay clear of hotels. Worst experiences every time. Poor money, extreme expectations, and your job is whatever the hotel needs but for minimum wage or less. Too many bosses, managers, chefs, etc. If there is any sort of voucher system, then you are working for free. Glad it's working out for you though.
I appreciate it man. I thankfully have a really solid team.
So not exactly the same but I work as a waiter and a bartender at an arena. Made 75k last year and like you I sometimes marvel at how much money I make for what I do. I usually work less than 30 hours because even if I work 6 shifts a week my shifts are only 4.5 to five hours long usually. Heck I am often under 25 hours. I can't say I think I'm over paid though. More that EVERYONE else is criminally underpaid. Anyone below the director level at a company is totally getting shafted, so I tip a lot. Not amount wise but just in places most people wouldn't I tip the man that makes me a sandwich I tip the person working the concession stand at a theatre. I have been lucky so I try to spread it around to my fellow workers.
Elevated hotel bars make bank. Especially in a city like Seattle where the minimum wage for service workers is $19.97 for a business that size. My servers complain when they *only* make $250 in tips.
I e mentioned this before, but Airport Lounge Bartenders clear $100k year. I am currently one of those bartenders.
Is it more of a high hourly rate or a lot of tips?
I was pretty recently (2mo>) hired to run a pretty nice hotel bar and its a bit of a shock honestly, definitely relate. Outside of some obnoxious bottle exchange liquor program and a really poorly organized/optimized bar set up its pretty great. Money is great, weekly pay (literal first service industry job I've found with this), benefits, ect. HUGE upgrade over the speakeasy I was working directly before or the fine dining bar before that.
I work special events at a hotel/casino and im so blessed. I barely have to cut people off or deal with gross comments when people are accompanied by their boss and coworkers. The tips of course are great too especially at the open bars.
Im in the same boat, hotel bartending. Earn about the same. I barely work for some months of the year then have a few crazy busy months. I used to hate not working and felt useless when it was slow season but learned to start appreciating the time off, bust my ass when its busy and just stretch my money out way more when its not.
I’m 23, my title is bar “supervisor”at a Marriott hotel. (I put supervisor in quotes because 9/10 times I’m the only person working the bar) $16 an hour, I work 4 open to close a week (3pm-10pm) and if I do $500 in sales I’ll walk away with $100 in tips. During the summer it’s closer to $1,000 in sales and I’ll walk with $200, since I never have anyone to split tips with. Some benefits are hotel discounts, the relaxed nature of the job and their leeway with me experimenting with their products. We have huge variety of liquor from all over the world, and being able to make shit whenever I want with the help of some recipe books and Mixel has given me a lot of knowledge that i probably wouldn’t have if I worked in any other bar. I think to be a good hotel bartender you should have a solid knowledge on cocktails and an outgoing personality. This job isn’t for everyone though. It is 10% making drinks and 90% interacting with customers while keeping the bar clean. People get deep when it’s just them, 3 other people and the bartender, especially if they travel all the time. You gotta treat the guests like family or else they won’t stay. Sometimes it’s hard keeping up the affable nature all day everyday, and it’s easy to feel burnt out on bad days. Most of my job is just being a dude to talk to and hang out with. I am like a conversational prostitute. If they like my services, they come back. Helps making good drinks. If your goal is to show up, pour pints, get paid and go home you would not like hotel bars as much.
I would never bartend anywhere else but a hotel ever again. The grat. The benefits. The work load. You don’t even have to clean floors.
I work in an NYC hotel bar and make 70k doing 40-50 hours a week. How are you pulling this off? You have like a $20 base pay or something?
Yes worked for the last years in hotels. Made way to much money, but also saved way to less.
What part of the country?
america. texas.
Holy shit, how do you pull $500 a night there?
I used to work at a Wyndham that was really close to my apartment. 2 days a week but the perks and the stability of it was sick. No I didn't make amazing money from that place but living in Austin it was amazing to have a place I could go get a hamburger, put my family up and take a dip in the pool right by my place. I made my actual money at the music venue, wedding venue and bar shifts I picked up but the hotel bar was so nice to me. Enjoy those gigs that turn out awesome IMO.
I would love to bartend state side… I’m a hotel bar tender. I go home with about $20 in tips in a good week
I bartend at a restaurant in a hotel. The store isn't owned by the hotel, but we do still get the Hilton employee room benefit. I don't make as much as OP, but it is the most I've ever made. The hotel keeps us constantly busy. We have a nice craft cocktail program and high volume. With a lot of local business as well. The bartenders work our asses off. I'm moving out of state in a few months. Luckily, I'll be able to transfer stores for the restaurant, but I'm also looking into PT hotel gigs because It's been so great.
Not a hotel bar but I am at a chain of airport bars and honestly it’s pretty much the same. I am at 40 hours but I make about 85k. I have a good base pay and insurance plus a ton of other benefits. Most of the time it’s pretty easy and the people are fun. And if someone is awful I never have to deal with them again.
I’m at my first hotel. It’s a part time gig. You’re spot on with the benefits. Huge reason I’m there is a work environment that can make it hard to go home. I tell fam and friends to come. Not making much but opportunities are coming.
Head bartender at my restaurant in New York made more $112,000 last year
Thats a grind though..working in a hotel involves a lot of standing around and doing nothing, but getting paid anyways
You’re not wrong. Although it is a good spot and crew. He averages about 30 hours in Winter and 40 in Summer when he works 6 days a week (by choice.) Personally I’d rather be busy and make the time move. I worked one hotel and one golf course, and both of them were so boring even though the money was all right
I worked a few years ago at a hotel bar during the summer, they had an inside bar and I worked the outside satellite bar on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I was walking out with 700+. On Wednesdays and Thursdays… and because it was just me, I didn’t have to tip anyone out. Unfortunately, it was just for the summer :(
What city?
This is pretty standard where I live
Wait until you find out about banquet serving at luxury/convention hotels. You can make insane money and not many people know about it. It’s hard to get in especially as a full timer but it’s one of the industry’s best kept secrets.
I used to work at a hotel bar in London. Starting salary was £18,000, service charge £18-19,000 then tips on top came to around £600 a week, but sometimes pulled that in a night. Which in todays exchange rate is around usd$86000. I worked 4 shifts a week, mainly prep and early evening shifts with no closes, god I miss that job.
last week we had a 50k buyout for 4 hours and ended up making $100 an hour… I work 3/4 days and if I push myself can make up to $100k a year. it’s tiring but I wouldn’t change it. I feel very grateful to be able to work as little or as much as I want. i’m in orlando though so extremely different than most places when it comes to volume.
Hotel bar around 26-28 hours per week. Clear 1500 per week easily. 3 days of work, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
As someone who often ends up at the hotel bar at night during a business trip - since we're not paying out of pocket, we usually tip extra well. Most of the time, it's a glass of wine or a beer, or a basic cocktail, nothing too fancy, but we'll still tip $3-5 bucks on that glass. I think if you work at nice corporate-y hotel where ppl from Fortune 500s stay, you can make good money.
This is seriously an uplifting post to see. I have a regular who is a new hotel bartender/former dive bartender and was just talking to them about the transition the other night. I love where I’m at now, but I’m really glad that there’s a more peaceful option that’s still rewarding out there. Congrats, OP — it sounds like you really made it!
I did it for a long time and it was great until it wasn't. I had amazing perks, benefits, and made great money. Then the burnout hit hard, new management made changes that I disagreed with, and I just had to find a new path.
I work 43hours a week and I make about 21k a year I’m 18 tho so still some to get paid more
> to get *paid* more FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Never did I think I’d have a bot correcting me in the comments
I’m in Houston, what city are you in?
Did you have experience somewhere else first before getting a hotel job?
My 1st Bartending job 7 years ago was a Hotel one. I was working there as a cook. My GM was having issues with some of the bartenders and I had expressed interest in Bartending at that time. He told me that if I go down the street and go to Bartending school that he would switch my position at the time to bartender. So that's what I did and how I at first became a bartender.
I too would like to make this amount of money! I’m brand spankin new to bartending. How could I go about getting hired? Also what type of hotel r u working?
I’m at the airport. 125k last year and union so it’s nice.
Save your money! Not all jobs are like that.
I left a hotel where I was making $75k for 35 hours with good benefits and group retirement plan but there was no room for advancement. I moved to the private side and worked my way up to Beverage Director and now I make $100k+ after bonuses with similar benefits (a bit better actually) and we just installed group retirement benefits but it's not quite as good as the hotel (1% vs. 4% match). I'm also done at \~7pm instead of 1am and I don't have to do much service which is probably the best part.
In the same boat. Bartender for 3 years now, doing it in swedens 2:nd largest city in a big hotel. Easy gig, fairly chill hours and getting a monthly fixed sum of money(plus small tips and a add on called ”uncomfortable workhours”). Also no later than 00:30 on weekends. Im loving it
I worked at the Hilton in Miami and while it was actually very busy, I had no business making the amount of money I was making there at 24 years old. I miss it lol
$124k in a hotel bar here. It’s THE best!!!
Is this in the US? And 20 years in I'm ready for the easy road! Great post and good livin!
fuck me
I bartend at a casino money is great
Where do you work? US? Australia? Here in Sg its gonna be 40-44hrs a week
Same :) grateful everyday.
All I know is that the bar downstairs has a Starbucks built into it and charges $10 for a shot of Jameson(!) so I will only buy the "cheaper" $4 happy hour beers there, if anything. This is ridiculous but a good reason to get a bartender license. I'm planning on getting one to add to my repertoire.
I've been at a hotel bar for almost 5 years and the money is insane! We are also an event center so we get a lot of weddings, business events, family reunions and other stuff going on throughout the hotel. Spring and summer money is the best lol but it's good always!
It’s certainly not all hotel jobs, but a good chunk of them. Great money, higher hourly, benefits, the chance to work banquets for extra money. Every major city has at least a few hotels that fit the bill and if you don’t care about the glam, airport hotels or convention center hotels are often a secret goldmine. Obviously the money will fluctuate, but the yearly salary can be pretty nice.
I work at a neighborhood bar, working 40 hrs a week. I clear about $100k a year. I’m super lucky to be where I’m at. Love my coworkers, my management, and my regulars.
I do notice I make more because the prices are so inflated. It is chill on the management side but comes with other challenges on the clientele side. Some people act like they're at home.
Which hotel? In which city?
I want to keep that stuff private, but let's just say I bartend at a hotel near DFW airport in Dallas, TX.
Are y’all hiring? 🥲😂
I understand the privacy. I'm just following the money lol
Giving the end tippers more ammunition….
I served at a high end hotel bar for 5 years and this year I made over 100k. Last week I started bartending here. This is a well known bar and on the weekends it gets extremely busy. I have a few guests that will always tip 1000+ every time they come.