Ghost Bar
     2440 Victory Lane, Suite 3300
The W Hotel
Dallas, Texas, 75204
Ph: 214-720-9919
www.n9negroup.com

Overall Rating:

Reviewed by: Nina Christianson

After a recent Dallas Maverick’s home court victory over the Chicago Bulls, we reluctantly decided to give Ghost Bar at The W Hotel in Dallas another chance. As we pulled into the terribly “planned out” drive way (perhaps designed by a toddler?), the mass confusion going on at the valet seemed to be worse than usual certainly due to the NBA game having just ended. Shouldn’t this kind of over-crowded situation been anticipated and then taken into consideration during the development of the building…like in the first draft?

Modern Interior (?) of Ghost Bar in The W Hotel

We nearly ran over two girls exiting Ghost Bar on foot, and as it turns out, they were the two prettiest girls we would see there all night!  The entrance alone at The W Hotel should be listed under “what NOT to do” in a design school. Once again, I cannot fathom what on earth the architect was thinking when he or she was doing the original blue prints. After we reluctantly agreed to pay $30.00 to valet park, simply because it was just easier than to try to navigate around that poorly planned valet area, we went inside Ghost Bar with much trepidation.

As we approached the elevators, we were vigilantly guided behind the velvet rope and made to wait for three minutes while the sweet bouncer flattered us by checking both of our I.D.’s. No complaints there, as I thought it was absolutely adorable that the bouncer checked my I.D..

The Ghost Bar’s interior is as disappointing as the driveway is annoying. As you walk into the wide open, the oblong shaped room with no foyer, no entrance, and no mystery what-so-ever, is made even worse by an obvious lack of color. Although I did see some lime green on the web site, you don’t really see it in the available lighting; so much the better as far as I am concerned. Everything is all jammed into one level, and the color scheme of the place is simply too monochromatic. Cheap looking patio style furniture is strewn about the room, achieving a quasi-70’s look. It appears to have as much forethought as an accidental pregnancy; there is nothing to it. Not only is there nothing eye catching in the décor, unfortunately there was nothing eye catching about the group of patrons on this night either...or any other night I have been here in the past!

The beautiful skyline view, from which they coined the slogan, “Above it all”, is completely ruined by a lot of cigarette smokers. Unless you are into breathing other people’s exhaled smoke, you probably won’t get to enjoy that part of the club’s ambiance either.

Impressive View of the Dallas Skyline from Ghost Bar

Worse than the boring décor, and nothing to talk about clientele, was the music! As we cruised around the room, looking for some friends, we became more and more disenchanted. The pop music made my heart sink to the floor...and NOT the DANCE FLOOR either! I am not a teenage girl, so maybe that is why I don’t listen to “pop” music any more. I didn’t like it in the 70’s, when I was a teenage girl, and I don’t like it now. Is the retro music and retro décor some sort of theme here? Was this intentional? I doubt it. I already lived through the 70’s and I wasn’t looking for a journey back in time…I was looking for a fun night out in a sophisticated nightclub. Not found here.

Absolutely riveted by sheer boredom, we all got back on the elevator to go downstairs. Much to my temporary relief, the music was much better in the elevator than in the actual club! Have you ever heard of “Elevator Music” being better than at a night club??? Well, you have now! Not only did I feel that way, but when I pointed that out it inside the elevator to other people leaving Ghost Bar who I didn’t even know, they agreed with me. Yes, it was the general censuses.

Before we left the building I talked my companion into visiting, just for a fleeting moment, The Living Room Bar. They had some decent tunes playing in there; lounge music that was actually from this decade. It was intriguing enough to draw me in, and get me to check it out. Alas, the décor here was also very bland, featuring another uncreative monochromatic color scheme...like some living room from the past. This of course must be what the designer was going for, but it came out looking like a low budget home or movie set, again from the 70’s!

We made a swoop around the room and ran into a few people we knew…but nothing earth-shaking happened here either. When I go out to clubs, I am looking for EXCITEMENT, ACTION, something fun and or interesting to see and do…not some trip down fashion’s memory lane, sitting on cheap plastic furniture and listening to Michael Jackson! Gazing at a crowd who all seem to need A) fashion tips and B) personal trainers is not my idea of a fun night out clubbing.

Ghost Bar is in my opinion a cheap, cheesy, concrete box with as much personality as a blank piece of paper. It features no forethought, no character and was certainly not worth the $30.00 you pay for valet parking, simply to avoid giving yourself a headache before you even get inside the place. If the owners of Ghost Bar are not careful, they will have to change the name of this place to Ghost Town

"Man, being reasonable, must get drunk; The best of life is but intoxication." -- Lord Byron (1788 - 1824) English Poet, from Don Juan.