T-shirts may not be worn in the main lobby.

Note to self. Still staying at the Hampton Inn.

Things are so much simpler at the nudist resort.

Casual hats aren't permitted? No baseball caps? Geez, I'm glad I have no reason to stay there.

@Applekid: Just make sure you put sunblock everywhere.

@Smashville: Yeah, if I have to dress like I'm going to an office, it's not a real vacation. ;)

@Smashville: You forgot "or public areas of the hotel." That is just nuts, I just stayed at a nice 5 star hotel in Beverly Hills and they didn't have a dress code (I think) but I sure felt that I shouldn't have worn shorts and a t-shirt when I was at the bar or restaurant.

I wonder how large of a production run they ordered before they realized there's no period after "Elegant Business".

Pfft - I ate at the bull and bear a month or two ago in jeans, loafers, a t-shirt, and a blazer. They were very nice.

Also, try wandering around the lobby of the waldorf sometime - it's chockfull of all of the things they don't allow. This is pure wankery on the part of the waldorf - if you're going to have a dress code, enforce it. Unfortunately, they realize that if they did enforce their dress code, no one would bother coming.

Contrast this with the Ritz-Carlton - not only is it a nicer hotel, but you can wander in there wearing whatever you want, and be treated as well as the suit-and-tie exec. That's real customer service.

The fact is that if someone famous walks in wearing "stupid casual" clothes, they won't turn them away. So act like you're too famous to give a crap what they think, and they'll treat you like royalty.

I wish I could remember which one it was, but one of Denver's older, higher end restaurants used to have a thing printed right on their menu saying that they have and encourage a diverse clientele, and are happy to serve people who've just come in from hiking or skiing or just tooling around the city, so please don't complain about your fellow patrons' attire. We welcome jeans and hiking boots. This is Denver and that's just how we roll.

I always liked that.

@midwestkel: If you're at a nice 5-star hotel, I can see dressing nice for the bar and restaurant and stuff, but in other public places? It's a vacation, screw that noise!

@spanky: That's cool and all, but I think every place should enforce the "you have to wear shoes" policy.

I was once at a cocktail party where a random girl's feet hurt, so she took off her shoes and walked around barefoot. It grossed me out.

@humphrmi: This has worked for me more times than I can remember. You can get away with being somewhere you're not supposed to be 95% of the time just by "looking" like you should be there.

@AllanG54: My friend had a birthday party at Ruth's Chris last year and despite the fact that he was shelling out ridiculous money for a private room, 3 courses each for 20 people, multiple cocktails and wine by the bottle and the restaurant was like a ghost town before we got there they FLIPPED when he didn't want to remove his hat. We're in a recession. Insulting the few customers still willing to pay your astronomical prices is not exactly the best way to bring in a profit.

@Trance1861: I love how women will wear the most uncomfortable shoes just because they look pretty or something. If you can't wear them, then they might as well not be shoes.

Stay at The Regency. It's pretty comparable class wise to the Waldorf except the rooms are bigger and the decor is more modern and you can wear ratty flip flops wherever you damn well please.

@Applekid: @sonneillon: And don't forget your towel.

@AllanG54: Are beer can hats casual or not? There's nothing casual about the beer I drink.

If so, then maybe a brandy snifter hat would be sufficiently fancy?

Can someone translate the rest of those terms into English?

Indeed, one of the reasons I hate "dress codes" is that depending on who is wearing them and how you are presented, a well put together outfit of a tee and jeans can look ten times classier than someone else wearing a sweaty shirt and crumpled tie...

@Trance1861: Why did that gross you out? Was she sticking her feet in your drink? Were her feet making your shoes dirty? Perhaps she was grossed out by your bare hands. Put on your gloves, hayseed!!

@deadandy: That's their way of saying that women on their period aren't allowed either, for the medicine men are fearful that they would then rival his power.

@FooSchnickens: Our friend worked for the company that stages parties and other events, and got tickets to a fundraiser they staged. Friend, bf, and I decided to go for the free food and alcohol. Turns out it was black tie, plus we were all 20+ years younger than everyone else. I can only hope they thought we were famous musicians or something - I have several facial piercings and visible tattoos, bf wore jeans and has a scruffy beard thing going on, and our (female) friend has a rather severe buzz cut. No one kicked us out, at least.

@AirIntake: Sometimes you buy shoes for the occasion and don't know they're uncomfortable until you're at the event. Overall I do agree though, slightly less attractive shoes (and there are so many comfortable yet attractive shoe options these days!) are much classier and better looking than bare feet. Constantly complaining and sitting down is one thing, but taking off your shoes and walking about? What woman does that over the age of 16??

@Trance1861: i agree about needing to wear shoes. it's so prevalent [women wearing painful shoes] there's a thing for that now - roll up comfortable slippers [flash site warning]
[www.rollasole.com]

I'm particularly impressed by the Capital Letters. These are guidelines for Dress, dammit.

@TinkishDelight: Was there a particular reason he didn't want to remove it? What sort of hat was it?

Growing up (I'm in my mid-40s) I was taught that it's considered low-class and ignorant not to remove your hat when eating anywhere nicer than McD's.

I have a feeling this just one of the many elements of manners and civilized behavior that no one pays attention to anymore.

@AirIntake: I agree, but sometimes it's actually a sort of quasi requirement. Women don't always have the same comfortable options that men do. Pointy toes and/or heels seem to be a requirement for many dress codes.

I worked at a company that used to send women home sometimes for all kinds of unwritten dress code violations, including wearing any remotely comfortable shoes. (A bunch of us conspired and started calling discomfort 'foot problems,' which made them back off that a little.)

And a couple of years ago, my brother got married and almost every woman at the wedding ended up barefoot, me included. He and his wife were both post-docs, so most of the guests were either academics or my hillbilly family. It looked like most of the women there had gone out and bought special 'fancy shoes' for the occasion, and discovered after an hour or so that we couldn't hack it.

I know we're all gonna snark on this item, but I kind of like this. Wouldn't it be nice to have SOME places for dining and seeing shows etc. where people dressed better than jeans and tees? I used to take various of our children to Broadway touring productions at our city's grand old restored theater. We dressed up! It was fun! The last time I went to a play, half the audience wore hoodies and Tom Brady football jerseys. Damn.

And DON'T get me going on what people wear to church!
/rant

Fuck them !!!!

@Trulymadlyme: And make sure it's your towel.

Wow, so the Waldorf Astoria actually wants to maintain its image as the most elegant hotel on the planet? How crazy is that?

Some restaurants have dress codes. They always have & I hope they always will. I don't care if the Waldorf has one as well -- I don't expect I'll ever stay there, but it is their hotel, after all.

Wearing a cap in a nice restaurant is declasse. Refusing to remove it is rude. Believe it or not, some of us occasionally pay more to dine at a restaurant where we're not surrounded by yokels wearing flipflops and baseball caps.

@Trulymadlyme: you're a towel...

@thepassenger: I contend that Ruth's Chris is no longer any different than a McDonalds.

Ok, maybe not quite that bad, but they have sacrificed quality and personality to join the slightly nicer than a TGI Friday's category (chains near expensive malls, consistency, fake fancy veneers, $30+ per person but no real chef, character or food). I assume these restaurants were developed for boomers who fed their families on Fridays, Applebees and Chilis and wanted something a bit nicer once the kids were in college.

@futuresuperbowlMVPJayCutler: How about Pottery Barn McDonalds? I think that's a good name for the category.

@ElizabethD: If it is not an important event -- ie, something that may never happen again, I see no reason to make a big deal over it. I'll happily wear a suit or tux to a wedding, but for a random dinner? No. After having to wear dress clothes for retail work (really? A dress shirt and tie to sell discount shoes? Come on.), I will avoid wearing them whenever possible.

I despise the fact that people think I need to impress them. Unless you are a judge or jury, your opinion probably doesn't matter to me. I'm all for taking care of yourself, but sometimes people take it too far in the other direction.

It's nice to go some places where everybody is dressed well and all - and that's speaking as someone who is almost always happier to be in casual clothes.

But the lobby thing is silly and unenforceable since people may arrive from the airport in rumpled tshirts and jeans. It's like the EULA that you can't see until you've broken the seal on the box.

And having attended many conferences at hoity-toity hotels back in the dotcom boom, I never saw the badges thing enforced anywhere. If they did, the conference would be elsewhere next year and they know it.

It's about creating the aura of elegance, even if that elegance isn't 100% achieved.

@mxjohnson: If the Waldorf Astoria actually cared about "elegance", it wouldn't have a freaking Starbucks.

@ElizabethD: "And DON'T get me going on what people wear to church!" - You're going to church for a reason, and it's not to be judged by what you are wearing. But on your main point, I agree. I went to the symphony and half the crowd was dressed to kill and the other half... they thought it was a frat house BBQ.

Also, I have gotten away with so much by just looking and acting like I'm supposed to be there. "You don't know me? I'm the new guy." works all too often.

This isn't a "dress code" - the latter part DOES call out specific dress code stuff, but they merely suggest that conforming to their suggestions will make your stay more enjoyable. I take that as meaning you won't be embarrassed about being the only person dressed casually when you wander into a more formal dining area, etc. You can choose not to do it, and no-one is going to tackle you and drag you to a changing room and force nicer clothes on you.

@mzito: Agreed. Besides, it's not like people wealthy enough to stay there wear business attire all the time or something. I'm pretty sure EVERYONE wears jeans or shorts at some point. Especially if they're on vacation.

@that charlie sedarka: The Starbucks is licensed, not corporate owned and therefore it's the hotel setting the dress code not Starbucks corporate.

Does this dress code also apply to kids? What level of snobbiness would dictate permissible kidwear in public areas of a hotel? I can understand if they don't want people wandering around like slobs, but this seems to be too much.

Does the hotel have a swimming pool? If so, what are the dress requirements?

@TinkishDelight: one word: prom...

@Spaztrick: I like not looking like a hobo when I go to church. If I dress up to go to dinner, why wouldn't I dress up to go to church? That said...I usually wear jeans to church. It shows that you care about where you are.

@mxjohnson: Don't forget Crocs, Tevas and fanny packs.

@thepassenger: It was a newsboy style cap. It was a herringbone material that was somewhat dressy and I guess "made his outfit" and as the paying guest of honor he didn't feel that he should be forced to remove it.

I get what you're saying that it could ruin the atmosphere, my family is from the south and I was brought up the same way. However we were in our own private room. No one could hear or see us. After asking once and having the customer tell you he doesn't want to, continuing to insist displays much more of lack of manners and civility than his hat ever could.

@spanky: me and the hubby had a quicky wedding but want the big she-bang for our 5th or 10th (haven't decided yet) and I'm wearing converse. Screw fancy shoes...

@Trance1861: What exactly about her bare feet that grossed you out? Perhaps it's a cultural thing but I find it rather gross when people come into my carpeted apartment with their shoes on.