Seeking Hookups and Relationships on Work Trips

Condé Nast Traveler

19 hours ago

On a recent stay at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, I entered the hotel after a long day of intense meetings, looked at the hopping lobby bar, and thought to myself: if only I were single.
I'll tell you why. My room looked directly into the illustrious CAA offices, conjuring up vivid fantasies about meeting some Hollywood hotshot with a dirty mind and house in the Hills. Also, the hotel's common areas were flush with interesting travelers—a mix of surgeons (a conference!), random LA producers, and attractive, international business people. Lastly, I was lonely; I had flown to Los Angeles to sell a TV show, the meetings were successful, and I wanted someone to celebrate with. My partner and our two young kids were at home in Brooklyn, and sadly I had no one to pop a bottle of Champagne with. Alas.
I've had this if only sensation at a few other hotels around the world. 1 Hotel South Beach, with its entrancing indoor-outdoor aesthetic and late-night party crowd at AVIV, is super-seductive in that work-hard-play-hard way. The Hoxton in Paris has the most electric social scene I've ever experienced in Europe—the liveliness hits you the second you step into the property. Which reminds me, the Air France lounge at New York-JFK (and no doubt CDG) has a nice, flirtatious vibe too.
When I asked legitimately single friends, who travel constantly for work, about the current state of affairs (no pun intended) for busy travelers looking for love (or friendship, or sex, or whatever!), they confirmed my suspicion: It's an excellent time to be single and traveling.
'I consider my travel schedule to be a feature not a glitch'
Tia, a celebrity hairstylist who is always on the road
Zachary, 40, who travels 'about half the year' for his job as a lawyer working in finance, fondly remembers being stuck at the American Airlines Admirals Club lounge in San Francisco, late at night, because his flight was delayed. While sitting at the bar, he met a woman in a similar situation. 'We were vibing over drinks, and she was also delayed,' he recalls. 'We decided to stop drinking and look for a place to sit…then we walked past the boring chairs and decided to try the sleep lounge where the lights weren't so harsh. We were the only ones there and started kissing for a couple minutes before they announced the lounge was closing at 11:30. We said our goodbyes, and I didn't get her number, but it was really romantic in a crazy way.'