ION Rooftop Pool Bar at JW Marriott, Downtown Los Angeles

JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live’s ION rooftop pool bar is one of the best, coolest places to have a small group get-together in downtown Los Angeles. Unlike the oh-so-hip clubs and rooftop bars in Hollywood, the ION Bar remains calm enough that, even with the music piped in, friends can still have conversations without having to yell to be heard. We had a pre-International Pow Wow event here, and it was perfect.

This isn’t the tip-top of the JW Marriott; rather, ION is on the fourth floor, where the hotel design allowed for a pool, bar, and space for audio equipment. Think of it as an oversized balcony. Views of Los Angeles and L.A. Live abound; as the sun set, we were psyched to see spotlights over Nokia and Staples Center. The fourth floor is removed enough to have the active scene below (and the noise of happy revelers) hushed. Heat lamps were carefully arranged and rearranged by the solicitous staff — which I appreciated, since I get chilly (some say that we Angelenos are notoriously thin-blooded).

Our special guest, Emily “The Travel Mom” Kaufman, talked about how she got started years ago, before travel blogging was even a gleam in LACOT’s eye…and before people paid much attention to family travel as an important niche. She’s worked hard to get to where she is today  — a very successful television personality supporting family travel, and in as such discussing family travel destinations like Anaheim and Orlando on news segments on local news programs across the country. She’s wonderful, smart, and deserves every ounce of her success.

There were a handful of out-of-towners at their meet-up, due to the International Pow Wow’s national appeal. It was fun to see both new and familiar faces. Meanwhile, the JW Marriott staff stationed at the ION Rooftop Pool bar constantly but quietly walked around the outskirts of our crowd with wine, cocktails, and some great small plate food. My favorite? The Kobe meatballs in marinara sauce, definitely. The samosas were pretty special too; the group of Los Angeles Online Travel members felt pampered at this upscale hotel rooftop bar. The staff treated us very, very well!

There are outdoor-style (i.e. basically weatherproof) sofas and loveseats at ION. This works out well, because small casual groups can get comfortable and stay at the open air bar longer. I could see business travelers coming to the poolside bar to relax or continue their work conversations comfortably here.The ION Rooftop Pool Bar is great for downtown Los Angeles small group events. When you want to hear yourself think, let alone be able to have a great conversation with your friends, I can’t imagine a better downtown location.

Thank you, JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live, for hosting this LACOT event.