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While most tipplers who enter the Dream Hotel head for Ava Lounge on the roof, crowd-o-phobes enter the lobby and bear left at the translucent column holding an aquarium of tropical fish. Tucked into a corner is the hotel’s ground-floor lounge, a cheery mod affair that feels like a Paul Smith-designed shoebox thanks to a low reflective ceiling, fiesta-colored candystripes carpeting the walls and floor, and orange candles glimmering against a sunset spectrum of mosaics that cover the bar and the wall behind it. The drinks aren’t cheap, especially given that they lean on syrups and flavored vodkas: The slightly acidic Key Lime, for one, incorporates Absolut Vanilla and fresh pineapple, lemon, and lime juices. Of course, the office gossips seated at the handful of blue bar stools and Edwardian couches don’t come for the cocktails: They’re hoping that the soothing décor and serotonin-inducing jungle and techno beats will leave them as chilled out as the sculptures of gods in the lobby. — Daniel Maurer