Hotels as hangout spots, a trend originally made popular on the West Coast, has officially established itself as a staple of New York nightlife.

In recent years, several new hotels have emerged that combine the first class hospitality you’ve come to expect from the Big Apple with its tireless nightlife you know and love. Inspired in part by party spots like the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood and featuring some of New York’s hottest bars and clubs, many are now utilized primarliy as nightlife destinations rather than as hotels in the traditional sense.

Their appeal is in their subtleties. For one, smart style and modernity definitely prevail over comfort and convention. Whether you're planning a first date or entertaining a new client over drinks, choosing one for the setting will undoubtedly speak highly of your taste.

Opium Garden, a major player in South Beach's nightlife scene for the past decade, has closed and is moving to the sprawling Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino near Hollywood. Prive, a more intimate, upscale club inside Opium Garden, won't follow it north and has closed, though its namesake will continue to operate in Las Vegas.

Opium -- ''Garden'' has been dropped from its name -- will open in mid-March in the 40,000-square-foot space formerly known as Spirits. A specific date has yet to be announced, but events are expected to be scheduled for the Winter Music Conference, an international dance-music event that kicks off the week of March 23.