NIGHT LINES

In years past, getting a drink at a staid LAX hotel bar was akin to a long nap (ever been to the airport Marriott bar?). Starting after Thanksgiving, that changes with the emergence of Hopscotch at the Custom Hotel (pictured). The hotel started renting out rooms last month, but owner Avi Brosh hopes the new poolside lounge will cement the Standard-esque hotel’s overall image among Marina del Rey, Playa Vista and Westchester locals. . . . Ron Marino and Laurie Mulstay, the Magnolia owners who turned the Bar (5851 Sunset Blvd.) into a must-attend for cool kids in east Hollywood nearly four years ago, have taken over the space Voda occupied in Santa Monica. Their new upscale, post-deco lounge, Chloe (1449 2nd St.), promises to do the same for Westside drinkers looking for something classier than a sports bar. Expect a soft opening this month. . . . New opening dates: Swank new Cahuenga Corridor lounge Goa looks likely to open by the end of this month, reps say. And 86’s official debut has been pushed back slightly, but the speakeasy-style lounge (in the basement of Hollywood Boulevard’s Hillview Apartments) is booking special events via promoter Jenn Laskey through the end of the year. . . . Downtown’s Crash Mansion has hired former Key Club talent buyer Roger Leblanc. Look for artists with a national profile to start playing the space in January. . . . Duke’s Hideaway, the bar at the Culver Hotel, has closed temporarily. . . . Downtown San Pedro has a new bar, Crimsin. Grand opening of the upscale cocktail lounge on 6th Street is Friday night. . . . And finally, the Roxy announced last week that any card-carrying member of the Writers Guild of America gets in free to any show during the strike. Write on.

-- Charlie.Amter@latimes.com