April 20, 2024

Just Moments

Travel Groove

The top rooftop hotel pools in NYC offering day passes

Photo courtesy of The Williamsburg Hotel

Coming soon: Summer heat and dreams of poolside vibes. Some lucky apartment dwellers count a pool among their building’s amenities. Otherwise, your local options include public pools or pricey pool clubs and gyms. One more way to dive in this summer is to snag a day pass to a pool atop one of the city’s trendy hotels. Usually reserved for hotel guests, some hotels allow visitors to pay by the day–often with surrounding restaurant and bar privileges. Some venues host events like pool parties with DJs, live music, and drink specials. Read on for cool pools with day rates.


Photo courtesy of TWA Hotel

Covid-19 has affected the programming of many of the city’s social and hospitality venues; to make sure the info below is still accurate, be sure to check in with the venue before finalizing your plans.


Photo courtesy of Tao Group Hospitality

The Beach at Dream Downtown
The Beach at Dream Downtown is a 5,000-square-foot summertime event space at the Dream Downtown Hotel in Chelsea, featuring a glass-bottom pool, full-service bar, pool deck, sand beach, two private cabanas, and plenty of chaise lounges. A casual poolside café offers an all-day menu, and there’s a seasonal cocktail menu. Rates range from $80 to $150 a day, per person, depending on the day of the week. Cabana reservations are available, and hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.


Photo credit: Kyle Knodell/The Rockaway Hotel and Spa

The Rockaway Hotel and Spa
For locals in search of a poolside getaway, a quick ferry, car, or subway ride will get you to the Rockaways in time for day passes at this outdoor heated pool and pool-side deck. Day passes are $40, with access from 10 a.m. to p.m., Monday-Thursday. Day passes are only available until June 24, 2022 (all summer long if you rent a cabana). Opening Memorial Day weekend, The Pool House will host DJ sets and offer craft cocktails in addition to an all-day menu for pool guests. Included with day passes are access to the sauna, lounge spaces, towels, and robes. Cabanas are also available to rent.


The 2021 mural at Manhattan Park was designed by Brooklyn-based Melissa Dadourian; Photo by Max Touhey

Manhattan Park at Roosevelt Island
The Roosevelt Island Manhattan Park apartment complex boasts a 60-foot pool, swim club, and sun deck with amazing city views and a park-like vibe. It’s available for Roosevelt Island residents as well as non-residents to join on a seasonal, monthly, or daily time-slot basis. Prices vary, and family and couple memberships are also available. More information can be found here.

McCarren Hotel and Pool
While it may be known for its rooftop views, this North Brooklyn hotel boasts the largest heated outdoor pool in NYC. The poolside vibe comes with reserved lounge seating, a full-service bar, and a crafted cocktail menu at Flora, its pool bar.


Photo courtesy of The William Vale

The William Vale
Situated above the hotel’s elevated Vale Park, the 60-foot Vale Pool is the longest outdoor hotel pool in Brooklyn. The adjacent Vale Terrace is a 5,000-square-foot landscaped open-air venue at pool level, a perfect place to find some natural shade. Day pass tiers range from a morning pass at $150 to a 6-person cabana for $650. Perks with the pass include outdoor pool access, a reserved lounge chair, poolside food and drink service, and complimentary wifi.


Photo courtesy of The Williamsburg Hotel

Pool and Rooftop Bar at the Williamsburg Hotel
The Williamsburg Hotel offers a small number of passes sold daily based on availability. You can make reservations and book a time slot here. Pool day passes start at $199. If you can’t score a pool pass, check out The Williamsburg Hotel Rooftop Bar, open daily to the public for sunset cocktails and an al fresco dinner with the neighborhood’s famous city views as a backdrop.

Jimmy at ModernHaus Soho
Mid-century modern design gets pride of place at this all-season rooftop space on the 18th floor. Part of the James New York Hotel, Jimmy at ModernHaus is known for its dazzling rooftop pool with views of the Hudson River and Midtown. While not normally open to non-guests, Jimmy opens its pool after 4 p.m. on weekdays and after 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday; Jimmy patrons can hang on the pool deck after 5 p.m. on weekdays and after 3 p.m. on weekends. Reservations are required.


Photo courtesy of The Summer Club

The Summer Club
The Summer Club, a new reservation-only rooftop day club located above Ravel Hotel in Long Island City, is now open for the summer season, featuring live music from acclaimed DJs and musicians, a food and beverage menu, skyline views, and private poolside cabanas. The pool deck is a perfect spot to enjoy city views while soaking up the sunshine between dips in the 50-by-20-foot pool that serves as the main attraction. The club is open daily from noon to 10 p.m. Weekday day passes start at $60; weekends are $75 and cabanas are available.


Photo courtesy of  TWA Hotel

TWA Hotel Pool at JFK Airport
Who doesn’t love an infinity pool overlooking an international airport runway? Watch jets take off from the year-round rooftop pool at this amazing airport not-quite-secret venue. It’s a heated “pool-cuzzi” in winter; in summer it’s a refreshing urban oasis, complete with a pool bar serving mile-high cocktails and delicious poolside fare. The pool is open every day in summer from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m..; pool admission is $50 for adults; $20 for children aged 5-12; children under age 5 are free.

Somewhere Nowhere at Renaissance Hotel
This new Chelsea lounge/nightclub/pool features a two-level indoor lounge and open-air rooftop pool with panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline as far as the eye can see, 39 floors above the Renaissance NY Chelsea Hotel. Rooftop pool hours are Monday to Thursday from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m., Friday from 2 p.m. to 12 a.m.; Weekends from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. On the calendar are a series of DJ and live music dance parties, after-work soirees, and jazz jams, accompanied by creative cocktails and tapas. Ticket prices range from $30 and up, depending on the day and event.

Sojo Spa Club
Located on the Hudson River in Edgewater, NJ, this Korean spa and pool getaway isn’t in NYC, but it’s the country’s largest of its kind, and it just might be worth the trip. You’ll find eight floors of treatments including nine pools, seven saunas, a restaurant, and a hotel. And above this massive relaxation arena is the jewel: A rooftop infinity pool with peerless NYC skyline views. If you’re in the mood to be pampered, you can try a full menu of spa treatments. Daily admission is $85.

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Tags :

hotels, pools, summer


Neighborhoods :

Chelsea,Long Island City,rockaway park,willliamsburg