Whether for relaxing or socializing, these seven rooftop pools from around the world provide the perfect chance to cool off during your next urban hotel stay.
Downtown L.A. Proper
Designer Kelly Wearstler’s eclectic touch is evident across the multilevel pool and rooftop deck at the Downtown L.A. Proper hotel. Designed around a checkered tile firepit on the lower level, Wearstler crafted the 5,000-square-foot outdoor space as individual vignettes that are defined by greenery. “As Downtown L.A. Proper is the latest collaboration between Proper Hospitality and Kelly Wearstler, we were excited to see our creative visions come to life in a building with such a rich history,” says Brian De Lowe, cofounder and president of Proper Hospitality. “Her one-of-a-kind vision deftly layers the historic building’s vestiges of the 1920s with elements of Spanish, Portuguese, Mexican, and Moroccan design.”
Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC
Photo by David Mitchell
Originally opened in 2004, the Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC hotel recently underwent a $30 million overhaul, including a redo of its rooftop pool and lounge, a collaborative effort between Gansevoort Hotel Group president and founder Michael Achenbaum, Chris Kofitsas of New World Design Builders, and Olivier Weppe, the hotel’s creative director and designer. “[It’s] a modern take on a 1950s beach club,” Achenbaum says. “The mahogany represents the cabanas that used to dot areas like Coney Island and other classic New York seaside beach environments, and even the pool bottom was incorporated into the color scheme and gives off a sensation of a wave coming to the shore.”
SIXTY Beverly Hills
Photo by Ryan Forbes
Los Angeles-based Umbrella Hospitality Group partnered with SIXTY Hotels founder Jason Pomeranc to reinvigorate the rooftop cocktail lounge and pool area at SIXTY Beverly Hills. Now dubbed the Umbrella Club, the space encompasses a swim club and supper club restaurant, Ella—all offering 360-degree views of the city. “The goal for reimagining the rooftop was to make guests feel like they’re on vacation as soon as they step foot out of the elevator,” says Austin Melrose, cofounder of Umbrella Hospitality Group. “Whether guests are staying with us in the hotel, visiting the area, or locals popping by, that sense of escapism was really important to us to establish.” Lounge-style furnishings establish a sense of comfort, while large agave plants, distressed planters and baskets, and overgrown assorted succulent perimeters nod to tropical coastal locales like Tulum.
The Standard, Ibiza
Set against the backdrop of sweeping island vistas, the Standard, Ibiza‘s vibrant rooftop concept UP serves as a key social hub of the new hotel. With sweeping views of the Castle at the top of Dalt Vila, the day-to-night venue boasts one of Ibiza’s only rooftop pools. “The focus for this project was to be effortless and welcoming, while at the same time elegant and curated,” says Verena Haller, chief design officer for the Standard. “We want our guests to feel like they are entering a space that has been here forever and, yet, at the same time is something new, fresh, and exciting.”
The Summer Club
Queens, New York
“Knowing New Yorkers aren’t typically surrounded by palm trees and expansive greenery without traveling far from home, we wanted to give our guests the opportunity to feel like they’re on a luxurious tropical vacation in their own backyard,” says Seth Levine, chef and owner of the Summer Club, a brand-new rooftop dayclub situated atop the Ravel Hotel in the Long Island City section of Queens, New York. Spanning 24,000 square feet, the venue includes daybeds and cabanas, as well as a 50-foot-long pool. “Palm fronds can be spotted from every angle, be it at the bottom of the pool or lining the fabric of our cabana seats, and the bubblegum pink and forest green color scheme creates an intentionally Instagrammable space,” Levine adds.
Villa Copenhagen
Photo by Stine Christiansen
The rooftop space at the 390-room Villa Copenhagen features a pool, bar, and a hidden garden that supplies the onsite F&B venues. As one of the only outdoor pools in the Danish capital, the nearly 83-foot-long lapping pool, designed by Krook and Tjader Architects, is also sustainably heated by the excess heat from the hotel’s cooling systems. The surrounding terrace area comes courtesy of Epicurean, the restaurant and bar design studio from London-based Goddard Littlefair. “It was important for us to key into the architecture, culture, and history,” Jo Littlefair, director and cofounder of the London firm, says of the project. “It’s a place that is special, but not ostentatious—it puts its arms around people and helps them unwind.”
Virgin Hotels Nashville
Swathed in Virgin Hotel’s signature red and white palette, the whimsical-yet-chic Pool Club at the brand’s Nashville property conveys a transportive quality. For the design of the Music City location, Brooklyn, New York-based architecture and design firm MARKZEFF took the lifestyle hotel group’s tradition of localized design a step further, drawing upon an English-inspired music backdrop to complement Virgin’s signature cheekiness. “Even with these urban properties, we’re trying to carve out ample rooftop spaces,” says Teddy Mayer, creative director and vice president of design for Virgin Hotels. “We call it an adult playground of experiences where you have an outdoor pool, gardens, an outdoor grill. This is a fun exploration of exterior spaces that guests love because they want to be outside.”
