Arlo Williamsburg

The pool

• Seasonal heated rooftop pool
• 40-ft
• East River views
• Day passes + cabanas

Why it's on the list

Compact but capable — the rooftop pool is on the smaller side but is rarely crowded at the right hours. Good for an afternoon session, especially mid-week; the operator programmes weekend DJ sets and Sunday day parties, so that is when the deck turns.

The stay

The Arlo is the reborn one — the eight-story brick tower at 96 Wythe opened in 2017 as the Williamsburg Hotel, then re-emerged in September 2023 under Arlo after Quadrum Global bought it out of bankruptcy: 147 rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, and the roof's old wooden water tower rebuilt as a glass-walled cocktail bar with the skyline behind the bottles. It shares the Vale's corner of North Williamsburg at half the ceremony, which is the appeal. At $$ it's the value way into the neighborhood — book it for a midweek swim and a water-tower nightcap, and know the deck turns into a party on summer weekends.