17 Best NYC Hotels with Rooftop Pools

A number of the city's trendiest hotels offer exclusive rooftop pool decks and beach clubs, featuring heated pools with expansive views of the city's majestic skyline. Many hotels offer non-guest access to pool decks for an additional fee, including access to sundecks and lounges, cocktail bars, and poolside restaurants helmed by award-winning chefs. Others are exclusive to hotel guests, offering a chance for tourists to soak in luxury high above the city's bustling streets.

We recommend that you call the attractions and restaurants ahead of your visit to confirm current opening times.

17 Best NYC Hotels with Rooftop Pools

• Jimmy at the James, Photo: Courtesy of tpap8228 - Fotolia.com
• McCarren Hotel and Pool, Photo: McCarren Hotel and Pool
• 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, Photo: Courtesy of LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS - Fotolia.com
• Hotels Near Me: Hotel Indigo, Photo: Hotel Indigo
• Hotels Near Me: Dream Downtown, Photo: Dream Downtown
• Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC, Photo: Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC
• Selina Chelsea New York City, Photo: Selina Chelsea New York City
• Le Bain, Photo: Courtesy of Angela Rohde - Fotolia.com
• Hotels Near Me: Le Parker Meridien, Photo: Le Parker Meridien
• Profundo Day Club, Photo: Profundo Day Club
• Royalton Park Avenue, Photo: Royalton Park Avenue
• Hotels Near Me: Sixty LES Hotel, Photo: Sixty LES Hotel
• Hotels Near Me: The William Vale, Photo: The William Vale
• The Williamsburg Hotel, Photo: The Williamsburg Hotel
• TWA Hotel, Photo: Robert Daly KOTO/stock.adobe.com
• Soho House, New York, Photo: Africa Studio/stock.adobe.com
• Rooftop Hotel William Vale, Photo: Rooftop Hotel William Vale
• Cover Photo: Courtesy of Rawpixel.com - Fotolia.com

More Ideas: Tallest Buildings in New York City

The biggest city in the US and unquestionably the best-known city on the planet, New York City is renowned all over the world for its remarkable skyline and world-famous monuments and landmarks like the Empire State Building, Central Park, Times Square, and the Statue of Liberty. The city has literally thousands of high rise buildings, with more than 100 of them measuring up at over 600 feet (183 meters) in height.

Visitors to the city can often be witnessed marveling in awe at the gigantic buildings all around them, and some of New York City's skyscrapers are among the largest buildings in the entire world. The very first high rise construction in NYC was the World Building, which was completed way back in 1890 and measured up at 348 feet (106m). The World Building was demolished some sixty years later, but skyscrapers quickly became an integral part of the city of New York, with dozens more being built through the 20th century and into the modern era.

New York City’s Tallest Buildings

With over 100 skyscrapers reaching heights of 600 feet or more, and several more buildings already under construction or in the planning stages, New York City will continue to be home to many of the tallest buildings in the United States and the world for decades to come. Here are some details on the top five of New York City's tallest buildings.

One World Trade Center

Also known as Freedom Tower, the One World Trade Center stands at a height of 1,776 feet (541m) and was completed in 2014. It's the tallest building in the entire Western Hemisphere and the sixth-tallest in the world overall. It has the same roof height and footprint size as the original World Trade Center, which was famously destroyed in the 9/11 terroristic attacks of 2001. Located at 285 Fulton St, the One World Trade Center has 104 floors and cost approximately $3.9 billion to make. Part of the new World Trade Center complex, this building, which is used mostly for offices, means a lot to the city of New York and its height of 1,776 feet is actually a reference to the year in which the Declaration of Independence was signed.

432 Park Avenue

Looking out over the famous Central Park, 432 Park Avenue measures up at 1,396 feet (425.5m) in height and is used for residential purposes, featuring 125 condos. The building's construction finished at the end of 2015 and 432 Park Avenue is currently the third tallest building in the US and the tallest residential building on Earth. Costing around $1.25 billion in construction, 432 Park Avenue has 96 floors. Almost all of the apartments inside this building were sold before it had even opened, with many foreign citizens investing in the property, despite many of them not actually living there for large parts of the year.

30 Hudson Yards

This building hasn't officially opened yet, but construction has finished on at 30 Hudson Yards, making it technically the third largest skyscraper in New York City. It measures up at 1,296 feet and is located on 33rd Street. The building will be used for offices but will also feature an observation deck, offering world class views of the Big Apple's metropolis. The building is the primary symbol of ongoing renovation efforts in the West Side Yard area of Manhattan.

Empire State Building

One of the most iconic buildings in the world and one of New York City's most instantly recognizable landmarks, the Empire State Building measures up at 1,454 feet (443.2m) in height and earned its name due to the fact that the state of New York is nicknamed 'Empire State'. Construction on the Empire State Building finished way back in 1931 and cost just a little less than $41 million at the time, which would equate to around $0.5 billion in modern money. The building is located at 350 Fifth Avenue and has 102 floors. For almost four decades, it was the world's tallest building and has appeared in countless movies and shows over the years.

Bank of America Tower

Located on Avenue of the Americas, the Bank of America Tower (BOAT) measures 1,200 feet (365.8m). It cost a billion dollars to make and construction finished in 2009. The building is regarded as one of the most environmentally-friendly in the world, using various systems and technology like water conservation and heat insulation to reduce energy costs. The tower has 55 floors and is used for both commercial and office purposes.

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More Ideas: Grand Central Station

NYC's Grand Central Station is special for so many reasons. First of all, it’s located in one of the most iconic parts of New York, Manhattan. The city’s historical buildings like Empire State Building, Central Park, and Rockefeller Center are at a walking distance from the station.

On top of that, the Grand Central Station is huge – it covers an area of over 48 acres, with a total of 44 platforms situated on two underground levels. There isn’t another station with such a high number of platforms anywhere else in the world.

Still, what makes the Grand Central Station really unique is its amazing history. Since it was constructed more than a century ago, it played a pivotal role in the growth of the largest city in the United States.

How It All Began?

Before the construction of NYC’s Grand Central Station, there was the Grand Central Terminal at the very same spot. This building was constructed in 1871 by a man called Cornelius Vanderbilt, who, at the time, was one of the wealthiest men in America. He had earned his fortune through a shipping business, so it’s not surprising the fact that he decided to invest some of his money into the construction of a train station.

The number of passengers quickly grew to the point that the station needed expansion. That’s why in 1899, a much larger building was added to the site. Unfortunately, in those days, people didn’t care so much about health and safety, so the station was a pretty dangerous place for the passengers. Although no serious accidents happened for almost three decades since the construction of the original terminal, a huge disaster happened in 1902.

What happened is that two trains collided at full speed, killing 17 and injuring almost 40 people. That event prompted the city officials to close the station permanently. In fact, it took only a couple of months before the station was demolished completely.

The Construction of the Grand Central Station

Obviously, such a big city as New York couldn’t have done without a proper train station in the middle of its business district. That’s why the construction of a new station started soon after the old one was demolished.

On February 2, 1913, the new Grand Central Station was finally finished. It was Sunday when the grand opening happened, which attracted over 150,000 people to come to this part of Manhattan. It’s needless to say that it was love at the first sight.

As soon as they saw the impressive Beaux Arts structure with a star-spangled ceiling and a grandiose staircase made of marble, everyone knew that the Grand Central Station was going to become one of the iconic monuments of New York City.

The Proposed Demolition of the Station in 1967

The station was owned by Penn Central, a railroad conglomerate that saw massive drops in profits in the post-WWII years. The reason was simple – New Yorkers started using planes for long trips. Those were the years when NYC’s largest airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, was opened. In turn, this means that the Grand Central Station was becoming almost completely obsolete.

This made the owners of the station decide on demolishing it and constructing a high-rise building on its site. But, at that point, the station has already become one of the city’s most iconic buildings, so a massive campaign against its demolition ensued.

What followed were years of legal battle between Penn Central and the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Obviously, the campaigners won, but that meant that the station had to undergo massive changes in order to become profitable again.

The Return to the Former Glory

When Metro-North took over the station in 1994, the company started with big renovations in order to bring it back its old glory. Soon afterwards, the station became one of the favorite sports of New Yorkers, including those who use it for commuting, as well as those who come here to admire the building itself.

Furthermore, the building today is the home to many art galleries, bars, and restaurants. There are also more than 50 shops housed in the Grand Central Station. All of this means that paying it a visit on your NYC adventure is a must.

Not only can you use it to get from one part of the city to another, but the Grand Central Station will provide you with experiences you’ll never forget. One of those is talking to your friends via the whispering wall.

The Whispering Wall

The so-called “whispering wall” is a part of the station’s dining concourse, next to the iconic Oyster Bar & Restaurant. What makes it so special is that the acoustics of the ceramic arches enable you to talk to a person located on the other side of the arch, even if you’re whispering. For that reason, the whispering wall of the Grand Central Station is a super-popular spot for marriage proposals.

According to experts, the reason why this pretty peculiar effect happens is that the domed ceiling takes your voice across this portion of the station without any disturbances. As a result, the voice can travel for many yards without its volume going down.

The Grand Central Kissing Room

Another attraction of the Grand Central station is the Biltmore Room, or how it’s commonly called the kissing room. Its story goes back to the 1930s, when this was the arrival place of the trains from the West Coast of the United States.

The passengers of the famous 20th Century Limited train would be greeted by their friends and family in this room, accompanied with hugs and kisses, which earned the room its nickname, the kissing room, which has stuck even up to this day.

Other Grand Central Station Facts for History-Buffs

The history of the 20th century New York is inseparable from the history of Manhattan and its main train station. Not only has the station been an important factor for the transportation system of this city, but it’s also been one of its main symbols. This is why it’s not a surprise that Nazi spies tried to bomb it during the World War Two. Luckily, American agents spot them on time and prevented a disaster.

There are so many other interesting stories about the station, many of which you can find on the internet. However, the best way to get acquainted with the glory of the Grand Central Station is to pay it a visit in person.

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More Ideas: Big Apple Jazz

One of the biggest, best-known, and most popular cities in the world, New York City is the perfect place for almost any kind of activity imaginable. Millions of people visit each year to see the sights like the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty, while millions more live and work in NYC every day, spending their free time enjoying the cities shops, restaurants, clubs, museums, and attractions.

New York features in more films and TV shows than any other city and has long been regarded as one of the most significant hubs of entertainment on the planet. Countless creative people and artists from all walks of life have been drawn to the city over the years, and it’s always been one of the best places to enjoy live music in particular, with thriving jazz and blues scenes. To learn more about jazz in NYC, take a Big Apple Jazz tour.

Big Apple Jazz - Jazz Tours of New York City

Founded back in 1997 as a simple guide service focused on the musical side of New York City, Big Apple Jazz is now one of NYC's leading musical tour providers. Whether you're in New York City with friends, family, colleagues, or even by yourself, Big Apple Jazz can take you around the city to some of the most famous jazz haunts and clubs in the world, introducing you to amazing musicians and teaching you so much along the way.

- The Best Jazz Tours in NYC - Jazz has always been a big part of New York City culture, with many of the greatest ever musicians honing their craft and making names for themselves in the Big Apple, and Big Apple Jazz honors the musical heritage of NYC by offering the very best jazz tours around. Whether you choose the Harlem Juke Joint Tour or the Greenwich Village Jazz Crawl, you'll be able to visit some of the top jazz clubs and hidden jazz gems of the city, learning plenty about the scene and enjoying some super music too.

- Private Tours - Big Apple Jazz offers a wide range of jazz tours in NYC, including the option of private tours too. So, if you’re visiting with friends, family, a club, work colleagues, or some other group of people and want to arrange a fully private experience, you only need to get in touch with the Big Apple Jazz team and start sorting out the details. Big Apple Jazz is always happy to work around your budget, preferences, group size, and more to create a custom jazz tour just for you.

- Friendly and Passionate Guides - Big Apple Jazz only employs the friendliest, best expert jazz guides for all its NYC jazz tours. No matter which tour you choose, you’ll be led along by someone who lives and breathes jazz each day. They’ll be able to answer your questions, teach you all about the various clubs and hotspots you visit, and introduce you to some of the hottest new and established jazz musicians and bands over the course of your tour.

- Meet Local Greats and Rising Stars - Perhaps one of the best aspects of Big Apple Jazz tours is the opportunity these tours provide to actually meet and engage with jazz talents around NYC. Many musical tours in New York simply take you to clubs and key locations in the city’s musical history, but Big Apple Jazz always goes one step further, taking you into the clubs, behind the scenes, and right up to the stages to actually meet, engage, and interact with super jazz stars and aspiring talents.

- Learn About Jazz in NYC - Another key aspect of Big Apple Jazz tours that helps to make this company one of the leading names for musical tours in NYC is just how much you can learn. The guides all know jazz better than anyone and will be able to tackle any question you might have, and it's easy to see exactly why TripAdvisor has awarded Big Apple Jazz a 'Certificate of Excellence' for so many years when you see just how in-depth and enjoyable they can be.

Big Apple Jazz is offering some of the best music tours in New York City and definitely the best jazz tours. If you're interested in jazz and want to learn more about one of the major homes of the genre, as well as meeting jazz musicians, enjoying live music, and even discovering a few new up and coming talents, you won't want to miss out on these tours. Call 917 863-7854 or email gordon@bigapplejazz.com to learn more, or simply book online today.

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