North 12th Street runs from the elevated hum of the L train down toward the East River, and about halfway along it the street changes character: low industrial brick gives way to a glass tower catching river light differently than anything else on the block. This is Williamsburg's usual trick, stacking old warehouse grids against new height, and it's what makes the fourth-floor pool at The William Vale legible at all — a slab of water suspended between two skylines, one subway stop from Manhattan.
The rooftop pool itself is closed for the year, so there's no day pass to book right now. Karpo tracks the hotel's reopening date and can point you toward Domino Park, Westlight, and Brooklyn Bowl — all open in Williamsburg this week regardless of the pool calendar.
Where North 12th Street meets the water line
The William Vale sits at the corner of North 12th Street and Wythe Avenue, a block where Williamsburg still shows its seams. Low industrial-brick buildings — old print shops and garment warehouses turned into cafés and concept stores — sit directly across from a faceted, angular glass tower rising 21 to 22 storeys. The contrast is the point: this stretch of the neighbourhood has been rebuilding upward for a decade, and the hotel is one of the taller results.
The East River waterfront is a short walk east, past Domino Park and the old Domino Sugar refinery shell, now a public lawn and playground on the water. The L and G trains are close enough to reach on foot, putting Manhattan one stop away and Greenpoint a few more. McCarren Park, Brooklyn Bowl, and a run of independent bookshops and coffee counters fill in the blocks around the hotel, and the neighbourhood stays lively on foot well past dark.
A fourth-floor deck built for two skylines
Inside, the pool sits on the fourth floor, reached through the main lobby rather than a separate entrance. At 60 feet, it's described as the longest outdoor hotel pool anywhere in New York City, heated to a fairly reliable 80 degrees regardless of the air above it. The deck runs long and rectangular rather than square, which matters for the view: swimmers get Manhattan on one side and the Brooklyn skyline on the other, with no wall breaking the sightline.
Seating on the deck mixes standard chaise lounges with covered daybeds, plush loveseats, pergolas, and a handful of enclosed cabanas, all bookable separately from the base entry price. There are no lockers — changing stalls and outdoor showers handle that instead, one person at a time, worth knowing if you're arriving straight from the subway rather than one of the hotel's own rooms. One floor up, the rooftop bar Westlight offers a second, glassier vantage point for anyone who wants the view without the water.
The pool is shut for the season — check before you plan around it
Here's the part to get straight before making any plans: the day-pass program is seasonal, and this year's run has already closed. The 2026 season operated under a co-branded name, the Sephora Summer Club, open daily from 8am to 8pm between May 22 and September 7. Outside that window, the deck isn't selling passes to non-guests, whatever the season's branding happens to be.
That branding is also worth double-checking each time you look this up. The pool has run under different names in different years — Vale Pool one season, Sephora Summer Club the next — and reported day-pass pricing has ranged from roughly 85 dollars at the base tier up past 200 dollars once cabanas or daybeds are added. Confirm the current name, the current hours, and the current price tier directly with the hotel before treating any figure as fixed.
Getting the good chaise before it's gone
For hotel guests, access works differently from the paid day pass: a complimentary two-hour chaise slot, reserved but first-come-first-served within it, in blocks running from 8am to 8pm. Because the reservation guarantees only the time window and not a specific chair, arriving right as your slot opens is the difference between an unobstructed-view chaise and one facing a pergola post.
For everyone else, non-guest day passes have started around 85 dollars per person, with a family pass around 95 dollars for two adults and two children — figures to confirm rather than treat as fixed. The bigger practical issue is supply: local day passes are limited in number, and weekend slots in peak summer, especially around Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day, sell out well ahead. Weekday mornings are the more reliable route to something resembling walk-up access.
Kids before noon, adults after
Families get a narrow window. Children are only permitted on the deck from 8am to noon, Monday through Thursday, and only with a purchased Family Pass. After noon on those days, and effectively all day on weekends, the pool runs 21-plus — which catches people out, since the morning hours sound family-friendly but the weekend morning slot isn't one of them.
Premium seating — cabanas, daybeds, loveseats — can sometimes be added on the same day if space allows, but that flexibility mostly shows up on quieter weekdays. Around holiday weekends, premium seating generally needs booking and paying for well in advance, since late cancellations forfeit the full cost; the standard cancellation policy elsewhere requires notice by 8am the day before, though a rained-out day gets a full refund regardless.
Who owns the tower now
The William Vale opened in 2016, developed by Yoel Goldman and Zelig Weiss as part of the wave of ground-up towers that changed Williamsburg's skyline through the 2010s. The building itself, designed by Albo Liberis, gives every one of its 183 rooms floor-to-ceiling windows and a private balcony, which is why the tower reads as faceted and glassy from the street rather than solid.
Ownership changed more recently than the building did. The property sold out of bankruptcy in 2024 for 177 million dollars to EOS Hospitality, which now runs the hotel and, by extension, the pool program and its shifting seasonal branding. Whatever name the pool carries next summer, it will be under the same management that closed this year's Sephora Summer Club run.
What's open nearby while the deck sits closed
None of this makes Williamsburg less worth the trip in the meantime. Domino Park is open year-round and free, with river views that don't require a day pass. Brooklyn Bowl and the Music Hall of Williamsburg keep the neighbourhood's live-music reputation going most nights, and McCarren Park covers the daytime version of the same idea — grass, a track, and enough space to make the area feel less dense than it looks from North 12th Street.
The coffee shops, indie bookstores, and concept retail lining the surrounding blocks are the more reliable draw right now, open on ordinary hours rather than a seasonal calendar. The pool will be back, under whatever name the hotel picks next, but the rest of the neighbourhood doesn't wait on that.
Practical notes
The William Vale is at 111 N 12th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249, on the corner of Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg. The L train (Bedford Ave) and G train are both a short walk away, putting Manhattan one stop from the door. The rooftop pool's day-pass program runs seasonally, typically May through early September, daily from roughly 8am to 8pm, and is currently closed until next year's dates are confirmed. When open, non-guest access requires a paid day pass booked ahead, hotel guests get a complimentary timed chaise slot, and there are no lockers — bring what you need in a bag suited to an outdoor shower changeover. Confirm current hours, branding, and pricing directly with the hotel before visiting.
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Ask Karpo first
Not sure whether the William Vale's rooftop pool has reopened for the season or what it's branded this year? Ask Karpo for the current status, hours, and nearby options in Williamsburg for today.
