The William Vale

Character and identity

Rising above Williamsburg's low-slung streetscape, The William Vale is a 183-room modern tower by Brooklyn architect Albo Liberis with interiors from Studio Munge, threaded throughout with work by local artists. Every room has a private balcony and floor-to-ceiling windows, and the building's signature flourish is Vale Park, a 15,000-square-foot public green roof with skyline views. Dining splits between Westlight, the 22nd-floor cocktail bar with a wraparound terrace, and Leuca, Andrew Carmellini's southern Italian room on the ground floor. The 60-foot outdoor pool is the longest in the borough. Service runs casual and friendly rather than formal.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The draw here is location and rooftop life: a genuinely cool Williamsburg address with a balcony in every room, the city's longest hotel pool, and one of Brooklyn's better skyline bars upstairs. Book it if you want to spend your trip in Brooklyn rather than commuting from it. The Gotham Corner Suite, with its 380-square-foot wraparound balcony and tub against the window, is the room to stretch for; aim for warm-weather dates to get the pool and Vale Park at full tilt.