by Agatha Gilmore |
June 27, 2013
With summer in full glory, the time is right for a rooftop gathering. The verdant spaces we've highlighted here sit atop first-rate hotels and venues, perfect for planners who want to stay above it all.
Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo
hotel-chinzanso-tokyo.com
After undergoing a $90 million renovation and rebrand, the 15-story, 260-room Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo now invites groups to gather in the Serenity Garden, an impressive 17-acre rooftop oasis that features cherry blossoms in spring, fireflies in summer, a riot of colors in fall and camellias of all kinds throughout the winter.
Baltimore Convention Centerbccenter.org The third-floor terrace at the Baltimore Convention Center became a "green roof" in 2010. More than half of the space is made from drought-resistant vegetative roofing, but it also houses on-site chef Gerald Infantino's herb garden. The terrace offers a total of 15,000 square feet of function space.
Drake Hotel/Torontothedrakehotel.ca
Sky Yard, the rooftop garden at the 19-room Drake Hotel in Toronto, Ontario, is a chic urban oasis with a built-in beer garden and fire pit. Two stories up, the space can accommodate up to 100 guests in the winter and 150 during warmer months.
Peninsula New Yorkpeninsula.com/newyork
In Midtown Manhattan, the 239-room Peninsula New York's Salon de Ning rooftop garden offers glittering, panoramic views of Fifth Avenue from 23 stories up. The space can accommodate up to 250 people.
Hotel Wilshire/Los Angeles hotelwilshire.com
The Roof on Wilshire, atop its 74-room namesake hotel, opened in 2011 and captures the essence of L.A. perfectly with its cool cabanas, chill colors, inset pool and sleek modern design. This seventh-floor perch can host up to 100 and offers a menu from acclaimed celebrity chef Eric Greenspan.
whotels.com/washingtondc
The 5,000-square-foot P.O.V. Roof Terrace on the 11th floor of the 317-room W Washington D.C. is a gawker's delight, given all of the national monuments below. Cocktails arrive from two bars paneled in fresh green grass that heighten the outdoors vibe.
thejouledallas.com
The 120-room Joule will complete a $78 million expansion this summer that will grow its room count to 161 and refresh the 3,300-square-foot rooftop garden terrace called the Joule Pool. The airy, sophisticated space features a retractable roof, a climate-controlled pavilion with downtown views, and a majestic Main Street-facing glass elevator entrance.