Top notch cocktails, stunning views, energetic vibes – these elements make for a great rooftop bar experience, and each of the 10 winners for Best Hotel Rooftop Bar certainly deliver.
Winning top honors in the category of Best Hotel Rooftop Bar is The Refinery Rooftop at New York's trendy Refinery Hotel, housed in a turn-of-the-century former hat factory. Guests and hotel visitors imbibe with views of the iconic Empire State Building.
In the Windy City, IO Godfrey at The Godfrey Hotel Chicago came in as runner-up for Best Hotel Rooftop Bar. This indoor/outdoor venue – the largest in Chicago – features a retractable roof and two-level fire pit.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Hotel Rooftop Bar are as follows:
- Refinery Rooftop at Refinery Hotel
- IO Godfrey at The Godfrey Hotel Chicago
- Frolik Kitchen + Cocktails at Motif Seattle
- LUSTRE Rooftop Garden at Hotel Palomar Phoenix
- FIFTY Miami Ultra Lounge at Viceroy
- Upstairs Bar at the Ace Hotel Downtown L.A.
- Whiskey Blue at W Atlanta Buckhead
- The Observatory at The Graham Georgetown
- POV at the W Washington D.C.
- Living Room Terrace at W Fort Lauderdale
A panel of experts picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Prairie Rose (Bit by a Fox) and Nancy Trejos (USA TODAY) were chosen for their expertise in the cocktail and hotel industries.
Additional nominees included Drumbar at Raffaello Hotel Chicago, The Ides at Wythe Hotel, The Rooftop at The Standard, Downtown LA, The Rooftop Bar at The Vendue, Shanghai Terrace at The Peninsula Chicago, Sky Yard at The Drake Hotel, SODA Bar at NYLO Dallas South Side, Spire Bar & Lounge at The Hotel of South Beach, Suite 700 at Hotel Shangri-La Santa Monica and VooDoo Rooftop Nightclub at Rio Las Vegas.
10Best and USA TODAY extend their congratulations to all the winners. The contest was promoted on 10Best and USA TODAY.
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The Experts
Prairie Rose
Prairie Rose is an LA-based cocktail and spirits... Read More
Prairie Rose is an LA-based cocktail and spirits blogger, events producer and gal about town. Her popular cocktail blog, Bit by a Fox, won Saveur Magazine's Readers' Choice Best Cocktail Blog 2014 just under a year after launching, and it’s been full speed ahead ever since! Prairie continues to explore the world of booze by discovering the hottest drinking trends at home and at the bar, visiting distilleries across the country and interviewing and collaborating with industry experts and influencers around the globe. Prairie and her blog Bit by a Fox have been featured on Design Sponge, The Couch Sessions, Foody Direct, My Minibar and others.
Prairie Rose

Prairie Rose is an LA-based cocktail and spirits blogger, events producer and gal about town. Her popular cocktail blog, Bit by a Fox, won Saveur Magazine's Readers' Choice Best Cocktail Blog 2014 just under a year after launching, and it’s been full speed ahead ever since! Prairie continues to explore the world of booze by discovering the hottest drinking trends at home and at the bar, visiting distilleries across the country and interviewing and collaborating with industry experts and influencers around the globe. Prairie and her blog Bit by a Fox have been featured on Design Sponge, The Couch Sessions, Foody Direct, My Minibar and others.
Nancy Trejos
Nancy Trejos is the travel and hotels reporter for... Read More
Nancy Trejos is the travel and hotels reporter for USA TODAY, where she writes about her favorite hobby: Traveling. She's been all over, from Chicago to Colombia, Nevada to Nairobi, Boston to Beirut. She's also covered education, Iraq, and personal finance.
Nancy Trejos

Nancy Trejos is the travel and hotels reporter for USA TODAY, where she writes about her favorite hobby: Traveling. She's been all over, from Chicago to Colombia, Nevada to Nairobi, Boston to Beirut. She's also covered education, Iraq, and personal finance.