Hotel Gansevoort, New York

New York’s not short of a good hotel pool or two. In the ELLE escapes collection the lobby pool at Room Mate Grace has got a sleek, clubby vibe while Soho House New York stands out for its celeb-spotting potential. Neither, though, can claim to be quite such a night-time (plus morning, afternoon and any other time...) hotspot for NYC’s beautiful people as the rooftop pool at Hotel Gansevoort.

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Hotel Urban, Madrid

Madrid gets hot in summer. Not ‘lie back and soak up the rays’ hot, but ‘scuttle for the shade or wither in the searing sun’ hot. So a hotel with a pool to cool off in after a sweaty day’s charging around isn’t just a nice to have, it’s a pre-requisite...

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Shoreditch Rooms, London

Shoreditch Rooms’ rooftop pool is London’s very own urban beach. On any given summer afternoon it tends to fill up with a mixture of weekend breakers and London media types taking a day off work to lounge around in the sun nursing a cocktail.

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Hotel Arts, Barcelona

Barcelona might not be quite as sweltering as Madrid, but come the height of summer you’ll still find yourself grateful to be staying at a hotel with a pool... If the wow-factor of the views from the rooftop pool at luxe-y skyscraper Hotel Arts begins to wear off, a quick zip down in the lift and a gentle saunter later and you’re right on the hot sands of the Barceloneta beach.

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Banyan Tree, Bangkok

Banyan Tree Bangkok’s sky deck pool is a long way up. 58 storeys up, in fact. After a quick dip, you can sashay over to the bar, get a drink and admire the views of Bangkok stretching away in the distance. Whether smouldering in the light of day or glinting in the gloom, they’re spectacular.

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Like our pick of hotels with rooftop pools? Check out our pick of the best hotels with infinity pools. Or for more glamorous city stays, check out ELLE escapes' full collection of places to stay.