Yes for the design and the rooftop view, yes if you want a Brooklyn base inside walking distance of the Wythe, the Hoxton, and most of the East Williamsburg restaurant scene. Less yes if you want a fully settled service operation, the EOS transition is still visible.
The pool deck on the roof, one floor below the water tower, almost never has a queue. Most guests forget it exists and head straight up the spiral stair to the bar. Take a book, claim a lounger by 11am on a Saturday, and you have the best rooftop sun in Williamsburg to yourself.
Michaelis Boyd designed Babington House, Soho House Berlin, and most of the Soho House group's flagship interiors. At The Williamsburg Hotel they did the same trick: warm wood, exposed brick, brass detailing, deep colour, and a rooftop pavilion that nods to Oscar Niemeyer. The rebrand has not touched the rooms or the public spaces.
The original wooden water tower on the roof was gutted and rebuilt as a 45-seat glass-walled cocktail bar with floor-to-ceiling Manhattan skyline views. It is one of the most distinctive bars in Brooklyn, painted by ThankYouX, and turns into a small nightclub after midnight. It also closes regularly without notice, which is the most consistent guest complaint.
EOS Hospitality bought the property in 2023 for $177 million out of a Chapter 11 process, the fourth-largest New York hotel transaction of the year. The Arlo rebrand landed in 2024, which means the operation is still being tuned and there is real upside in service consistency over the next year. Early adopters get the post-fix room product at pre-fix prices.
147 rooms in former Williamsburg Hotel since 2017. Michaelis Boyd design (Babington House, Soho House Berlin). EOS-acquired 2023, rebranded Arlo 2024. Water tower bar closes more often than website suggests.
No published Instagram signal but 141K followers. The audience is rebrand-curious Williamsburg travellers and skyline-rooftop-priority Brooklyn-base seekers. Less Solomonov-Hoxton than Michaelis-Boyd-design demographic.
147 rooms: king Studio south side with skyline view delivers Michaelis Boyd interiors and original window seat. Rooftop tower closures vary; book lobby bar as backup.
At $$$ in Williamsburg, Arlo competes with Hoxton ($$$$ Solomonov) and Wythe ($$$$ Adjmi). Wins on Michaelis Boyd pedigree at $$$ rate, not on settled service or Le Crocodile restaurant.
Arlo Williamsburg used to be The Williamsburg Hotel. It opened in 2017 at 96 Wythe Avenue, designed by London firm Michaelis Boyd, the same studio behind Babington House and Soho House Berlin, with a rooftop water tower bar that became one of the most photographed spots in Brooklyn. The hotel went into bankruptcy and was acquired by EOS Hospitality in 2023 for $177 million, the fourth-largest NYC hotel transaction that year.
EOS rebranded it as Arlo Williamsburg in 2024 and the rebrand is recent enough that half the reviews still call it the Williamsburg Hotel. The 147 rooms remain Michaelis Boyd's original spec, the water tower bar still sits on the roof with unobstructed Manhattan skyline views, and Wythe Hotel is a four minute walk down the street. With 141k Instagram followers against 147 keys, weekend rates run hard.
Late April–early May beats Met Gala. First two weeks of September beat UNGA. Anything Sep–Dec needs 60–90 days of lead time.
Signal stable — composite holding within ±2 points over 17 days (currently 50). No single dimension moved more than the rest.
File closes at HIGH. Book ahead three to four weeks for September through December weekend peaks. Skip if the rooftop scene puts you off; the elevator sunset crowd defines this property.