#3 in Top 20 Rooftop Pool Hotels · ★★★★★
The Joule
Eight feet of glass-fronted swimming pool cantilevered over Main Street. The city below knows you are up there.
Eight feet of glass-fronted swimming pool cantilevered over Main Street. The city below knows you are up there.
"Eight feet of glass-fronted swimming pool cantilevered over Main Street. The city below knows you are up there."
The Joule's rooftop pool is one of the few cantilevered hotel pools in the world. Eight feet of the steel-framed glass pool box extend horizontally beyond the building face on the 10th floor of the original 1927 Dallas National Bank Building, with the pool floor and the building edge meeting in a single transparent line. The pool was designed by Adam Tihany during the hotel's 2008 redevelopment by owner Tim Headington and architect Frédéric Schwartz.
The pool is approximately 12 metres long with the cantilever extending 2.4 metres beyond the building line. The structural achievement is the glass front: a 4-inch thick acrylic window holds the water laterally, giving swimmers a direct view of Main Street ten floors below. The water is heated year-round.
The deck has banquettes, a small bar, cabanas, and the adjacent CBD restaurant for poolside dining. The Joule is one of the few cantilevered rooftop pools that consistently sells day passes; through ResortPass, the rate is from $50 per person Sunday through Thursday.
The Joule's view is unusual: the cantilever orients the swim downward rather than outward. Looking through the glass front, swimmers see Main Street directly below, the trolley line, pedestrians, the rest of the downtown Dallas grid stretching out from the building base.
The Joule is one of the rare cases where the day pass is the right purchase for travelers who are not staying overnight. The pool deck access, the cantilever experience, and the surrounding restaurant and bar are all available on the day pass. The overnight stay adds the room (which is well-appointed but not the reason to come) and access to the basement spa.
Studio Suite, 6th floor or above; the room category is high enough to give the city view from the room itself and avoids the lower-floor noise from Main Street.
Book the cantilever-edge banquette for sunset; the western light hits the glass front and the cantilever effect is at its most dramatic. Eat dinner at Midnight Rambler on the lobby level rather than at the rooftop restaurant.
The Joule ranks #3 on our Top 20 Rooftop Pool Hotels list. It is one of the leading Dallas city hotels by editorial recognition and a member of Marriott's Luxury Collection.
Last updated May 9, 2026