Rooftop swimming pool opening this summer in Asheville: How to get passes
ASHEVILLE - Lay back, relax and take a splash in a newly renovated outdoor swimming pool with landscape views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
In early July, Splash! Rooftop Pool and Lounge at Aloft Asheville Downtown and the soon-to-open Moxy Asheville hotels will reopen for the season after extensive renovations with a new look and improved amenities.
The swimming pool is slated to reopen ahead of Moxy Asheville, which is projected to have its grand opening in mid-August.
Dexter Hazel, dual general manager for Aloft and Moxy, said Moxy is a new concept from Marriott with 36 properties in the U.S.
“It will be the first Moxy hotel in Asheville and the first dual hotel in Asheville,” Hazel said. “We’re going to have to introduce this brand to the travelers in Asheville because no one knows what a Moxy is.”
Aloft and Moxy, properties of Marriott, are connected sister hotels at 51 Biltmore Ave. and 61 Biltmore Ave., respectively.
Splash will be accessible to both hotels’ overnight guests, and the public is welcome to visit using a day or season pass.
Aloft’s renovations and Moxy’s grand opening
In August 2012, Aloft opened and is undergoing several upgrades to the facility including the pool area.
Aloft’s WXYZ Bar on the second floor has an outdoor ledge overlooking Biltmore Avenue. Hazel said the balcony lounge area is being remodeled with a new tile floor and plant décor.
WXYZ Bar has remained open with hours from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The ledge will tentatively reopen in early July.
Also, Aloft offers a lobby-side café called Re:fuel, a breakfast bar and pantry serving Starbucks coffees and self-service gourmet food open from 6:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. daily.
The Re:charge fitness center, between Aloft and Moxy on the same floor, is being remodeled and open to the hotels’ guests.
The Moxy brand is designed with a contemporary concept unique from Aloft that includes check-in and check-out services that will occur at the bar. Guests will receive their room key and a cocktail or mocktail upon check-in. The “smart bedrooms” are compact at about 185 square feet with modern furniture, walk-in showers, LED guidelights and other features to maximize the space.
“Moxy is all about fun, playfulness; we want all of our guests to enjoy the public spaces,” Hazel said. “The rooms are designed to get you out of the room.”
Wildwood Still, an American-Japanese fusion restaurant on Moxy’s rooftop, will overlook the pool and out to the city and mountains. It’s intended to open with the Moxy in mid-August.
Hazel said the floor-to-ceiling windows are NanoSteel doors that will fully open the restaurant to offer unobstructed mountain views.
Aloft and Moxy are constructed with 115 guest rooms each. Both properties' prices begin in the mid-$200s for midweek and mid-$300s on weekends.
Reservations for Moxy will open on Sept. 29. The “New Kid on the Block” grand opening offer provides a 20% discount for a two-night stay, available on Moxy’s website.
Aloft and Moxy hotels are dog-friendly.
Aloft’s dog adoption program, in partnership with Charlie’s Angels Animal Rescue, invites hotel guests and the public to meet and apply to adopt the featured pup at the check-in desk.
Splash! Rooftop Pool and Lounge
Splash! Rooftop Pool and Lounge, which has been under renovation since January, has a regular operations season from May to October.
Once Splash reopens in July, guests may access a full bar, lounge seating with umbrella covering, a firepit, rentable cabanas and a gated 4-foot deep swimming pool.
“We’re the only rooftop pool in downtown,” said Hazel, adding that Splash! will be one of two outdoor commercial pools downtown.
He said the expanded gated area surrounding the pool will allow nearly 60 people ― an increase from about 40. The rooftop will have a max capacity of 260 people.
Five cabanas will be available for rent through Aloft’s website, starting at $100 for half-day and $250 for full-day use.
Overnight guests may request to book one of the seven cabana rooms ― hotel rooms that open to a private, attached cabana.
The bar, open 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, will offer a menu of draft cocktails, local craft beer, a full spirits list and more. The small bites dining menu will feature salads, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, wings, flatbreads and tacos.
Splash’s special events will be designated for adults ages 21 and up including deejayed pool parties twice a month, live music, hair braiding and jewelry making, tarot and oracle card readings, yoga sessions, fitness classes and beer and spirits tastings with local partners.
Hazel said the pool-adjacent firepit becomes a communal space for hotel guests.
The living garden ― a pollinator garden of wildflowers and plants managed by a third-party organization ― lines the rooftop deck and adds to the scenic view.
How to visit Splash! Rooftop Pool and Lounge
Splash! Hours will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. for hotel guests and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for the public.
The pool will be family-friendly, except for the adult-only pool party events.
Access to the pool area is included with hotel guests’ stay.
A day pass for the public costs $20 per person and includes two passes for children ages six and under.
A season pass costs $300 plus tax per person and includes three friend passes, three drink tickets and access to all 21 and up seasonal parties. Quantity is limited.
To purchase passes, visit Aloft’s second-floor front desk which is open 24 hours. Purchasers must be 21 or older with a valid ID.
Splash! Rooftop Pool and Lounge
Where: 51 Biltmore Ave., Aloft Asheville Downtown.
Info: For more, visit marriott.com and moxy-hotels.marriott.com.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Rooftop swimming pool, bar opening with Blue Ridge Mountains views
