TWA Hotel Reivew
TWA Hotel Reivew

Review: The TWA Hotel

Sam Chui·
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The Video

About The TWA Hotel

The TWA Hotel is a hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, United States, that opened on May 15th 2019. It utilises the head house of the TWA Flight Center airline terminal, designed in 1962 by the architect Eero Saarinen. The TWA Hotel project added two buildings (The Saarinen Wing and The Hughes Wing) on either sides of the existing TWA Flight Centre.

Map of The TWA Hotel

Map of TWA Hotel
Map of TheTWA Hotel (almost looks like a theme park)

Booking

I booked my 1 night stay on the TWA Hotel official website; the hotel does not sell on expedia or booking.com. The price is more expensive than any other of the airport hotels at JFK. I paid $249 + tax (nearly $290 include tax) for a runway view room. The TWA hotel is not affiliated with any hotel chain, so you do not earn any hotel points or receive any status recognition.

Check-In

The TWA hotel is located across from the Jetblue Terminal 5 at JFK, there is a red carpet walkway connecting you from the arrival floor of Terminal 5. Alternatively, you can also arrive by car straight to the front door.

a car parked in front of a building
The TWA Hotel at JFK Airport, New York
  • a white building with a curved roof and cars parked in front of it
  • a plane parked in a building

The check in area looks like an airport check-in area, even including a baggage belt behind the check in desk. It is a self check-in style on an iPad. Swipe your credit card and make your own TWA Hotel key and you're all set. You can also opt in for an upgrade, for example to a suite, during check-in ($30-$50 extra which is pretty reasonable)

The hotel website also sells various day rooms in 4, 6 and 12 hour blocks, you can check in as early as 07:00 and stay as late as 20:00.

  • a close up of buttons
  • a red carpet in a tunnel
  • people standing in a line of white rectangular objects

The Room

I got room 862 which is a runway facing king bed room in the Howard Hughes Wing. The room itself was a bit on the small side, but it had a full view of the apron between Terminal 4 and 5. The room had a very well stocked mini bar and lots of snacks (available for purchase).

a room with a bed and a television and a window with airplanes
Room 862 of TheTWA Hotel
  • a room with a bed and a television and a chair
    Runway view room at The TWA Hotel
  • a room with a bed and a red chair
    Runway view room at The TWA Hotel
  • a room with a bed and a television and a runway
    Runway view room at The TWA Hotel
  • a bedroom with a bed and a television and a window
    Runway view room at The TWA Hotel
  • a mini fridge with drinks inside
  • a sign with a map and text
  • a bathroom with a mirror and sink
  • a group of white bottles with red labels on a metal shelf
  • a magazine with a picture of a man in uniform

Afternoon is the busy hour at JFK, with most international flights arriving between 13:00 to 18:00. Here are some pictures taken from the room.

  • a group of airplanes parked on a runway
  • a large airplane on a runway
  • a white airplane on a runway
  • a large airplane on the runway
    View from TWA Hotel room 862

The Hotel

There is plenty to explore at the TWA Hotel. There are 2 historic flight display "flip" boards in the lobby, with models dressed in retro TWA uniforms. There are museum exhibitions of all the uniforms of TWA. In the middle of the lobby there is also The Sunken Lounge.

a man and woman standing in front of a sign
The TWA Hotel lobby
a woman standing in front of a sign
The TWA Hotel lobby
a group of people sitting in a circular area with red seats and tables
The Sunken Lounge, TWA Hotel
a black car parked in a parking lot
Entrance of The TWA Hotel
  • a group of people in TWA Flight Center
  • a large building with curved walls and stairs
  • people walking in an airport
  • a display of a red vehicle and a red jacket
  • a luggage cart with luggage on it
  • a display of mannequins with luggage
  • a display of clothes and luggage
  • a paper with a plane on it and a tag on it
  • a suitcase with clothes and gloves inside
  • a pay phone on a wall
  • a display of magazines and magazines on shelves
  • a row of shoes on a wall
  • a group of people sitting in a circular area with red seats and tables

There is a TWA gift store selling all kind of merchandise. I bought the red TWA T-shirt for $22.

  • a group of sweaters on swingers in a store
  • a white shoe with red text on it
  • a bag with a tag on it
  • a white and red robe and a red shirt on a mannequin
  • a red towel on a table
  • a group of pins in plastic wrap

The Pool and Observation Deck

The most popular spot at the TWA hotel is the roof top pool deck; it can be accessed from the Howard Hughes Wing by elevator to the R floor. The pool itself is very shallow, more like a dip pool, but the view is simply amazing!

The TWA Hotel website says guests who have a confirmed TWA Hotel room reservation can visit the pool from 07:00 to 23:00, weather permitting. Each registered TWA Hotel guest can visit the pool and observation deck area free of charge; each registered guest receives one free guest pass. There is a $25 fee (weekdays) and $50 fee (weekend) for non-hotel guests to use the pool/observation deck. When I was there, there was a security guard randomly checking guests at the door. You can buy the passes on the TWA Hotel website here.

a man lying on a lounge chair
The TWA Hotel pool and observation deck
  • a swimming pool with planes in the background
  • people standing on a pool
  • a group of people sitting in a pool at night
  • people sitting on lounge chairs near a pool
    The TWA Hotel pool and observation deck

From the pool and observation deck you have an elevated view over the JFK Airport apron and runway; the best runway configuration is 04/22 for viewing. Here are some pictures taken from the observation deck.

a man sitting on a chair in front of a glass railing
Spotting at The TWA Hotel
  • a large airplane on a runway
  • a large white airplane on a runway
  • a large airplane on a runway
  • a group of airplanes on a runway
  • a group of airplanes at an airport

The Connie

There is a restored Connie that has been moved 300 miles to its current location at the TWA Hotel. Inside is a cocktail lounge with retro chairs, there are also live ATC radio broadcasts from the cockpit. On the TWA Hotel website there is a brief history of this particular Connie.

a plane parked in front of a building
The Connie and The TWA Hotel
  • a plane parked in front of a building
  • a plane on the ground
  • a plane on the tarmac at night
  • a man sitting in a plane
    Inside The Connie Cocktail Lounge
a hand holding a menu

The 1962 designed historical TWA Flight Centre is a stunning sight in the evening, with the lobby lit up with lights.

a building with a curved roof
The TWA Historical Flight Centre Building at Night
a large circular area with red tables and chairs

Maintenance Issues

The hotel was just opened 2 months ago and it has quite a few maintenance issues. My rooms air conditioning failed in the late afternoon, the room became extremely warm and muggy. With no other choice, I was moved to a non-runway view suite in the Saarinen Wing.

a building with a glass roof
View from Saarinen Wing on the historic Flight Center

Dining Options

The TWA Hotel has a full restaurant, The Paris Cafe, and a couple of lounges (The Sunken Lounge, The Connie Cocktail Lounge and the pool bar)

The Paris Cafe is open from 08:00 until 22:00 daily, this isn't the most convenient of times for early or late flyers. The price on juice is also quite steep, starting with a glass of OJ for $8. My smoked salmon omelette tasted fine but the price was on the premium side.

  • a menu of a restaurant
  • a plate of food with a fork and knife
  • a restaurant with tables and chairs

There is also a food court which is open from 10:00 until 21:00. The Halal Guys and Empanada Republic are but some of the vendors found here; you can grab a quick bite here easily.

a row of silver counter tops
Food Hall at the TWA Hotel

The Howard Hughes Presidential Suite

During my stay, the hotel manager kindly showed me one of their best suites, over looking the runway The Howard Hughes Presidential Suite. This suite is currently selling for $749 per night.

a bedroom with a bed and chairs
The Howard Hughes Presidential Suite
  • a desk with a chair and a book on it
  • a room with a bed and chairs and a table
  • a room with a couch and chairs
  • a man sitting in a chair holding a book
    From the desk of The Howard Hughes Presidential Suite

The Verdict

The TWA Hotel is the ultimate airport hotel for the AvGeek. There are just so many displays to explore and so much history to appreciate. The Flight Centre building is one of the most unique ones in the world. The pool and Observation Deck were my favourite spots to hang out at. The rooms are small but very comfortable. The hotel does however have a few minus points, including inconsistent service and ongoing maintenance issues; the restaurant opening hours are also quite limited for such a large hotel. I hope over time the management can address these issues. The room rate is quite high but I think the whole experience more than justifies the high rate that they are commanding. I highly recommend a few hours or a night stop over at The TWA Hotel.

a sign with a flight schedule

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