Flights are usually part of a larger trip, but in some cases, aviation is the primary destination. Think of empty aviation museums, aircraft factories, etc. The category includes some great hotels, which are the main Avgeek attractions in their own right. We’ve written some articles about it Hotel H in Lax and Excel Hotel in Haneda, Tokyo. But maybe the biggest name in the game is TWA Hotel at New York Kennedy International Airport.
We wrote about TWA Hotel in a pair of stories in 2019 – One about the hotel itselfand A About TWA Silver Wing Reunion It was held there. During that visit, we exploded but didn’t actually spend the night in the hotel. There is a reward for overwork on our to-do list and we have had a chance recently.
Join us and wear a hotel-style hat and explore everything this one-of-a-kind terminal has to offer. We will guide you through highlights including Eero Saarinen’s architectural masterpiece, exhibiting the Golden Age of TWA, a rooftop pool with runway views, and a real Lockheed constellation on board.
Keep reading and determine if this place has won a place on your personal to-do list.
The TWA Hotel is the only major hotel in the core of the airport, bringing it considerable convenience advantages.
Conceptually and design, the heart of the hotel is Eero Saarinen’s iconic TWA terminal, which opened in 1962. There are models of the entire dock in the hall.
The boarding area has been replaced by JetBlue’s new terminal 5, but the iconic headhouse is protected by a landmark status. It was abandoned for many years until the hotel took over it. The room is located in two modern structures next to the original terminal.
The hotel check-in counter is exactly where you expect: the terminal check-in counter.
You’re just a few steps into the soaring heart of the terminal building. The area has some seating, shops and a small bar. The “sinking lounge” looks at the formerly major ramp. This area is now occupied by the JetBlue terminal. You will notice a plane still standing outside the main window – we will go to her later.
The hotel has done an incredible job celebrating its historical heritage. The lobby contains an authentic Solari split display.
There are exhibits of TWA souvenirs throughout the central building.
There are plenty to celebrate the culture and design of the 60s, such as the old-fashioned hair salon, and even a twisted room.
Wandering in the distant part of the hotel, we found an exhibition dedicated to the decoration of the 1960s.
At the end of one of the sidewalks leading to the hotel room neighborhood, there is an in-depth exhibition about Eero Saarinen and the design process of the terminal.
Saarinen also exhibited some design drawings around the hotel.
In a separate area, there is an exhibition about airline tycoon Howard Hughes.
If you stay here, save enough time to wander around the building and enjoy all the exhibitions. With historical content alone, any aviation history enthusiast will have a crowded afternoon.
Room with view
We were delighted to see our runway view room, so we headed to a red debris passageway that connects the head of the bed to the gate area.
We walked into our room and walked straight to the window.
In the prospect, you can enjoy a variety of long-distance operators operating in Terminal 4 of Kennedy International Terminal.
The 4/22 runway is visible in the background, so there are plenty of opportunities to capture takeoff and landing.
We love the period decor, including some vintage TWA posters and 60s magazine replicas.
We spent a while giving the ramp a more perspective. Check out some highlights in the video below, if you like this, don’t forget to show some love to our YouTube channel!
Next, we head to the rooftop floor to enjoy a star attractions at the hotel.
Infinity pool plane
What’s better than being sent from a comfortable hotel bed? How about enjoying the close-up ramp and runway views from the pool?
The hotel’s rooftops are infinitely poor and have stunning views of the ramps. As you would expect, the time here is a popular item, so hotels need to book during peak hours. If you want one of a poolside lounge chairs, you should go to a row before booking begins.
There is a bar and there is a full kitchen in case you are hungry while swimming and/or Planning.
Even the more casual non-Avik visitors love to enjoy the views of Kennedy’s bustling ramps and runway activities.
From the pool you can see the ramps around Terminal 4 and the terminal 5 of JetBlue.
We flew by two hours on the roof. On the rooftop, we found the next stop on the TWA tour: Connie, an authentic L-1649A Lockheed constellation.
Cocktail with Connie
One of our favorite parts of the TWA Hotel story is how it brings Connie into its premise. The passage that takes you from the lobby to Connie outlines her story.
The hotel’s website has an entire page Connie’s History,,,,, Her recoveryWith her Journey to New Yorkwhich includes a trip through Times Square. Recovering her and moving to the hotel was obviously a labor of love.
The Connie on board has a wide variety of seats, including a section with seats for the old-fashioned airline.
As respect for Connie’s history, her cockpit was left. You can take a look, but to save, you cannot enter.
What drinks did we drink on Connie? Of course, paper airplanes! They have a list of aviation-themed carriers and some snacks.
end one way
We ended the day at dinner at Paris Cafe, which is part of the Jean-Georges family.
Our server recommends crispy salmon sushi as a fan favorite. You pay for airport food here, but at least the quality is more important than the Airside Terminal Cafe compared to a real restaurant.
After such a long day, we thought we would fall asleep immediately. But the wind changed, causing the runway in front of our room (22R) to start for takeoff, so we did more strategies before calling it in the day.
Is TWA Hotel worth your time?
We won’t call this story a standard hotel review because anything other than Avgeek’s appeal is rated anywhere outside our area of expertise. To be sure, there are some polarizing ideas about this place on the wider internet.
Our main goal is to view TWA Hotels as a destination for aviation enthusiasts. In this regard, it has received good reviews from us. The view alone is enough to justify the accommodation and keep you on for hours.
The hotel clearly sees the heritage of the respected TWA and the long history of the Pier Building as its mission. It’s really half the hotel and half the museum. As the best evidence of a commitment to TWA’s legacy, simply study its efforts to acquire Connie and make her part of the visitor experience.
We spent the whole night here and were entertaining all the time.
Any of you consider accommodation. Food options are quite limited – the hall has a main restaurant and a small counter-sales point, but the food hall has lost most of its suppliers.
You may be worried that the noise from the plane will be messy with sleep, but the room is soundproofed very well. The hotel is friendly, despite the substantial pet fees.
Regarding the topic of fees, it is undeniable that this is an expensive hotel. Book in advance, the basic room is $300 per night, and the runway view room is close to $500. There are also ups, including time in the rooftop pool. We can understand why this place may be beyond the price range for some potential visitors. Many online reviews commented that at the price, the room is small and is simply a decoration.
This is a fair criticism, but there are a few things to keep in mind. New York City is usually an expensive city, and this hotel costs comparable to what you’ll spend in other central tourist areas of the city. In addition, it is very expensive to operate any business on the ground of the airport. Most importantly, factor, if you stay here, you are not only paying for the room. You will pay a lot for the hotel’s investment in Connie, The Pool, the history, and the restoration of long-destroyed terminals. The value proposition feels better when it comes to using it as a comprehensive Avgeek experience rather than just a hotel room.
As for how to plan to visit here:
- This hotel is a simple add-on to any trip to New York City, especially at the beginning or end of the trip, where you can fly through Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
- My wife and I traveled independently from our Brooklyn home and loved it and loved it. Tri-State Region Avgeeks can travel on weekends like we did.
- Even if it’s not night, aviation history enthusiasts through Kennedy International Airport can swing to explore the dock building and drink at Connie. Non-fronts can book time on the rooftop pool, although this method is more expensive than hotel guests.
- Since the pool is a major attraction, you might think summer is the best time to visit. But in winter, the hotel raises the pool to 95 degrees, so you can still enjoy the space when it’s cool.
As for the future of the hotel in the store, the idea of ending our 2019 story remains true:
“Just like the great time I spent at the TWA hotel, the road ahead was not easy. It spans hotels in competitive markets, as well as tourist attractions targeting Avgeeks, which is an amazing niche. Can it do well enough in any area to operate sustainably? I love my visit so much that I hope the answer is yes. But it depends on enough people (Avgeeks and others) who feel the experience is worth visiting.“
Well, this place still stands for nearly five years after we wrote the first story. Now that we’ve been overnight, we can say that for aviation history lovers and flight lovers, the TWA hotel is definitely worth your consideration.
If any of you stay here and have ideas, we would love to hear them in the comments section below!
Note: We booked this accommodation with discounted media rates, the hotel transferred us to the runway view room and provided some rooftop pool time for this story. The opinions here are our own.
