I’d been wanting to stay at the TWA Hotel since 2019, when it opened to a blitz of media and fanfare, even promoted by one publication as a portal to “the glamorous world of vintage travel.”
But why would I stay there? We live in Manhattan and the prospect of schlepping all the way to JFK held no appeal, especially when both Matt and I spent far too many hours (in the pre-COVID days) riding the subway out of necessity to get to work.
Part of the appeal of staying in a hotel had always been the chance to get away from my usual surroundings. Why spend money on an expensive New York hotel when I have a perfectly good expensive New York apartment I can sink money into?
But somehow, this ongoing health crisis that seems to never end has normalized the idea of exploring my own back yard. And recently, a friend of mine stayed at the TWA Hotel and loved it and based on her description, it sounded like the perfect gift for Matt’s upcoming birthday. We visited in early September but, with its year-round heated rooftop pool, this would also make an amazing winter getaway.
Also, I like themed hotels! I love the creativity and care that goes into them and I enjoy seeing how different they can be. At The Roxbury, for example, a love of classic television is evident in the themed guest rooms, while The Old Game Farm Inn preserves its history as a Catskill zoo, utilizing its 200-acre property filled with abandoned buildings to set the tone.
The TWA Hotel has also repurposed their original property, preserving the terminal conceived of by Eero Saarinen, the architect who also designed the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
At the TWA Hotel, yes the overarching theme—via the décor—is the 1960s, the decade when the flight center was originally built, but the real theme is nostalgia—nostalgia for the golden age of airline travel, when transatlantic flights were still a novelty, in-flight food was something to look forward to, and passengers dressed in their Sunday best.
We stayed for one night and had a really fabulous time and despite a few minor complaints (mentioned at the end) I would highly recommend the TWA Hotel for an NYC staycation. If you’re visiting New York from out of town with the sole intention of being a tourist, I do not recommend staying at the TWA Hotel because it is too far from the major sites in New York City.
Read on for background information and more on our experience.
TWA Hotel: Throwback to the Sixties
The Saarinen-designed TWA Flight Center opened in 1962 as the hub for TWA (Trans World Airlines). The aesthetic was modern mid-century, all glossy white structures offset by eye-popping Chili Pepper Red carpets, which are underfoot in much of 50,000 square-foot space.
The airline was founded in 1930 with its debut route carrying passengers from New York to Los Angeles. Howard Hughes, the reclusive and wealthy business magnate who was portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Aviator,” took over TWA in 1939. When World War II ended, the airline expanded to international routes.
Fun Fact: The TWA Terminal was featured in “Catch Me If You Can,” another film starring Leo D.
In 2001, the airline was acquired by American Airlines and the TWA Flight Center shut down.
It sat unused until 2019 and is perfect for anyone who loves mid-century architecture and the sometimes-conservative, sometimes-wild fashion and décor of the 1960s.
A Quiet Guest Room with Runway Views
From the main part of the hotel, two separate flight tubes lead to two different wings of hotel rooms. The rooms with runway views are located in the Hughes Wing, while rooms with TWA terminal views are in the Saarinen wing.
Since this was a birthday gift, I wanted to splurge and get the full experience of the TWA Hotel, so I booked a Deluxe King with Runway View. This was one of the more expensive—although far from the most expensive—options and I thought having a room on the runway was completely worth the extra cost.
This is the type of hotel room where you may want to actually plan to spend some time in. Our bed faced a floor-to-ceiling soundproof window which looked directly out onto the runway and we spent several contented hours watching the endless movement on the tarmac.
When I booked the room, it didn’t occur to me how fascinating it would be to witness the constant hive of activity involved in keeping an airport moving. We watched planes taking off and landing, often at the same time. We watched them taxi to their gates after landing, some of them driving straight toward our room, mammoth mechanical tubes heading directly for us until veering off to connect with a jetway so passengers could deplane.
We watched an ambulance and police car pull up directly below us, emergency lights flashing, to a just-landed Emirates Airbus A380—the largest passenger airliner in the world—and spent a solid 45 minutes speculating what the emergency could be and then discussing what a flight on such a luxury airliner would be like.
In addition to the numerous aircraft and vehicles, employees wearing orange vests were constantly in motion, loading and unloading luggage, guiding planes to the jetway, and generally milling about taking care of a million odds and ends.
When we returned to our room after dinner, the tarmac lights had come on and we watched the show all over again in the dark.
The TWA Hotel guest rooms with runway views have windows made of soundproof glass (the second thickest in the world, according to the website), so other than an occasional horn honking or siren blaring from the vehicles passing by just outside, our room was totally silent.
It was also sparkling clean and included a mini fridge (unstocked but cold), a hairdryer, and an old-fashioned rotary phone offering unlimited local and international calls.
Room Rates vary based on type of room and day of booking. We stayed over on a Sunday. The current cost of a Deluxe King with Runway View on an upcoming Sunday is $329 per night, plus taxes and fees. Without a view, a Deluxe King is currently $229 per night, plus taxes and fees. Again, it’s totally worth the extra cost if this is a staycation and you can splurge a little!
Panoramic Views from the Rooftop Pool
If being immersed in the warm waters of an infinity pool located on the roof of an eight-story building in the middle of an airport—perhaps with a specialty cocktail in hand—sounds pretty nice, then I highly recommend spending as much time as possible in the TWA Hotel’s pool-cuzzi, heated to a delicious warmth of 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
The rooftop view was very much the same as the view from our room. It was just a little higher up and because it was outside, provided a full 360-degree view of JFK airport.
Please note that being outside means there are no barriers between you and the noise of the aircraft or smell of their fuel, which is obvious at first but eventually fades into the background.
Matt and I loved the TWA Hotel Pool. We spent our entire reserved session in the pool, peering over the edge and watching the never-ending shuffle of planes on the tarmac, or watching the sky in the distance until planes appeared on the horizon as if out of nowhere.
The pool and patio area were very clean. The water temperature was high enough that it kept us warm on a windy day that remained in the low 70s. It also did not have the overheating quality of a jacuzzi, so we were able to stay immersed for the whole of our reserved session without feeling overwhelmed by the heat.
Rooftop Pool Hours and Prices
- Pool Reservations are FREE for TWA Hotel guests.
- 7:00 – 10:30 a.m. – No reservations required. Open to hotel guests free of charge. Capacity limits may apply.
- 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. – Reservations are recommended and can be made in 1-hour-45-minute increments. The pool staff is strict about the timing because they need to clean the area before the next cohort arrives. They will come around and give everyone a 10-minute warning to get out of the pool and exit the rooftop.
- Cost of pool reservations for non hotel guests – Monday – Thursday: $25 for adults; $20 for children (age 5-12). Friday – Sunday: $50 for adults; $20 for children (age 5-12). Children under 4 are free.
Useful Tips for Visiting the Rooftop Pool
- The pool is open to registered guests only.
- Towels are available for pool guests.
- There are two bathrooms but no showers or changing rooms.
- Food and beverages can be ordered from the Pool Bar Menu from 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
- In our experience, the morning session was quite a bit more crowded, with a lot more small children, compared to our afternoon reserved session the previous day. We arrived at 8:00 a.m. for the morning session and it was already busy.
- Lounge chairs are available but very limited. I recommend arriving a few minutes before your reserved session if you really want one, however, table and chairs are also available. Matt and I spent all of our time in the pool so we only needed a couple of chairs to throw our belongings on.
Where to Eat and Drink: TWA Hotel Restaurants
Food and drinks are available throughout the hotel property. There is no room service. Check the TWA Hotel website for menus and operating hours.
Paris Café by Jean-Georges
Historic TWA in-flight menus were the inspiration for the meals served at this stylish restaurant, which sits in the same space as the original Paris Café and Lisbon Lounge. This is the nicest place in the hotel for a sit-down meal. Reservations are recommended but walk-ins are accepted.
We had a positive experience with both our meals and the service, with one disappointment. We arrived with a reservation that I had booked months before, only to be told that the only table for two available sat nearly on top of an air conditioning vent and was, according to the host, freezing cold. We opted to sit at the bar, which was fine but definitely not our first choice.
The Sunken Lounge
With its retro red and white décor and original split-flap message board making that comforting ticking noise, the Sunken Lounge probably sends out the strongest TWA- era vibes.
The Sunken Lounge is great for people-watching. This is where hotel guests and layover passengers who have wandered over from the JFK terminal collide. There’s plenty of comfortable seats to choose from and gaze meditatively out the wall of windows, watching the skaters roll around the rink at Roll-A-Rama.
The Sunken Lounge menu is the same as the Pool Bar menu and includes casual fare like chicken tenders, salads, and sandwiches. Specialty cocktails are available from the bar.
This is also where the Toast to Tab is supposed to take place every evening at 7:00 p.m. but, despite prolific advertising throughout the lounge and on the website, they have in fact run out of Tab and may or not obtain more.
Connie Cocktail Lounge
Do you see that adorable aircraft sitting on the tarmac next to Roll-A-Rama? That’s a 1958 Lockheed Constellation “Connie” airplane that’s been restored to its original condition and now serves as a novelty cocktail lounge that serves specialty drinks with spot-on names like Vodka is My Co-Pilot and Whiskey Charlie.
Guests can sip drinks while sitting in period airplane seats (they were no more comfortable back then) or on chic red sofas that face the Mario Zamparelli murals on the walls that harken back to the cabin’s original era.
The cockpit is also open to anyone who wants to check out Connie’s original navigation system while sitting in the actual pilot’s seat. There are also a few small tables outside Connie, under her wing, which makes for pleasant place (in warm weather) for a cocktail or morning cup of coffee.
Food Hall
If you haven’t found what you’re looking for at the other TWA Hotel restaurants, check out the Food Hall, located across from the guest check-in area. The Food Hall consists of a few different, small kiosks that serve items like breakfast bagels, hot dogs, paninis, and crepes. Mister Softee is also on-site to satisfy your soft-serve ice cream cravings.
Intelligentsia Coffee also has a coffee kiosk in the lobby for your morning fix.
TIP: In Terminal 5, which can be reached via the Saarinen Wing flight tube, there is a Dunkin Donuts, as well as a small store selling convenience items. It’s just a couple minutes’ walk from the TWA Hotel lobby.
More to do: Fun, Fitness, and Nostalgia at the TWA Hotel
We laced up our rented skates and did a handful of laps around Roll-A-Rama, the outdoor roller-skating rink located on the tarmac next to Connie and though it was fun while it lasted, I don’t think either of us would want to do it again.
There was a tiled plastic floor-mat type thing laid over the concrete, which made for uneven flooring, so I felt on the verge of tripping most of the time. On the other hand, the prospect of wiping out onto a plastic floor is less daunting than imagining all the harm that concrete could do to a falling body. The best/worst part of Roll-A-Rama is knowing that the skating rink is fully on view for anyone sitting inside at the Sunken Lounge.
Roll-A-Rama entrance fee: $20 for a 50-minute skating session.
Scattered throughout the hotel are free exhibits curated by the New-York Historical Society that feature TWA memorabilia including flight attendant uniforms, actual automobiles, the desk of a former TWA president Jack Frye, vintage luggage, destination posters, and even an entire living room recreated to evoke the early 1960s.
The hotel also has a fitness center featuring Peloton bicycles, a gift shop, plus a few other venues that remain closed due to COVID-19, such as the Phaidon + Herman Miller Reading Room.
In addition to the décor, unless you’re in your room, there’s no escaping the 1960s-era music that’s piped in throughout the hotel, contributing even more to the throwback ambience.
Daytripper Reservations Available
Rooms can be booked for 4-12 hours, perfect for passengers with a long layover at JFK, or anyone who wants to check out the hotel without staying overnight.
How to Get to the TWA Hotel
Address: One Idewild Drive
Travel here the same way you would get to JFK Airport:
- Subway: Take the A train toward Far Rockaway to Howard Beach/JFK Airport. Then take the AirTrain to Terminal 5.
- LIRR: Take Long Island Rail to Jamaica. Then take the AirTrain to Terminal 5.
- By car: Once you enter the airport, follow signs to TWA Hotel and Terminal 5.
- By air: Flying in to JFK? Take the AirTrain to Terminal 5 (JetBlue) and follow signs to the TWA Hotel.
TWA Hotel Parking
Valet parking available at the hotel. Overnight parking cost is $40. Reservation recommended but not required.
A Few Complaints
Remember: at the TWA Hotel, you’re not only in New York City, you are also at a themed hotel inside an airport. That means you’ll pay above average prices for everything. Cocktails at the pool and in the lounges were around $15 but jumped up to $18-$20 at the Paris Café (I thought charging $18-$23 for a glass of forgettable red wine at the Paris Café seemed especially egregious).
Same with the food—prices were mostly to be expected. I had a perfectly good Chicken Caesar Wrap for $17 (fries included). Matt’s Slider Trio was also tasty but at $21 (fries not included), the presentation—which was three small sliders squished into a plastic container—left something to be desired.
And while paying $9.00 for two small coffees at Intelligentsia Coffee feels about right for airport prices, it still hurt a little, especially when we wanted second cups.
Finally, like many places in the service industry as of late, the TWA Hotel seems to be a bit understaffed. This was apparent when we attempted to get breakfast in the Food Hall but could not seem to get waited on. There were only two busy employees and with a line of growing customers, it didn’t look like we’d get food anytime soon.
We decided to leave and eat elsewhere but if we’d had no other options, we could have walked to Dunkin Donuts, located just through the passageway to the airport terminal.
Final Thoughts
Despite my complaints above, we loved our NYC staycation at the TWA Hotel. The airport scenery was a welcome change and even tricked my brain a little into thinking I was farther from home, so I did get that sense of “getting away” after all.
Also, watching the constant movement on the runway, both from our room and from the pool, proved to be a meditative act and was, in that way, very relaxing.
What more could you want from a staycation than to come out the other side feeling a little more revitalized than when you when in?!
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