ARRIVAL/CHECK-IN: For a trip to Curaçao planned for a milestone birthday, the best flight option was a direct one on JetBlue from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. I’ve flown out of JFK many times, but with the early morning flight time for this trip, I finally had a reason to overnight at the legendary TWA Hotel. Staying here is especially convenient for JetBlue travelers as the hotel connects to the JetBlue terminal. From check-out to the terminal was a mere five minutes.

TWA Hotel opened in 2019 in the former head house of the TWA Flight Center, as well as two flanking buildings. With 512 guestrooms, conference space, multiple dining options and an aviation history museum, this offers much more than your average hotel stay — with planes taking off and landing all around you. We arrived in the early evening, used the hotel’s valet and easily checked in before heading to our deluxe king with historic TWA view guestroom.

GUEST QUARTERS: While the guestrooms afford all one could want from a hotel stay and are especially enhanced when it comes to a traditional airport hotel, at TWA Hotel with its myriad offerings, the guestroom is not so much the star of the show. While not enormous, the rooms are functional. Upon entry a wall of built-ins to the right offered storage, set across from the bathroom with a large shower.

Into the room, the king-sized bed faced the wall of windows overlooking the hotel, airport and runways. Different views are available — but, don’t worry, all guestrooms don’t admit any outside airport noise. A TV mounted from the ceiling in a corner by the windows could be moved around for the best viewing angle. A small bedside table sat on each side of the bed, and behind the bed and running its length was an attached table/desk. Nostalgic touches such as vintage photos and newspapers were located around the room for a bit of fun.

© TWA Hotel

SERVICES/AMENITIES: Here is where TWA Hotel shines. There’s so much to do and see, an overnight stay wasn’t nearly long enough, but we tried. The hotel is LEED Gold Certified; the only on-airport, AirTrain-accessible hotel at JFK; and connected to Terminal 5 via flight tubes designed by Eero Saarinen, the architect behind the original 1962 TWA Flight Center at JFK.

What else awaits? There’s a rooftop infinity pool and observation deck with a bar serving food and drinks; four other food and beverage options including Paris Café by Jean-Georges, The Sunken Lounge, Connie Cocktail Lounge (in a former airplane) and the Food Hall, offering a number of different quick-service eateries such as Mister Softee and Feltman’s of Coney Island; meeting and event space; and the world’s biggest hotel gym, at 10,000 square feet.

Vintage and nostalgic touches start immediately upon entry, where the lobby greets you with the old-fashioned arrivals and departures board. The photo ops abound here. Take time to peruse The New York Historical Society-curated exhibits on TWA’s history, located in various spots around the hotel. All exhibits are free of charge and open to the public. Take home keepsakes from The TWA Shop.

TOP TAKEAWAYS:

• This blast-from-the-past hotel is a must stay for aviation buffs.The nostalgia and history make for a fun experience that is truly one-of-a-kind.
• Have a drink in Connie, a 60-year-old airplane serving vintage cocktails and snacks, along with cockpit access.
• The hotel’s valets went out of their way to assist us with parking, alerting us to a booking code and special offer to park on site for the duration of our trip. The entire cost of parking ended up being only half the cost of airport garage parking!

TWA HOTEL
John F. Kennedy International Airport
1 Idlewild Drive
Queens, NY 11430
tel 212 806 9000