After spending years as that amazing abandoned building I strained to see from Terminal 5 every time I flew jetBlue from JFK, this past weekend the airport’s Saarinen-designed former TWA Terminal became the site of my only-ever staycation in New York City. It’s a holdover from when this huge swath of land was still called Idlewild Airport, but it’s now the TWA Hotel, which mostly does justice to the spectacular piece of architecture that contains it. Two friends and myself had a blast entering the the TWA world circa 1960-something for a evening.
Like most guests we came across on the hotel’s fourth night in business, we live in New York City, but I can easily imagine visitors choosing a night at the hotel either during a long layover/canceled flight or as a final night on a trip to the City. Either way, my advice would be to lose the track pants you typically wear to the airport and dress for the occasion. You won’t be the only one to have done so.
Keep in mind that as traditional hotel rooms, those here are kind of a joke—they’re tiny, with no closet or other storage space for suitcases, and in our two-bed room, the beds were full size, not queen. The design details are well done, but it’s obvious the developers built these rooms with one-night stays in mind. That said, it’s fun to spend some time watching the planes come and go through the completely soundproof windows.
The hotel has quite a few kinks still to work out—missing toiletries, batteries missing from the TV remote—but was also generous in compensating for its current shortcomings. We got a comped bill at the Sunken Lounge thanks to a canceled reservation at the unopened pool bar, and a discount on our bill for the late check-in, for example. It’s too early for a full review of the hotel, in other words. Even as is, though, my night there was a delight. See below for the photographic evidence…
*A note on getting there: Because none of the TWA Hotel coverage so far includes the very useful information of how to actually get to the place, here are those details: You can take the subway to JFK’s AirTrain, get off at the Terminal 5 stop, then take a fairly lengthy walk through jetBlue’s arrivals and departures areas until you find a small elevator to the side of baggage claim that is clearly marked with the TWA Hotel logo. If you’re driving, you have two options: valet, which costs $20 for one hour, $30 for two hours, or $48 per day; or you can park in the yellow short-term parking lot just next to Terminal 5. Note that this area remains under construction and for the moment getting from the lot to the hotel can be a challenge.
