TWA Hotel at New York’s JFK airport is a blast from the past

The long hallways that once led to TWA flights at JFK airport in New York now lead from the JetBlue Terminal to the newly opened TWA Hotel.
Janet Podolak

My daytime British Airways flight to London required an early-morning check-in, so the new TWA Hotel at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport was an obvious choice for my most recent trip to the U.K.

It opened May 15 as a hotel after a two-year, $265 million renovation from the one-time TWA Flight Center. Except for occasional use as a dramatic film backdrop, it has been shuttered and closed since the ill-fated airline closed to passenger service in 2001.

The Eero Saarinen-designed terminal now has 512 guest rooms reached from the twin corridors once leading to gates but now leading to the TWA Hotel’s spacious lobby. Red carpeting leads the way for a dramatic arrival.

The onetime TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy International Airport, designed to usher in the jet era, is now the spacious lobby of the newly opened TWA Hotel at JFK.
Janet Podolak

When it opened in 1962, the ultra-modern Flight Center design was intended to usher in the jet age. It was a time when propeller-driven planes were being replaced by jets. There’s much about the space that recalls the Jetsons, and the background music at its Paris Cafe, run by celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, recalls the music of that time, including lots of songs by The Beatles.

A restored Lockheed Constellation painted in TWA’s red and white colors sits outside the glass-walled lobby as a year-round cocktail lounge. Snugged into a seat in the Sunken Lounge beneath a one-time departure board clicking off fictional flight arrivals and departures, I debated braving the rain outside to climb the stairs into the Connie Airplane Cocktail Lounge. I eventually decided not to.

The hotel’s Sunken Lounge looks out to an old TWA aircraft on the tarmac that is now a cocktail lounge. The space off the TWA Hotel’s lobby was where fans gathered in 1964 to welcome the Beatles to the United States.
Janet Podolak

According to the hotel, today’s Sunken Lounge was where crowds gathered to watch the arrival of The Beatles to the United States in 1965 and saw the Tin Goose break a transcontinental record in 1962. Good enough for me.

Its rooftop pool and food hall weren’t open yet during my visit in late May, so I made a reservation at the Paris Cafe, despite its $26 cheeseburger.

Although rates hover around $249 per night, the TWA Hotel at JFK has been very busy and booked since its opening with events and curious travelers who also are airline and aircraft aficionados. So I was unable to secure a premium room overlooking the airport runways.

Because I’d injured my knee just before my departure from Cleveland, I arrived in a wheelchair, courtesy of Delta Airlines. The wheelchair operator was among the many who hadn’t yet been to the new hotel, which is reached from the airport’s JetBlue terminal.

It’s visible from many places but not easy to reach.

TWA flight attendant uniforms from an earlier time are showcased on the TWA Hotel’s second floor overlooking the lobby.
Janet Podolak

All rooms have 4.5-inch-thick windows to block out aircraft sounds, and I enjoyed a nice-and-quiet night’s sleep after dinner. A rotary telephone and 1963 Life magazine on the desk were blasts from the past. I thought of snagging the stylish and very retro TWA amenity kit until I spotted its $13 price tag on its underside.

A dial phone and a 1960s Life magazine are among the amenities in hotel rooms with thick glass windows that keep the noise from jets on the runways outside from disturbing its guests.
Janet Podolak

I learned that the hotel sets aside a few rooms with a day rate — four hours for $150. Those with a long layover may wish to make a reservation or just stop in for a cocktail or dinner to check the place out.