A dip into the 1960s when traveling was a whole different thing: TWA Hotel review

This is not just another hotel, let alone the classic soulless hotel found near airports, to be used as a back-up when you want to sleep a maximum of 10 minutes from the departure gate.

No, this hotel is a real experience. If you are a travel sick person and an airplane enthusiast, it is like going to Disneyland for a child, it is the realm of toyland.

What is the TWA Hotel

TWA, Trans World Airlines, was a historic American airline. One of the carriers that together with PanAm marked the world of travel from the 1960s until the early 2000s, when it was absorbed by American Airlines and the brand disappeared.

What is now the hotel was nothing more than the terminal where it operated flights TWA itself. After the bankruptcy, this facility sat empty for years, then in 2015 came the announcement that it would be converted into a hotel, and in late 2019, just before the pandemic outbreak, it opened.

The hotel is located within the JFK airport., exactly in front of T5, what is now the home of JetBlue, an American airline that has been growing in recent years and also recently launched its first intercontinental connection to London, right from the airport dedicated to the former American president.

It can also be reached via AirTrain, the people mover that connects the various terminals at JFK airport, and of course via cab from Manhattan.

How to book the TWA Hotel

Unfortunately, this hotel does not belong to any hotel chain, so the only way to book is through the official website or some portals, e.g. Hotels.com.

My advice is to try to always book through the official website in order to take advantage of any benefits such as upgrades or other small perks that are not issued to guests who have booked through other providers.

We are talking about a hotel inside an airport, so it is also interesting to know that it is possible to book a room in "Day use" mode, that is, for daytime hours. A way to relax and at the same time enjoy all the services of the hotel.

Rates do not change much from classic booking, but it all depends on how much time you have.

The hotel

We decided to spend our last night in New York here instead of the Millennium Hilton where we stayed the other days. We wanted to see this hotel and travel inside this time machine to go back to the 1960s.

Our journey started right at T5 where we had the cab drop us off, rather than directly at the hotel entrance. The reason is simple: we wanted to have the experience at 100%.

Directions to the hotel are everywhere and our De Lorean was the elevator car. That since 2021 has taken us back to the 1960s.

When the doors to the floor opened, we found ourselves in front of what was once the office of Howard Hughes, the founder of TWA, best known for his film portrayal with Leo Di Caprio in "The Aviator."

From one movie to another: when you get to the tunnel that connects the hotel with the terminal, it feels like a scene from the movie "Try to Catch Me," also starring Di Caprio, when he pretends to be a pilot popping out of the tunnel surrounded by very young and beautiful stewardesses.

When you get to the lobby, however, you are left speechless. Of course, I am sick for the world of airplanes so probably biased, but it is impossible not to get excited, everything is perfect.

The curved shapes, typical of 1960s architecture, are beautiful. All the vintage decor perfectly recreates what was the golden age of the travel world, when no one yet knew what low-cost travel meant.

Imagine when you first entered Disneyland as a child and saw the castle, or when you looked at the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican Museum, here this place to an airplane sick person like me gave the same feeling.

One can wander everywhere in the corridors, indeed in the tunnels, and unearth a place to admire, study, photograph.

Nothing is missing. There is the mega billboard with the departing flight schedules, not the one with LEDs but the old-fashioned one with the letters spinning and making noise every time they update.

The terminal is a huge open space overlooking the runway, where a plane, a real TWA, is also waiting for guests. Of course, it is possible to board and enjoy an aperitif as if you were about to take off.

The central hall houses the two bars with adjoining lounge where you can enjoy a martini while listening to music of the era. And of course a huge scoreboard where, in addition to departures, ad hoc messages and drawings are created.

Now imagine that instead of having an iPhone you have to go to the pay phone, that instead of searching the Internet you have to flip through the newspaper, and that you are not about to take off on a 777, but on a 747/100 and no one is going to check your carry-on luggage (or even your ID).

There are so many references to the 1960s, unfailing is a trip to the Twister room to play the famous 1:1 scale game.

Check-in

There is also a belt at the check-in counter to carry luggage, but it does not end up in the room, but in the storage room waiting to be delivered back to customers.

Of course, there is also a small waiting room where you can wait your turn, and again everything is perfectly reconstructed, with beautiful photos of the time to immerse yourself even more in the time travel.

If you want, you can also do everything yourself at the automated counters, but the beauty of this hotel is really about the experience at 100%, so my advice is to do traditional registration.

And in doing so, we also discovered that we had received a free upgrade from Deluxe Room to Junior Suite, in the Howard Hughes Wing.

The room

What is not expected in a facility of more than 500 rooms is for everything to be kept tidy and perfectly maintained, especially when we are talking about a hotel in an airport where guests pass by quickly without paying much attention to where they are.

Our room, as mentioned, was on the 6th floor overlooking the terminal. Retracing the tunnel to reach it was like climbing back aboard the time machine.

The decor of the rooms, of course, is not vintage, but plenty of design elements are reminiscent of it, starting with the iconic rotary phone, as well as the gold trim and wood paneling, all very 007 Goldfinger.

Our Junior Suite unlike the Deluxe room we had booked was definitely more spacious and with an equally larger bathroom than the lower category rooms.

Of course, the 65-inch TV is not what you would have found in 1962, just as the base for wireless cell phone charging would not have been needed, but all these elements did not at all clash with the essential design of the room.

The huge glass window, with electrically controlled curtains, overlooked as planned the TWA terminal, then the part that houses the restaurant and the hotel runway, which is really very beautiful.

Panoramic swimming pool with runway view

One of the most famous points of the hotel is located on the 9th floor of the Hughes Wing, namely the infinity pool, bar, and rooftop terrace overlooking the runway.

Our visit was in mid-December, but the pool was fully operational in jacuzzi mode, with steaming hot water since the degrees outside were just above zero.

Attention to detail is also evident here. The swimming pool is transformed into a mountain lodge and the bar in the lodge, where you can spend the evening after skiing.

This area, it should be remembered, is at exclusive use of hotel guests, while the rest of the facility can be visited by everyone. Here you enter only if you have a reservation.

In the summer period, and because of Covid, there is a reservation for access to the pool. In the winter period it is free for the brave enough to dive in while the weather outside is typical New York winter weather.

The problem is not getting in, as the water is at 35°., but going out considering that it is often below freezing outside.

For all the less daring, it is possible to dine or drink in the chalet overlooking the runway, or simply stand and watch planes land and take off at New York's busiest airport.

The Connie Cocktail Lounge

The Lockheed Constellation, better known as Connie, has been converted into a bar. 

Just follow the directions, just as you would board any airplane. Those who have seen the movie "The Aviator" know full well the importance of this model of airplane to the company and to the world of travel.

The plane is parked on the runway in front of the terminal, just follow the signs and you will arrive under the ladder ready for boarding.

Unfortunately, on the evening of our visit it was booked for a private party and we were unable to board, but the photos found on the web hint at how a cocktail on board Connie is the icing on the cake of a stay at the TWA Hotel.

Food & more

The heart of this hotel is the terminal. We are in an airport so you cannot miss the area where you can eat, and there are so many options here. 

On the opposite side from the check-in counters is the hotel's food hall. Each kiosk offers different dishes, while the upper floor houses the Paris Cafe, which is the hotel's restaurant.

Even the entrance to the terminal is themed: parked, inside and outside the hotel, we find a number of vehicles that take us back to the context of the legendary 1960s.

And it is nice to see how one of the stars is a Fiat 500 barchetta, parked right in the lobby along with an equally iconic BMW Isotta. If desired, the hotel also houses a conference center and a huge gym equipped with every piece of machinery and able to meet the needs of all guests without much trouble.

Last but not least, there is a small exhibition of the historical uniforms worn by TWA staff. There is an Italian feel here as well: among the designers who dressed stewardesses and pilots was Valentino.

In conclusion

This hotel is worth the price of the ticket; rooms are between 190 and 300$, in line with New York City costs. 

The experience it provides is unique, the atmosphere is truly incredible, and if you are a fan of travel and airplanes, it is an impossible stop to miss on a New York City vacation, as is Times Square or the Statue of Liberty.

This is just one of many reviews you can read on our site. Covid and restrictions permitting, Every Wednesday we publish a review of a lounge airport, while every Friday you can read the review of one of our flights or a hotel where we stayed.

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