Travel Back in Time with JFK’s TWA Hotel

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Just a quick elevator ride from the JetBlue baggage claim area at JFK airport will transport you to the classic aviation of the 1960s! Located at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, the TWA Hotel is a pretty cool blast from the past.

Open in May of 2019, the hotel uses the former TWA terminal, which was designed by architect Eero Saarinen and was built back in the 1960s. The TWA hotel is the only operating hotel located at JFK Airport.

TWA Hotel Rooms

The hotel features over 500 rooms spread between two wings, the Saarinen Wing and the Howard Hughes Wing.

Book a basic room or a room with a runway view or with a view of the Historic TWA flight center. Blackout curtains and soundproof floor-to-ceiling windows ensure you will get a good night of sleep, free of distraction from plain noise.

Details like rotary phones, classic TWA posters, walnut tambour walls, and terrazzo floors are evocative of the 1960s. Rooms include basic amenities like shampoo, conditioner, and body wash as well as a coffee machine.

Rooms can be booked overnight or in four-hour increments during the day to accommodate late flights. Overnight stays can check in early or check out late for an additional fee.

TWA Hotel Dining

The hotel features two restaurants, the Jean Georges Paris Café and The Sunken Lounge. There’s also a 24-hour grab-and-go food hall. Paris Café serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the menu takes its inspiration from historic in-flight menus from TWA. The more casual Sunken Lounge serves light bits and cocktails along with airport views.

For your morning pick-me-up, there’s the Intelligentsia Coffee Bar, located across from the check in desk. And for your evening libation, there’s Connie, a 1958 Lockheed Constellation plane turned cocktail lounge, where drinks feature fun aviation-themed names like Vodka is My Co-Pilot, 22 Right, and Control Tower Sour.

TWA Hotel Amenities

There is a heated rooftop pool area, complete with a pool bar, overlooks JFK’s busiest runway. Note that. pool reservations and a cover charge are required at certain times of the year.

There is also a fitness center and an outdoor curling rink.

While the hotel does not feature a spa or salon, you can visit the Sweet’N Glow Salon, an iconic 1960s salon exhibit with a Sweet’N Low theme. It along with the nearby Twister Room is a nostalgic blast from the past.

The events center at the TWA Hotel features 50,000 sqft of midcentury modern-inspired space and 45 event rooms that can host up to 1,600 people.

History at the TWA Hotel

Throughout the hotel, you’ll find free exhibits that showcase TWA’s history. Sit behind the desk of TWA’s eccentric owner, Howard, Hughes, in one of the aviation history exhibits, curated by the New York Historical Society. Or explore 37 full TWA crew uniforms, comprised of over 642 individual pieces, that range from 1945 to 2001. There’s also an authentic recreation of a 1962 living room, complete with an original Barbie Dreamhouse.

How to get to the TWA Hotel

The TWA Hotel at JFK Airport is located at One Idlewild Drive, New York, NY.

TWA Hotel is the only airport hotel located at JFK International Airport is ideal if you have an early flight. Other hotels are located nearby but off airport property.

If you’re coming from the JetBlue Terminal 5, head down to the baggage claim level and look for the TWA Hotel elevator located at the far right.

If you’re taking the AirTrain, take it to the Terminal 5 train stop and follow the signs to the TWA hotel.

If you’re driving, proceed to JFK Airport Terminal 5 and follow the signs to the TWA Hotel. Onsite parking is available.

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