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Ever since I heard about the TWA Hotel at the JFK airport in New York, I have been wanting to visit. I finally had the perfect opportunity to do so when I had a long layover returning from my trip in Turkey.

HISTORY

The TWA Hotel was built in 2019, but it was originally the TWA Flight Center designed by the architect Eero Saarinen in 1962. TWA, or Trans World Airlines, was originally founded in 1925 and was one of the major international air carriers during its time.

TWA struggled financially several times in the 1990s and was eventually forced into bankruptcy in 2001, when it was acquired by American Airlines. At the same time, the terminal stopped functioning as well. The terminal was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005 and went largely unused until 2008 when JetBlue Airways started using the terminal.

In 2015, JetBlue partnered with a hotel developer and moved forward with developing the rest of the terminal as a hotel.

THE HOTEL

The magical part about this hotel is that they kept the 1960s theme throughout the terminal. You really feel like you’ve traveled back in time starting with the elevator from JetBlue’s Terminal 5. There are two buttons within the elevator that say “1960s TWA HOTEL” and “PRESENT DAY JETBLUE”.

Inside the elevator going to the TWA Hotel

Once you step out of the elevator, everything is transformed into the 1960s era with the tube tunnel leading to the hotel.

TWA Hotel offers day rates in which they refer to as a Daytripper℠. Daytripper℠ stays are available hourly from 6 AM to 8 PM ET for a minimum of 4 hours and a maximum of 12 hours. I booked my room weeks in advance from NOON - 6PM.

There are several rooms you can choose from and I chose the most standard room with two queen beds. The Runway View room was not available for the Daytripper℠, but was available if I would have booked for an overnight stay.

The down-side to booking these in advance is that there is no refund. I do hope that they’ll change this policy in the future because travel plans always change.

The check-in process was very smooth and I just used the self check-in kiosk. The staff behind the kiosks were very helpful as well. I was glad to see this as the previous reviews I read about the staff were terrible.

THE ROOM

My room was located on the 8th floor and riding the elevator up to my room and walking down the hallways was so exciting. There was 1960s music playing throughout the hotel and the decor of the hallways with the red carpet were just brilliant.

I’d say the size of the room was average. I was actually expecting it to be smaller because I read reviews that it’s small, true to New York’s standards, but I didn’t feel that way at all. I’ve certainly had way smaller rooms than this in New York City.

The room was clean and gorgeous with mid-century modern decor. True to its time, right when you walk in, there are cocktail and wine glasses to the right. Below that was a refrigerator that’s usually stocked with drinks for purchase, but since I visited during the pandemic, the fridge was empty (which I prefer anyway).

The safety deposit box is also located here and it was the coolest looking box with the TWA logo. It was pretty heavy duty and large as well.

Next to that is an area where you can hang some of your clothes, which I did. Other than that, there’s not much space to store your clothes. I just pulled things out of my suitcase since I was only staying for a day, but if you’re staying for multiple days, this might be something to consider. But I suspect most people stay here for one night or less.

There is a long working desk with a rotary dial phone, TWA pencils, a notepad, and a placemat where you can dispose of your trash. I thought this placemat was the weirdest thing. I’d rather have a regular trash can.

The beds felt pretty comfortable while I rested on them. In between the beds is a nightstand with several USB charging ports.

The bathroom was well lit with huge bulbs around the mirror. They provided plenty of towels, but the toiletries were lacking. There was one bar of soap on the sink and the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash were in large dispensers in the shower stall.

AMENITIES

After I checked out my room, I went back down to the lobby to explore some awesome exhibits like the flight attendants’ uniforms and the history of the terminal and its architecture.

I wanted to see what the pool was like on the rooftop, but it was only available to the guests staying overnight. If I wanted to use the pool, it would have cost an additional $50. No thanks.

I wish I could have checked out the 1958 Lockheed Constellation "Connie" airplane turned cocktail lounge, but it was closed at the time I went. They’re only open Wednesday through Sunday from 4 PM to 11 PM and I was there on a Tuesday.

At the Food Hall, there are several eateries you can choose from and I ordered an expensive hot dog and a piece of cake. The food was okay, but the price was outrageous.

The Paris Café upstairs looked really awesome, but it didn’t look like it was open at the time I went.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I was happy that I was finally able to visit the TWA Hotel, but I’m not sure if the day rate was worth it. But if I were to stay overnight, that would be totally worth it; especially if I had an early flight.

I spent most of my time exploring the hotel and didn’t rest much in my room like I had intended because I was too excited about everything. Next time, if I have a long layover at JFK, I’ll probably just visit the hotel and lounge around the lobby.