TWA Hotel at JFK Airport: Peek Inside the Magic of the Jet Age

One of NYC’s most hotly anticipated new hotels is theTWA Hotel at JFK Airport.

The 512-room TWA Hotel, opening in Spring 2019, promises to restore the 1962 terminal to its “Jet Age” glory. We are excited to see the development of new airport hotels that are making guests feel both healthier and happier. Airport hotels are no longer an afterthought!

For many new airport hotels, including the TWA Hotel, sensory management is a crucial component of designing for wellness. Light is controlled (for example, to manage mood and body clock), and temperature, air quality, and noise are carefully considered. It’s a far cry from what we’re used to in an airport hotel!

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Highlights of the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport

Impressive history

Built by world-renowned architect Eero Saarinen, the TWA Flight Center opened in 1962. It ushered in a new era of jet air travel. However, because it was unable to support the size of modern aircraft, it closed in 2001. It has remained dark for the last 16 years.

The terminal became an NYC Landmark in 1994. It’s also on the National Register of Historic Places and the New York State Register of Historic Places.

TWA Hotel JFK Airport
PHOTO: Emily Gilbert

Soaring views

Guests can expect extraordinary views of aircraft preparing for takeoff through floor-to-ceiling, soundproofed windows.

Although the hotel doesn’t open until 2019, so many essential touches are already in the works. A fleet of vintage cars will wait in the wings to transport guests to their terminals.

Soundproofed windows

TWA Hotel’s glass curtain wall by Fabbrica — the second-thickest in the world after the wall at the US Embassy in London — is seven panes and 4½ inches thick.

The glass’ Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating of nearly 50 ensures the floor-to-ceiling, full-width windows cancel runway noise. Pretty impressive!

Midcentury touches

Iconic midcentury modern architecture is just glorious to see and experience. The TWA Hotel will be a midcentury modern lover’s dream.

The hotel will have rotary dial phones similar to the ones I used as a kid. (But did you know that the first patent for a rotary dial was granted to Almon Brown Strowger on November 29, 1892!)

You’ll also find TaB sodas in the mini-bar. TaB soda is a diet cola soft drink produced by The Coca-Cola Company, introduced in 1963. Coca-Cola’s first diet drink, TaB was popular throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Variations included some fruit-flavored, root beer, and ginger ale versions.

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The TWA Hotel at JFK Airport will be timeless

Inspired design from 1962 evokes feelings of happy nostalgia in me. I can’t wait for the launch. It will be the first airport hotel at JFK Airport.

What are some of your favorite airport hotels? Let us know in the comments!

Cristina Alcivar

Founder and Editor of Vane Airport Magazine. Passionate about everything well-being, love travel, the ocean, and the sun.

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