Is it Worth Staying at the TWA Hotel at JFK? |

Are you trying to decide if it is worth the money to stay at the TWA hotel at JFK’s Terminal 5?

I have friends in New York City, so when we visit, I always have a free place to stay. Even still, I kept looking at the TWA Hotel, and it looked like so much fun. I wanted to stay there, but why would I? It is far from the city, and it’s not budget-friendly.

Then, I had one night, just me and my kids, in NYC. We would be flying into Terminal 5 late in the afternoon and would be flying out of Terminal 8 on an international flight at 10 am. That means we should arrive at the airport by 7 am.

At first, I couldn’t justify the price, but when I was telling my mom about the hotel and showing her pictures of how fun it looked, I realized the price had lowered significantly. My mom offered to buy us a night at the hotel as a gift.

Obviously, price is relative, but if you want to know if it is worth staying at the TWA Hotel at JFK, keep reading.

Booking the TWA Hotel

Check prices and book your room at the TWA Hotel through their website.

Arriving at the TWA Hotel at JFK’s Terminal 5

We happened to be flying JetBlue to JFK, which arrives at Terminal 5. That made our journey to the TWA Hotel extremely quick.

If you arrive at another terminal, jump on the Airtrain to Terminal 5. If you are staying at the TWA Hotel the night before your flight and are coming in from NYC or elsewhere, besides the airport, you can take a taxi to the airport, or the subway, and then get on the Airtrain to Terminal 5.

Once you are at baggage claim, head to the far right side (when you are facing outside). Walk past baggage claim #6, and you will see an elevator to the TWA Hotel.

That’s it. You are already there. Just walk across the long hallway and follow the signs to check in.

Oh, and welcome to 1962.

Helicopter Access

Another option for getting to and from the TWA Hotel from Manhattan is to take a helicopter.

If this is in your budget, Blade offers rides that take just 5 minutes. That is a great way to avoid traffic.

Checking In

You can choose self-check-in or wait at the check-in counter.

Both were empty when we arrived, around 7 pm on a Monday in October. Our flight was delayed 2 hours, and we wanted to check in quickly so we could begin exploring.

I chose self-check-in as it was what I saw first.

Just follow the prompts to check in and make your own key card.

Once our key was made, we took off for our room.

I didn’t realize there were maps of the hotel at the check-in desk and had to go back to get one.

The hotel is separated into 2 sides, the Hughes Wing and the Saarinen Wing. We were in the Saarinen Wing.

Hotel Rooms

One of the main attractions of staying at the TWA Hotel is being right there on the runway, where you can watch the planes take off from your room.

We booked the cheapest room at the last minute, and it did not have a view of the planes.

If you want to guarantee yourself runway views, book the Howard Hughes Presidential Suite, or one of the double, queen, or king rooms that guarantee a runway view.

While it would have been amazing to be in one of those rooms, we were only at the hotel for 12 hours, including when we were asleep. We were only there when it was dark outside.

The rooms are soundproof and have blackout curtains. This is perfect for travelers who may not be coming from the same time zone.

Though we were in the cheapest option, our room still included:

wifi
unlimited phone calls, including international calls
blackout curtains
TV with premium cable

The bathrooms have shampoo, conditioner, and soap in the showers. Extra-large towels are in each room.

My kids would have been happy staying in the room, making phone calls, and drawing on the TWA pad of paper with the pencils, but I knew they would have a blast exploring the hotel.

Lobby

The Sunken Lounge is the focal point of the TWA Hotel lobby, with a view of the Connie airplane outside.

The lobby has plenty of seating options, plus restaurants, a museum, and lots of things to do.

Twister

When I saw the Twister room, I knew my kids would love it. It was the first place we went after checking into our room.

There are 2 large wheels to spin on the wall, and the entire room is a Twister board.

Unfortunately, one of the wheels was completely broken off, and the other was just about broken. The kids struggled to spin it, but I was able to spin it a few times, which was good enough.

Had we not been in a hurry to see everything, we would have played longer.

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Sweet n Glow Salon

Next to the Twister Room is a beauty parlor with various places to take pictures, or if you are kids, play.

My kids pretended to get their hair done, pretended they were working behind the desk, and pretended to cut each other’s hair.

Had I not had kids with me, I might have just taken a quick pic and left.

Sweet n Glow is not a working salon. There is no spa or salon at the TWA hotel.

Lobby Bars and Restaurants

The Sunken Lounge

Pretend you are sitting at the gate, checking the departure times, at the Sunken Lounge.

There are 2 bars located at the sides of the Sunken Lounge, and plenty of seating.

You can order food and drinks, including share plates, main meals, and desserts.

The Sunken Lounge is open for lunch, dinner, and late-night drinks.

The Connie Cocktail Lounge

The most unique spot for a drink is in the Connie airplane, parked outside the lobby at the TWA Hotel.

Kids are welcome on the airplane, though they mainly just sell drinks. You can order a snack and a soda if you aren’t interested in a cocktail.

The snacks are basic: olives, nuts, popcorn, chips, and candy.

There are also tables and chairs located on the “runway” outside the Connie if you prefer to enjoy your drink outside.

Paris Cafe by Jean-Georges

If you are looking to enjoy an upscale meal during your visit to the TWA Hotel, head to the Paris Cafe on the second floor of the lobby.

The Paris Cafe is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

It was recommended by multiple friends to eat at The Paris Cafe, but as it was late and I was traveling with my kids, we skipped it.

Food Hall

We ended up eating in the Food Hall. It is open 24/7, and most of the meals are grab-and-go.

Had we not been in a hurry, we would have eaten at the Paris Cafe or the Sunken Lounge.

The Food Hall is overpriced and not amazing. We had sandwiches and pizza.

Though the Food Hall is open 24/7, not all of the restaurant stands inside are. Check each one to see what will be open when you are there.

Joe Coffee

Joe Coffee is located right by the check-in desk.

It is open from 5 am until 7 pm, so we could have grabbed coffee and breakfast there in the morning, but we opted to head to the airport.

If you are staying at the TWA Hotel later in the day, it is a good choice for a quick coffee and breakfast to go.

There is lots of seating in the lobby.

Fitness Center

The TWA Hotel has the world’s largest gym, and you don’t have to stay the night to get access to it. You can purchase a day pass or a monthly membership.

The fitness center is open 24/7. They have a Peloton bike studio, a yoga studio, cardio machines, weights, locker rooms, and everything you need to work out.

I noticed that there are toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, and all kinds of other things you may need during your stay in jars in the locker room.

TWA Shop

The TWA Shop is located in the lobby near the Sunken Lounge.

They sell apparel, travel gear, accessories, collectables, and various TWA-themed souvenirs. You can purchase the same items online on the TWA Hotel website, but the prices are higher than they are in the store.

Note that the notepad and pencils are available for free in your hotel room.

TWA Museum

On the second floor of the lobby, there is an area with historic TWA flight crew uniforms.

This section includes a variety of seating, including in smaller “secret” rooms. We saw quite a few couples on dates in the lobby, but there were still plenty of seats available.

Photo Opps and Amenities

Pay phones are set up in multiple areas of the lobby. My kids loved pretending to talk on them, and had we had more time, they would have made real phone calls, which are free.

A shoe shine is set up, perfect for photo opps.

If you prefer to take photos in a photo booth, you can take as many as you’d like, for free. You get 2 copies of the photo strip, and the photos are sent to your email as well.

Scavenger Hunt

Unfortunately, I did not see the sign offering a scavenger hunt for kids until it was too late. I am sure my kids would have loved it.

The sign is up at the check-in desk.

Hughes Wing

Hotel rooms and access to the conference center are located in both the Hughes Wing and the Saarinen Wing.

The only way to get to the rooftop pool, pool bar, and observation deck is through the Hughes Wing. First, head to the lobby and enter the elevators at the Hughes Wing. Take the elevator to the rooftop.

Rooftop Pool

The TWA pool is only accessible with a reservation, and there is a charge, even for hotel guests.

Hotel guests can swim for free in the early morning, though that was not offered to us (and to be fair, we had to leave before the pool opened anyway). The website says that hotel guests can swim for free from 7 am until 10:45 am.

When you make your hotel reservation, there is a place to reserve your 2-hour time slot in the pool.

I opted to wait and see, and thankfully, I did as our flight was delayed. In the end, we booked the last time slot of the day, from 9 pm until 11 pm.

I was told that reservations are required due to crowds, though they are no longer required from November 1 until May 1 for hotel guests.

We were at the TWA at the end of October, and it was cold! The pool is set up as a pool-cuzzi when it is cold out, and we could see the steam rising.

My 2 kids and I were the only ones in the pool, other than 1 couple. I had questioned the price for swimming late at night in the cold, but in the end, I paid for it, as it is a great experience to swim while watching the planes take off and land.

Unlimited towels are handed out, and you are meant to return them before heading back to your room, but we were freezing, so we kept them. There are restrooms and a change room on the roof, but we did not see them. They must be by the Pool Bar.

Pool Bar

It appears that the Pool Bar is only accessible for those with pool reservations.

There was a group of people who walked up for drinks while we were in the pool, but I am not 100% sure of the rules for visiting.

The Pool Bar is open for lunch, dinner, and drinks until the pool closes at 11 pm. The menu at the Pool Bar is the same as the one at the Sunken Lounge.

Saarinen Wing

The Sarrinen wing has hotel rooms and access to the conference center. We stayed in the Sarrinen wing during our visit to the TWA Hotel.

The Sarrinen wing is closer to JFK, so we were able to leave the hotel quickly. The Hughes wing is further from the elevator to the airport, but has access to the rooftop pool.

Accessibility

Select guestrooms and restrooms are accessible.

You can read about all the accessibility standards at the TWA Hotel to ensure your needs will be met.

Pet-Friendly

Pets are welcome to stay at the TWA hotel for a fee. You must “enhance your stay” when making your reservation to add a pet.

You are required to sign a liability form at check-in.

There is a grassy area for pet relief outside.

Daytrippers

If you have a long layover at JFK or you want to visit the TWA Hotel during the day, you can purchase a daytripper pass.

I believe you can enter the hotel without a pass. We walked right in. You do need a pass to enter the fitness center or the pool. Someone checks your pass before entering the gym and the pool.

Is it Worth Staying at the TWA Hotel?

While I would like to say, yes, it is hands down worth the money to stay at the TWA Hotel, it all goes back to the money.

It is worth it at a price point that is acceptable to you.

For us, with less than 24 hours between our flights (and as it ended up, just 12 hours), it would have been a hassle to get into Manhattan and back. Sure, we could have stayed at a different airport hotel, but we would still have to get there and back. Plus, the TWA Hotel is a lot of fun.

We were wrapping up a 6-week stay in the US, visiting friends and family. As we were sad to leave, it was extra fun to stay up late and enjoy the hotel.

I will say that just because you are already at the airport doesn’t mean you do not need to leave early for your flight. It took us 30 minutes to get from our room at the TWA Hotel to the check-in counter at Cathay Pacific in Terminal 8. We walked a long way.

What would I do differently? I would probably choose another place to eat. The Food Hall was just okay. It is expensive. Unfortunately, we had to rush a little bit, and that meant not stopping to order dinner.

I went back and forth on getting pool reservations, but I am glad we did. Swimming while watching the planes was the best thing to do at the TWA Hotel.

If money isn’t an issue, and we had more time at the hotel, I would opt for a runway room. For us, it just didn’t make sense.

Would I stay at the TWA Hotel again? Absolutely.

Is it Worth Staying at the TWA Hotel at JFK?

Booking the TWA Hotel