Book a Trip Back in Time With a Stay In JFK’s Retro TWA Hotel
The 1962 airport terminal is being transformed into a swanky ‘Mad Men’-style getaway.
In case you find yourself stuck at New York’s JFK airport with a missed flight, or even if you don’t have a flight, you might want to check in at the TWA Hotel — the new hotel taking over the long-retired Trans World Airlines terminal.
Though TWA has been shuttered since 2001, MCR and MORSE Development are taking over the 1962 flight center designed by Eero Saarinen and turning it into a luxury hotel Don Draper definitely would have stayed in.
Opening in May 2019, the hotel is heavy with nostalgic 1960s vibes, with white penny tile and original Chili Pepper Red carpet, and has 512 ultra-quiet guestrooms with views of JFK’s runways, six restaurants, eight bars, high-end retail outlets, a rooftop pool and observation deck, a 10,000-square-foot fitness center, and a 10,000-square-foot rooftop observation deck with a pool.
The pièce de résistance of the hotel is The Sunken Lounge bar, where crowds had gathered to see the Tin Goose break a transcontinental record in June 1962, and then to watch the Beatles arrive in the U.S. in 1964.
Now, the bar will be operated by Gerber Group, which was founded by iconic supermodel Cindy Crawford’s husband Rande Gerber (who is also a partner with George Clooney in Casamigos tequila).
The bar will serve classic 1960s cocktails like an Old Fashioned, the Aviation (with Crème de violette, Maraschino liqueur, gin, and lemon juice), and the Royal Ambassador Cocktail, as well as an official TWA Martini.
Plus, all signature cocktails will come with a swizzle stick modeled after the ones used in-flight before the airline went out of business.
In the bar, floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of the 1958 “Connie” airplane parked outside on the tarmac, and overhead, a split flap departures board by Solari di Udine will display custom messages.
The 512 guestrooms at the TWA Hotel have glass curtain walls that are seven panes and 4.5 inches thick, making them the second thickest in the world for optimal noise cancellation.
A sleek wet bar in each room comes stocked with Moët & Chandon Imperial Brut Champagne, Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège Cognac, and Belvedere Vodka.
The TWA Hotel will have a soft opening on May 15, and reservations are open now.
Read This Next
