Out of my Element

Not that I disagree, but what's the Tux for, Tom?

TuxTom

If they want to bill it as an attraction then that's fine. In fact, that's what they are doing with the $25 pool access option. I just don't like being told how much I have to eat or drink with my reservation. I'm fine with not being their target market, but I stand by my belief that this policy encourages people to drink perhaps more than they should, and the last thing anyone wants on their flight is a drunk and unruly pax.
Nothing to do with the formal wear. Just an old nickname from a place I used to work at and we had way too many Tom's on staff.

BuildingMyBento

I'm awaiting the day JFK charges a resort fee

MileageAddict

You didn't have to wait long. When you click on rate details, this pops up:

The TWA Hotel’s facility fee of $10 plus tax per night, per room, includes:

• The fastest hotel Wi-Fi
  
• Unlimited local and international phone calls
  
• Access to the fitness center
  
• Access to the rooftop pool and observation deck
  
• Luggage storage on arrival and/or departure

Toshbaf

Many years ago, there would be long lines of people calling Nigeria from a pay phone because of some reason when they could call for a low price or free. Is there still such market? If so, could you have people come to your room to call Nigeria for a small fee to make some money?

Or is there some number you can call overseas for some reason?

flyerCO

However for $10. you don't get the time provided (no clocks in rooms) nor a wakeup call.

MileageAddict

Promo code for TWA Hotel: AAA It seems to provide a rate in between the refundable and non-refundable rate. Only availabe for non-view, standard rooms. It doesn't state in the details but I assume it is a refundable (perhaps up to a week before arrival date?) booking rate. I'm only interested in a view room so I'm not using the AAA rate. Someone else will need to research wether or not it is a refunable rate.

perkerkeem

Had been eyeing buying a day pass for the pool for the last week - today I checked the website and they no longer offer the $25 weekday/$50 weekend day pass option (when I checked yesterday they did). Only the $50 minimum spend bar reservation. Called the hotel to confirm and got a seemingly disinterested guy that confirmed they are no longer selling day passes.

Just my luck that the day I finally decide to go is the end of the era! While I could stomach $25 + airtrain round trip and subway fare for this, $119 for a day room or $60 for a single person's lunch seems a bit extreme.

BearX220

My wife and I stayed 9-10 October.

Terminal restoration beautiful, hotel rooms a mixed and often frustrating bag, service element genuinely terrible, overall value for money poor.

Details:

The Saarinen building you already know all about - if you ever passed through there from the '60s to the '90s, seeing the faithfully restored space will give you chills. It looks better now than it did any time in the second half of its life as a terminal. The clickety-click of the Solari boards, the endless expanse of clean hexagonal white floor tile, the iconic "boarding tubes" intact... all wonderful.




Room (we had 7th floor runway view): Cruise ship-stateroom small.


No closet. No wastebasket (you're supposed to leave your rubbish strewn all over the counter to help make it "New York City's greenest building", somehow). No clock radio. No room service. No coffee maker. Full minibar but no ice machine on room floors -- you have to call down for ice, if you can get someone to answer the phone. No minibar price list -- you have to go online to see what things cost. The Comfort Inn and Springhill Suites we visited before and after our TWA Hotel visit were both better equipped and more comfortable. At some point the hipster austerity measures stop seeming leading-edge or design-y, and start to feel stupid and annoying.




Service: We had made afternoon reservations to visit the restored Constellation for cocktails. 48 hours before we arrived I received a semi-coherent text from a TWA Hotel employee cancelling the booking because a "private event" was taking over the Connie until evening. My correspondent never identified him/herself nor responded to multiplie replies asking for further help. While the hotel is very insistent on guests making reservations for the Connie, the Paris Cafe, the Sunken Lounge, etc., they also apparently renege on them with something like flippancy. We eventually rebooked ourselves for an evening / after-dinner visit with no help from the staff.




On site we did not meet a single, solitary customer-facing employee (check-in desk, wait staff, bartenders, etc.) who did not seem utterly bewildered by their jobs, as if they had teleported in from other places and professions with zero training, or sick of them. Oh, the "brand ambassador" model in a vintage TWA FA uniform who hovered in the lobby greeting people was pleasant enough. Everyone else, and I mean everyone, was mailing it in.

When we were in the room during afternoon hours, planespotting and having a beer, an employee pounded on the door and demanded to count the three brass clothes hangers supplied with the six wall pegs you get instead of a closet. At 815am the next morning, housekeeping knocked sharply on the door to ask if we were leaving soon.

There is no service element here. (Ironically, although high-touch service was a mark of the TWA glamour days, the designers of this experience have done their best to iron it out: check-in is via touch-screen while the staff ignores you and chats among themselves, etc.) The place has now been open for five months so there are no excuses for what we saw.

Value: A modest dinner for two in the half-filled "Paris Cafe by Jean George" with one glass of wine each came to $130 with tip. Food OK but nothing amazing, service slapdash and flustered and slow. Cocktails in the Connie: $16 to $20 apiece, minimum. Two cups of morning coffee to go from the lobby kiosk, the only place to get it without sitting down for a lengthy, no doubt insanely expensive Paris Cafe breakfast: $11.50 plus tip. And so on. Oddly, most gift shop items were reasonably priced (I got a pair of TWA socks for $5) but food-and-drink expenses were absurd.

The place seemed VERY lightly occupied. Terminal space almost always quiet, occupied mostly by looky-loos venturing over from Terminal 5. When we finally gained access to the Connie it was only half full.




Verdict: I was very pleased to have seen it but won't return as a paying guest. Whoever is running this place may know how to strike a hipster pose and send out cutesy promo emails, but they know less than zero about the hospitality business.

DENDave

Stayed there the 26th-27th of October. Having grown up in St Louis with frequent trips to visit family in NYC, TWA was the only airline I knew for the first decade of my life. I remember seeing the old flight center when visiting and couldn't wait to stay the night. A recent return from an international trip was the perfect chance for an overnight layover.

Finding it was a breeze. There are a ton of signs from the air train making sure you know where to go, turn by turn.

For the hotel itself, in short, I largely agree with the other reviews. The building itself, including renovations and the Connie, are incredible. 5 starts there. But the service, while not bad for us, was just sort of bleh. The automated checkin was useless - they intercepted us and said they'd take care of it (also, anyone know if the luggage belt actually does anything? cool to see it spinning, but why?). I asked for directions to something and got a general that direction nod (still took me a bit to figure out where exactly I was supposed to go). The coffee bar messed up our order, though did fix it once the mistake was pointed out to them. I just had higher hopes.

Our 3rd floor room looked directly into road traffic. It was almost unnerving. (You enter the wings on the 4th floor, so we actually had to go down one level). But as advertised, it was super quiet.

I had really hoped for the amenity kit that I read about in all the earlier press, but that was either never meant to be a real amenity or cost cutting has already taken over. They sell them for $19 now.

The Connie was a cool experience, and the help more pleasant, but the cocktails were just average and nothing I'd go back for specifically. Food options are limited, too, not surprisingly. And while I get why there is no working bathroom on the plane, it's quite a hike to the ones in the hotel. You'd think they'd put one in near the door to go out there.

So, 5/5 star hotel to look at, 4/5 star for actually staying there. I'd go again to try out the bars/cafes, but wouldn't go out of my way (as I did this time) to book a room there again.

DENDave

(Tried posting a review before, said it was awaiting moderation and never showed, so trying one more time. Sorry if this is a duplicate.)

I grew up in St Louis, and frequently flew to NYC to visit family, so I thought TWA was the only airline in the world probably until the age 7. As such, I was really looking forward to seeing the rehabbed terminal and staying at the hotel.

In short, my review isn't that different than others: In terms of architecture, history, and aviation, the TWA hotel can't be beat. In terms of a hotel, it's just average.

To the room, it was nice enough and we loved all the old-school touches (e.g., rotary phone, Life magazines). The room was quiet, bed totally acceptable, and decent bathroom. We were on the 3rd floor, which was actually one floor down fro where you enter on the 4th. Unfortunately, our positioning was super close to the road. With shades open (and it did have very good, full coverage shades), we felt like we could reach out and touch drivers almost (our room as near the end of the hall with was closer to the road, probably). So, we had a little view of the airfield, but if that's important, definitely go higher.

Finding the hotel was easy, too, from the air train. Lots of signage and then quickly enough you see it.

But, check-in was a little weird (used the automated screen and then a person still essentially had to check us in - no idea if that's normal or what the deal was). The staff were pleasant enough, but no one really seemed to want to be there. We had drinks in the Connie aircraft, which was cool, but the drinks themselves were not something I'd return for (reservations are recommended for pretty much all bars/cafes there).

And I do wonder if cost cutting is already starting. For instance, all the early press talked about the TWA amenity kit that you got (and I was oddly excited for). Maybe that was only meant to be a temporary thing (though I saw that mentioned no where), but now it costs $19 if you want one. Given all the little avgeek and historical touches throughout, I do wonder how it will age.

So, I don't regret staying there, and wouldn't mind grabbing coffee (coffeeshop was probably the highlight of food there) and hanging out, but I won't go out of my way to stay there again either.

mhy

When I stayed in May, the amenity kit was free. I might stay there again if I have an early flight out of JFK but unlikely otherwise.

MSPeconomist

The TWA Hotel at JFK is being featured on Bravo TV's Project Runway (reality TV clothing designer contest), episode 1 of the current new season.

bennos

I completed a one night stay here prior to flying out on VS26 from Terminal 4. (Normally I just take the train from my apartment in the morning, but the logistics for this particular trip were different.)

In summary, the TWA aspect of the hotel makes an awesome one day visit. After that, I can't imagine the novelty holding. The hotel is certainly convenient, though, especially if using T5. Some other notes:

• There is a trash can, but only in the bathroom.
• The outdoor path from the AirTrain is not covered, though it looks like it might be eventually?
• The gym has a fantastic array of equipment, way better than your average hotel.
• The heated pool isn't necessarily warm enough to want to use in December.

Also, while the rooms are quiet, the connecting doors are super thin. After returning from dinner at the Paris Cafe (better experience than expected given the poor reviews), we found a couple with a child had occupied the room next door. Not only could we hear the kid screaming, we could hear the couple talking about it, in otherwise reasonably quiet tones. I'm sure they heard us talking about switching rooms, which we ended up doing. The disinterested agent at the front desk ("what time did you check in?" -- what does that have to do with a noise problem?) told me there were no more rooms ("the hotel is fully booked?" I asked incredulously, as from the windows the hotel was less than a third occupied, "no more runway view rooms"). So basically we had to trade a downgraded room (no refund) for the ability to have a quiet's night sleep before getting up at 5am. If it weren't already bedtime I probably would have been more upset.

I can imagine only very limited circumstances where I would stay here again, especially at the price point.

perkerkeem

Tacking on another review here: I stayed for 1 night at the end of December as part of a thoughtful & selfless Christmas present from my wife who bore countless hours of me pointing out planes that she has zero interest in like a pro. Similar to other reviewers' assessments, this is a 5/5 aviation experience, 2/5 hotel. Service & room construction really let this place down.

Upon check in, you have the pleasure to make the acquaintance of several disinterested check in agents who huff and puff at everyone who dare ask them a question. The digital-only check in system is highly limited- for early check ins you must revisit the kiosk & recheck-in in order to see if your room is ready (no option for a call or text or email) and asking a check in agent for a time estimate/what the status of your room cleaning is returns the usual eye rolls from the disinterested staff (thankfully upon posing the same questions to several different agents, ONE associate was helpful in this regard and provided relevant information on the status of our room cleaning and a time estimate). Asking for someone to retrieve your checked bag is met with a "that's not MY job" and a return to their previous coworker conversation instead of a professional "let me find someone to help you with that". After playing twenty questions with everyone in a TWA uniform behind the front desk to finally locate the associate whose job it apparently was, they were still "too busy right now" to retrieve the suitcase that sat not ten feet next to him and only upon pleading that it would not take him more than 2 seconds to turn to his right and hand me the suitcase that I could not jump the counter for did I receive the suitcase.

I'd like to say things got much better in the room, but only slightly so. I booked a Runway View King Deluxe which as advertised had great views of T4 and T5 (and a view of the very cooperative runway traffic on both days!) and stylish decor. However, the views and decor are where my compliments end. The room was HOT. The thermostat said 70 degrees (and was unable to reach the 68 degree setting I had set) and the room felt much hotter than 70. My guess was my room was right below the heated pool and there was some conduction through the ceiling or something. Additionally, the room is pretty tiny, with space for a king bed and a chair and not much else. Fine for my 1 night plane spotting stay, but not a space where you'd be able to lounge about. The black out curtains have about 3 inches of clearance vs the floor, so if you want to sleep in total darkness during daylight hours, find a new hotel or pack sunglasses to sleep in. Furthermore, while the double-pane windows impressively keep an several A380s outside your window to a whisper, the walls are not similarly sound proofed, as we could hear the obnoxiously loud people next to us until they fell asleep around 2am. Despite all these issues, I didn't request a different room as RW views were fully booked and I was more interested in plane spotting than sleeping in a downgraded room category. Basically, don't plan to sleep here, my wife and I definitely didn't.

F&B was a slight step up. We arrived 45 minutes early for our Connie reservation and were allowed to be seated ahead of time which was nice. Service was a little slow at first but picked up. Cocktails were limited to the retro classics and mediocre at best, but it was a very cool space and worth visiting once. We then swung by Paris Cafe which to my shock was fully booked on this sleepy Saturday after Christmas. It seems this place is doing quite the business from passengers out of JFK. I went over to the walk-in only Lisbon lounge bar area to eat there instead (same menu) and found that full up as well. While they don't take reservations, they also don't have a hostess to manage the waitlist, as a multitude of people were hovering just a breath away from patrons sitting at the bar, swarming in the hopes of acquiring a coveted seat to order dinner. Defeated, we walked past vacant tables outside the champagne bar around the corner and asked a waitress if it was possible to order from the Lisbon Lounge over here. She said yes and brought us menus, explaining we could go to the bar, order, then tell them where we were sitting and the food would be brought to us. The cocktails here were overly sweet but still better than Connie's (i'd call it a 3/5 cocktail) and the JG truffle egg pizza was as good as at Public in the LES while the burger was just alright (3.5/5 food). As we ate a handful of prospective diners who had similarly given up at Lisbon Lounge saw our food and asked for our process, so the area began to populate by the time we finished dinner.

In a nut shell, if you want to stay here, recalibrate your expectations. While this hotel is just as stylish as and priced in such a way that makes you think this is a 4-5* hotel, a quality hotel it is not. It's an airport hotel, plain and simple and in many aspects, an unsuccessful airport hotel at that. If you have a long layover or are a NYC resident, take every other reviewer's advice and visit for the common areas or get a cheaper day room so you can access the rooftop. It's not worth paying more to stay overnight.