Overnight hotel at JFK
 

My daughter and her family, 2 adults and children aged 10 and 11, are flying to CUN for Christmas on mixed AA and BA flights. They arrive at JFK on AA at 22.35 and leave next morning for CUN by AA at 08.00 so need to overnight at JFK. Can anybody recommend a hotel at a reasonable price having regard especially to the frequency of the hotel shuttle service. If the shuttle is not available what would the cost of a taxi be for the 1-3 mile journey to an airport hotel? The alternative seems to be the TWA hotel which is expensive but would be very convenient. Any help gratefully received.

For frequency of service I'd go for the Hilton JFK. If you're ok to use the city bus (so have a charged MetroCard) then I stay at the HGI. But loads more information in the main NY sub forum.

Thanks. How do I find the NY sub forum?

There are a lot of forums on Flyertalk! Here is the USA head page, and you can probably work it from here.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/america-usa-437/

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/new-york-city-465/

All JFK hotel are, unfortunately, a bit mmmmmm

I moved the thread over to the NYC forum for you.

Prospero
Moderator: BA forum

TWA hotel is the clear winner. The rest are some version of awful.

TWA Hotel is the only lodging option on airport grounds, but I would NOT recommend it, especially if you are traveling with kids 10 and 11. It's very expensive, the rooms are very small, the walls are thin and carry sound between rooms, there is no room service, no wake-up calls, no clock radios, etc., and the only food on the premises is one expensive restaurant that requires reservations. Service ethic is nonexistent -- employees entirely unmotivated to assist you or make your stay better. Do yourselves a favor and take a taxi ten minutes away to a conventional property with better service and nearby pizza / burgers / etc. for the children.

The JFK Radison has nearly every amenity which the TWA lacks (per website) plus a shuttle. I've never stayed there but it looks good on paper. From map location it's probably the closest (except TWA) to JFK.

I will somewhat reluctantly agree with this.

It's a "fake" hotel which is a draw based on nostalgia.

Others are correct that most JFK hotels are not great, but perfectly serviceable for an overnight. The Hilton is likely the best option. I would recommend a call to the property directly to see what can be done about a large family room or suite at a discount. Lots of those deals can be cut directly given the timing here. Be sure to specify that they won't check in before 23:00 and will check out by 06:00. Can't get that flexibility online or with central reservations.

They arrive at 22.35 and depart at 08.00 so say 9 1/2 hours of time

Allow at least 30 mins to clear the CBP and collect bags and to have checked in an hour before the flight the next morning then they don't have a lot of time faffing about trying to get to an off site hotel so they then have 8 hours which includes gettign to and from the hotel so even less time to rest than that,

Whilst the TWA hotel isn't perfect in this case it will likely suit OPs Family members and their kids who will no doubt be tired and need a bed asap. If they were arriving earlier or departing later so had more time then yes an off airport hotel might indeed be better

As to estimated tax costs uber as a fare estimator tool on it's website.

I stayed there a few months ago with my 8 and 6 year olds, and they enjoyed it. Like the OP's scenario, we had about 7 hours on the ground, so I didn't want to spend one of them in a tired state wrangling kids and waiting on a shuttle. I really enjoyed the nostalgia, and found the staff to be very friendly (although I only had 2 interactions). Having said that, if you are willing to do the shuttle from a nearby hotel, I concur with others that I have enjoyed the Hilton JFK in the past, and it was more reasonable on cost.

Room rates around the Christmas holiday look to be $200-205 per room. But, there's a "facilities" fee and then a whole series of NY taxes. My guess is that it totals $250 per room.

Agreed. The area around JFK is literally gross. For me it’s either TWA hotel or I’m headed into the city.