New York (TAN): You have probably spent several hours, or at the most a night at airport terminals while flying, but ever an entire vacation? I think not. But now you can.
A long-abandoned terminal at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport has been transformed into a hotel, which started accepting reservations yesterday.
The hotel will formally open its doors to guests on May 15 this year.
An iconic structure
The property, now christened TWA Hotel, was formerly known as the TWA Flight Center. Designed by Eero Saarinen, the historic building had opened in 1962.
Declared a New York City Landmark in 1994, the TWA Flight Center closed after Trans World Airlines stopped operations in 2001, and was subsequently acquired by American Airlines.
While the original structure was inspired by neofuturism, its open, fluid design coupled with a thin roof gave an impression of flight interiors.
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Perfect blend of retro and modern
Following the redevelopment, the hotel will now feature 512 bedrooms, six restaurants, eight bars, shops and a rooftop pool. Bedrooms will be fitted with noise-cancelling floor-to-ceiling windows to ensure guests enjoy views of the airport’s runway minus the noise.
The 1960s-style interiors will have retro TWA posters, vintage rotary phones, and the renovated iconic arched, red-carpeted flight tubes that were seen in Steven Spielberg’s 2002 film Catch Me If You Can.
Not just that, the hotel will also exhibit a museum dedicated to the Jet Age, with vintage uniforms, original in-flight facilities and other souvenirs, a classic Italian Solari split-flap mechanical message board, and a 10,000-square-foot rooftop observation deck and pool.
It will also have a restaurant by French-American chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and an airtrain to JFK terminals.
A decommissioned 1958 Lockheed Constellation airplane “Connie”, the model that broke the transcontinental speed record in 1946 and served as President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Air Force One in the 1950s, has been transformed into a cocktail lounge just outside the hotel. It has been reinstated with original parts, including cockpit controls.
The hotel has been redeveloped by US-based MCR and Morse Development. According to media reports, CEO of MCR and Morse Development Tyler Morse said that the project was a labour of love.
Room rates start at USD 239 per night, excluding taxes and fees.
