TWA Hotel JFK Review and Photos

This TWA Hotel JFK review is from my recent stay, a result of JetBlue changing its flight schedule after I'd already checked in, forcing me to take an earlier flight to avoid a misconnect (somehow JetBlue's systems failed to flag this, so watch out for last minute JetBlue changes as the airline continues to cut flights and routes).

TWA Hotel JFK Location

The TWA Hotel JFK is right next to JFK Terminal 5 (JetBlue's terminal), making it the only JFK hotel that is directly connected to the airport. That's the best thing about the hotel, and unfortunately you pay heavily for the privilege; my rate for the least expensive room for my stay date, a Deluxe Room, was well over $500 for the night.

TWA Hotel JFK Lobby

If the TWA Hotel JFK was being reviewed solely on its TWA decor, it would get high marks. There's charming TWA memorabilia to the right, after exiting the elevator:

The lobby is gargantuan, with tons of seating; arguably a good respite for anyone trying to escape the chaos of the Arrivals Hall.

There's also a Twister room and 1960s-style beauty parlor:

Deluxe Room, TWA Hotel JFK

I wasn't happy to see that no one had bothered fixing the key area of the door:

It should have looked like this:

How a door is supposed to look, TWA Hotel JFK

Fortunately the actual magnetic lock worked.

Deluxe Rooms have 1962-inspired decor, including Eero Saarinen-designed midcentury modern Knoll furnishings and a retrofitted vintage Western Electric 500 rotary phone.

Life Magazine, Rotary Phone at TWA Hotel JFK

The room overlooks a busy road, so you'll want to keep either the shades down.

View from Deluxe Room, TWA Hotel JFK Review

For those who like cooler rooms at night, note that the air conditioning doesn't go below 66 degrees, and in fact mine struggled to get the room below 68. It's also incredibly loud, or at least mine was.

While the beds supposedly have Sealy mattresses, they were way too firm to be comfortable, and the sheets were quite wrinkled.

The small bathroom has a single vanity, as expected (luxury this is not), no toiletries, and cheap shampoo/conditioner/body wash dispensers in the shower. The problem is that there's a pane of glass only half covering the shower, so plenty of water sprays outside on to the floor and bath mat. Poor design, and dangerous, as it leads to a slippery bathroom floor.

Deluxe King Bathroom, TWA Hotel JFK Review

Shampoo, Conditioner, TWA Hotel JFK Review

The Verdict

While its location is undeniably convenient, the TWA Hotel JFK is one of the worst value hotels I've ever stayed in; no wonder it only gets 3.4 out of 5 on Tripadvisor, which is pretty poor. Not only did the self check-in machine I used fail to properly magnetize the room key, the solo employee working (with a “manager” who did nothing) failed to properly magnetize both of my keys the first time, so I was quite delayed getting into my room. No one had bothered to fix the broken door to my room (fortunately the key still worked). The shower lacks a closing door, so water spills out, drenching the floor/bath mat. My room was definitely not quiet; I heard plenty of hallway noise and noise from the room above me, so my sleep was fitful, at best, on a way too firm mattress. If only whoever put up this joke of a hotel had spent half as much as they did on TWA memorabilia on what people really value in a hotel: quick check-in, helpful staff, a quiet room, a comfortable bed, and a shower that doesn't spray water over the bathroom floor. Oh well.