Designed as a celebration of the Jet Age, Eero Saarinen’s flight center at JFK Airport—made of four thin concrete lobes separated by ribbon skylights and supported on large buttresses flanked by two single-story wings—is now home to the TWA Hotel.
A new split-flap flight board (fabricated by the Italian company that made the building’s original one almost 60 years ago) hangs over the information and concierge desk, displaying fake airline arrivals and departures from mostly defunct airlines.
Clad in concrete and TWA’s signature red carpet and upholstery, the redo of the original sunken lounge to its original specs (without the ashtrays) boasts views of incoming and outgoing planes, as well as of the hotel’s rehabbed 1958 Connie plane that doubles as a bar.
The reception area at the hotel resembles an airport check-in area, complete with
Past reception, guests ascend a series of sweeping staircases that lead to the various F&B and retail outlets housed in the former flight center.
Saarinen’s restored soaring terminal serves as the heartbeat of the hotel.
Off the sunken lounge, the Paris Café, helmed by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, provides the perfect pot to watch planes take off from JFK.
The red carpet-lined flight tubes (made famous in the 2002 movie Catch Me If You Can) take guests to the hotel, and JFK’s JetBlue Terminal 5, beyond.
A closeup view of the flight tube that leads guests to Terminal 5 in JFK, as well as the hotel guestrooms.
Walls lined with red and white mosaic tiles create a dramatic effect in a corridor that leads to the events center.
Grand stairs lead to the double-height prefunction space of the events center, which, because it is located 29 feet below ground and the water level is 8 feet deep, required 2,000 gallons of water to be pumped out every minute for eight months during construction.
A presidential suite has midcentury charm, thanks to a mix of brass and walnut touches and Saarinen furniture, while subtle red accents and expansive floor-to-ceiling windows add to the sense of place.