Staying the night at the AMAZING 1960s TWA Hotel at JFK! (full review)

[Music] today's video sponsor is surf shark good morning and welcome to the TWA hotel at New York's JFK Airport look at that I'm going to give you a spoiler of this review right at the start the TWA hotel is a much better museum than it is an airport hotel I'll come on to its various shortcomings later but for now let's marvel at this magnificent Cathedral of aviation designed by Eero Saarinen in 1962 as the original TWA terminal at the beginning of the jet age this glorious piece of architecture now houses the public areas of a hotel with the accommodation being in two new towers as seen here the 1960s theme just oozes out of everything the hotel does in its public spaces there are even a few period vehicles left parked out front [Music] [Music] you can enter the hotel from the JetBlue terminal terminal 5 via a lift that's fun but nowhere near as marvelous as going in the main entrance Wow this building the head house which retains most of its original features utterly encapsulate s' the age where confidence was returning to the US and the West in the post-war period and the world was getting progressively smaller with the advent of the jet age here there's glamour to spare it's rather like standing in a giant Thunderbirds TV set and half expecting to find a boarding card for the fire flash to London in my hand check-in is of course at the old check-in counters oddly you're expected to check yourself in via a kiosk and most of the front of the building is given up to not one but two food and drink outlets [Music] the blade helicopter taxi service to Manhattan also has a desk here [Music] there's also a twister room today I learned this game was invented in 1966 the rest of the public area is given up to a sunken cocktail bar and a splendid collection of former TWA uniforms from the airline's inception to its sad end in 2001 when it merged with American Airlines [Music] the exhibition is by the old ambassadors Club TW A's VIP and business class lounge and is well worth checking out [Music] on the mezzanine is the Paris cafe and the Lisbon lounge bar these aren't run by the hotel on I'll come my dinner experience later on [Music] honestly just being in this building is an uplifting experience it's like a polished relic and transported me so vividly back in time like no other building I can recall there are even old rotary phones on the ball you can listen to a special message from TWA but instead here's a message from today's sponsor today's video sponsor is surf shark an award-winning VPN which you should use to keep you safe on public Internet access some blocked content overseas and it can also help you find some lower air fares to in the upcoming example I'm searching using kayak on my phone with surf shark turned off let's look at London to Sydney a really popular route 653 pounds return is the cheapest fare for these dates now sir shark can spoof your location perfectly legally and because airline fares vary by country or cell you can sometimes find cheaper ones turn on the VPN and select your location as a low-income country and search again and here we've made a saving of 19 pounds as an Air China fare has become available get sir shark by going to sir shark dot deals for slashing in it for eighty-three percent off and a month extra for free [Music] [Music] [Music] I've gone on for long enough about how stunning the main building is and really it is well worth a visit but now let's go to the newly built accommodation towers first stop the pool which you've probably all seen before it's worth saying it was November when I visited and boy was it cold up here so there were no brave swimmers in the pool and definitely no alfresco dining happening but hey what a view [Music] the only people braving the cold were a handful of aviation enthusiasts something I've not seen much of in other reviews is the conferencing area it's underneath the accommodation towers and it's huge there are loads of 1960s themed rooms and the decor attempts to echo the jet age theme found in the head house and quite successfully to this space must be awesome to hold formal events in and I love the color scheme I'm a big fan [Music] also notice the mock hangar doors on the constellation ballroom a nice touch [Music] talking of constellations there's one parked out the back Connie as she's affectionately called now hosts the hotels feature cocktail bar we'll come back to her a bit later when it's dark [Music] [Music] [Music] elsewhere in the hotel is a faithful replica of Howard Hughes the former owner of TWA s office a sort of Museum room showing what affluent American homes look like in 1962 and a replica of Eero Saarinen studio [Music] there are even replica designs located in the files which you're welcome to browse if you're a literature connoisseur you'll want to check out the library in the head house [Music] now on to the room it's expensive to stay here 250 $1.00 bought this executive king runway view suite for the night I'm not really sure why they call it a suite it's just one room and the room isn't that great to be honest for the price this supporting pillar took up some floor space and while the room looks great this suite is way smaller than most regular airport hotel rooms around JFK this expensive suite doesn't even come with a coffee machine and I rather suspect us because the hotel wants you to visit the public area for a coffee which of course you'd have to pay extra for it come on even a Hampton Inn has coffee I'm really not a fan of generic brand refill toiletries for the same reasons noted travel blogger Gary left isn't while we're at it I'll rattle off some other criticisms the restaurants and bars are all separately operated by different companies and the hotel can't help you with reservations so you have to do it online and it just seems needlessly complex for hotel check-in is too late at 4 p.m. which is an hour later than most Airport hotels and doesn't respect the various needs of international travelers and all the restaurants cafes and the cocktail bar definitely need a reservation even for breakfast and breakfast starts at 8 which is way too late for an airport hotel what kind of hotel has a reservation for breakfast never come across it before also security as an on staying guest you can just wander around the whole place even the floors with rooms on without being challenged I checked out at 11 a.m. and stayed until past 4:00 p.m. waiting for my flight there are precious few staff in the public areas and the experience really seems to be basically a brilliant museum with a three-star Hotel stuck on to it there isn't even a bin in the room if you eat an apple you've got to let it rot here on the writing desk TWA hotel please give me a bin [Music] dinner at the Paris cafe was interesting the surroundings are faultlessly chic and the menu predictably expensive but the service was so-so and the local interpretation of fish and chips was laughably bad my dining companions Ghannouchi was a little better finally it was one to Connie for a cocktail [Music] [Music] [Music] the surroundings again were superb and a real aviation enthusiasts dream I even managed to get a wing view the pictures really speak for themselves this is a unique setting for a cocktail [Music] [Music] in summary yes the TWA hotel is a far better museum of aviation and architecture than it is a hotel it's an exquisite gem of a place but next time I'm at JFK I'll be using the Hampton Inn sorry I definitely don't regret staying though and I really you really recommend you visit once it really is an unparalleled experience however it is a novelty and given the steep price and low practicality it's unlikely to make you want to return thanks again to my sponsor Cerf sharp without whom you wouldn't be seeing this video don't forget to visit surf shark doc deals forward slash winging it for eighty-three percent off and a month extra for free Cheers and I'll see you next time you

Channel: Wingin’ It! Paul Lucas

Views: 113,006

Rating: 4.8784866 out of 5

Keywords: twa hotel, twa terminal, jfk, new york, twa hotel review, twa hotel plane spotting, connie, constellation, twa hotel constellation, review, hotel review, Paul lucas, runway view, twa hotel runway view, suite, twa hotel tour, twa hotel pool, twa hotel history, Eero saarinen, twa hotel New York airport, twa hotel jfk, twa hotel room tour, JFK airport hotel, architecture

Id: -3aFZDVxpw4

Length: 14min 31sec (871 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 30 2020