For travelers who will be frequenting New York City’s JFK airport, your trip accommodations options have now been given a shot in the arm through a most spectacular addition. On Wednesday, May 15th, the brand new TWA Hotel saw its grand opening among much fanfare.
By: James Shillinglaw
The 512-room hotel is opening what effectively will be the only rooftop infinity pool and observation deck at the airport, both of which will remain open 365 days a year.
The water in the 63-by-20-foot infinity edge pool will cool guests in the sweltering summers, but in winter it turns into a pool-cuzzi and can be heated up to 100 degrees. Whatever the weather, the highly filtered water is purified every 30 minutes (a standard pool recirculates every six hours). Lounge chairs and TWA towels will be available at The Pool Bar & Observation Deck.
Inspired by the infinity edge pool at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d’Antibes, France, the new swimming spot has a beach entry and underwater seating, as well as a TWA logo mosaic in the signature colors of gold and red. The infinity pool and its 10,000-square-foot observation deck overlooks JFK’s bustling Runway 4 Left/22 Right, with views all the way to Jamaica Bay.
At 12,079 feet long, 4L/22R is one of the biggest runways at JFK, the fifth-busiest airport in the United States. Jets bearing the livery of American Airlines, JetBlue, Lufthansa, Delta and 70 other carriers take off and land on the stretches of concrete just beyond the TWA Hotel.
The observation deck also provides a view of the famous Bay Runway, measuring 14,511 feet long (almost three miles), runway 13 Right/31 Left is the second-longest commercial runway in North America. Indeed, the Bay Runway served as the backup landing strip for NASA’s Space Shuttle. Despite the heavy runway traffic at JFK’s 128 gates, the deck is surprisingly quiet.
Gerber Group, owner-operator of 12 innovative cocktail lounges, including Mr. Purple and The Campbell at Grand Central Terminal, will operate The Pool Bar & Observation Deck. In addition to a variety of cocktails, Gerber will serve food from a full rooftop kitchen. Guests of the TWA Hotel are welcome to use the pool as part of their stay; non-hotel guests can make reservations at twahotel.com/the poolbar. The Pool Bar & Observation Deck also can host private events for up to 300 people.
“Our rooftop pool provides a JFK runway view that rivals an air traffic controller’s vantage point,” says Tyler Morse, CEO and managing partner of MCR and Morse Development. “There’s simply no better place for plane-spotting—and enjoying a cocktail—in the world.”
The TWA Hotel, JFK Airport’s only on-airport hotel, will also feature: six restaurants, including the Paris Café, and eight bars, including The Sunken Lounge; an Intelligentsia coffee bar and coffee carts throughout the hotel grounds; 50,000 square feet of event space, including a 15,000-square-foot ballroom; the world’s biggest hotel gym: a 10,000-square-foot fitness center; high-end retail outlets, including a Shinola custom watch bar and leather goods store; a Lockheed Constellation “Connie” L-1649A transformed into a cocktail lounge; museum exhibitions on TWA, the Jet Age and midcentury modern design curated by the New-York Historical Society. (NYJTG)
