When you start thinking about planning your wedding, an airport hotel probably isn’t near the top of your list, but you just might make an exception, for the truly extraordinary and unique TWA Hotel! Think gorgeous and immaculate mid-century modern vibes everywhere you look! It’s honestly one of the unique hotels and event venues in NYC, and maybe even the most unique hotel in America! Truly! Keep reading to find out more!

The History

The TWA hotel is contained within Eero Saarinen’s landmark 1962 TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport! Neat! And, as Mike Thornton, a curator for the New-York Historical Society, says: “The Saarinen terminal is a monument to the optimism and vision of the Jet Age.” 

And, the TWA Hotel makes history come alive with a large collection of exhibits including: 

•  flight attendant’s logs detailing five years of airborne adventures
•  vintage furniture from the TWA headquarters
•  a display of all 37 uniforms worn by flight staff from 1945-2001
•  In-flight amenities including gilded playing cards and silver serving ware from a bygone era or air travel. 
• The recreated offices of Eero Saarinen and Howard Hughes, complete with period-perfect details, which invite guests to imagine themselves at Saarinen’s drafting table or behind Hughes’s desk.

These are just some of the items showcased at the TWA Hotel, and The New-York Historical Society actually curated the exhibits, which are located in various spots throughout the former TWA terminal, as well as in their event center and in the areas that connect our hotel flight tubes to JetBlue’s Terminal 5, the exhibits will allow you and your guests to explore and experience the Jet Age through authentic artifacts, interactive displays and personally recorded narratives.

The Transformation

For three years, Turner Construction oversaw more than 400 incredibly skilled tradespeople every weekday, no matter the weather, to construct two gorgeous new hotel wings, install penny tile, gingerly replace all of the one-of-a-kind windows on site and coat their beloved landmark in a fresh coat (or five) of paint! Incredible!

The Event Spaces

The TWA Hotel offers over 50,000 square feet of mid-century modern-inspired event spaces, including outdoor terraces, a rooftop pool and an observation deck, and a fully restored  Connie N8083H Jetstream Airplane! 

‘The Connie’ was Commissioned in 1939 by TWA’s owner, Howard Hughes, and at the time the Lockheed Constellation “Connie” broke the era’s transcontinental speed record on a flight from Burbank, California, to New York in 1946. The plane also served as Air Force One (top) for President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1950s! Incredible!

The TWA Hotel has spaces that will work beautifully for both small and large gatherings!  The Hotel in fact boasts 45 distinct event rooms and five hospitality suites can host up to 1,600 people, and when you and your guest are ready to call it a night, you can retire to one of the hotel’s 512 ultra-quiet guestrooms. Trust us when we say it’s a venue like no other! There are simply too many details to include in this article! You’ll have to see it for yourself!