The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is now trying to position the vacant TWA terminal at JFK Airport as a potential boutique hotel to developers.   They believe the property can be developed into a small, high end hotel serving the airport given the attractiveness of the Eero Saarinen designed building.

Anyone with any airline romance in their heart would hate to see that terminal continue to go unused or, worse, torn down.  It presently stands in front of the new jetBlue terminal and it’s great that it has been retained, so far, for its presence and attractiveness.

However, one has to wonder at the reality 0f developing such a property into a hotel and at JFK no less.  JFK airport is not anywhere close to Manhattan (or other desired parts of New York City) and how pleasant can a hotel that is nearly airside at that airport be?  I’m not saying all hotels at airports are a bad idea.  This one, however, seems like a non-starter to me.  Too small to attract convention traffic, too far away from other features of NYC and, potentially, too difficult to access during weather events. 

The romanticist in me wants them to preserve and use that highly attractive building.  The pragmatist in me says a small, high end hotel isn’t the way to do it.

Filed under: Airports by ajax
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