If you are an aviation geek or just love novelty hotels, today’s article will give you some inspiration for some unusual places to stay.
In this post:
TWA hotel New York JFK
If you love the glamour of the golden age of travel, then the TWA hotel will be for you. Reviews of the hotel are very variable – TLFL’s Paul was underwhelmed by the hotel itself. Claudio wasn’t keen on the hotel experience either but thought it was a must for an avgeek. However, the building, pool and cocktail bar in an old Constellation plane are all worth a visit if you don’t fancy staying there.
To use the pool as a non-guest there is now a charge as follows:
- Weekday Day Pass: $25
- Weekend Day Pass: $50
- Minimum Spend at Restaurant/Bar: $50 plus 20% service charge
The advantage of the TWA hotel is that it is actually attached to the terminal 5, unlike other airport hotels there which require a train to Federal Circle and then a shuttle.
Prices are not cheap starting at around $225 for the basic room. Rooms with a view of the runway cost more.
You can read Paul’s full review here.
You can find prices and availability for the TWA hotel here.
Jumbo Stay
We normally would not feature a hostel on TLFL but seeing that this is a very special type of hostel and that you are only likely to spend one night there, I’ll make an exception.
You get to spend the night in a real, converted B747 – on the ground by Stockholm’s Arlanda airport. The plane is a B747-212B from 1976. It was last operated by Transjet, a Swedish airline that went bankrupt in 2002. The aircraft was originally built for Singapore Airlines and later flew for the legendary Pan Am.
One of the most luxurious rooms is more of a hotel room than a hostel room. The cockpit suite costs from £150 per night and features two adjustable beds, a flatscreen TV, free wireless internet and a private bathroom with shower. Breakfast is also included in the price.
You can find more information and book rooms here.
Haneda Excel hotel Tokyo
A hotel at Haneda airport in Tokyo attached to terminal 2 has installed a fully functional flight simulator into one of the hotel bedrooms to celebrate the hotel’s 15th anniversary. The room is called the “Superior Cockpit Room”, but sadly guests are not allowed to use the equipment without an instructor. A transparent screen separates the cockpit from the room.
You can learn to fly in the simulator in a 90-minute session under the guidance of an instructor, for 30,000 Yen ($276). Guests can choose to book the room in the Haneda Excel hotel for the night for an additional 25,300 Yen ($233). According to CNN Travel, Haneda Excel Hotel spent approximately ¥10 million (US$92,000) to install the flight simulator.
Renaissance Hotel Heathrow
When it came to including a hotel closer to home it was a toss-up between this or the Hilton Garden Inn T2 that I reviewed here. The Renaissance won for being a bit closer to the action, although the rooftop terrace at the Hilton Garden Inn promises to make that a summer favourite Heathrow stay. The Renaissance is situated on the Bath Road and has good connections to the airport.
If you have Marriott status or book a club room, the Executive Club lounge is a great spot for a bit of runway viewing with a drink and some canapes in the evening.
The Renaissance hotel is reasonably priced starting around £70. You can pay a bit more if you want to have a view of the runway, but be advised it can be a little noisy! You can read our full review here.
To check prices and availability click here.
1 comment
I stayed at the Hampton Garden Inn on Sunday (18 Aug), before an 0830 flight the following morning. I booked it with a discount because it had just opened, before Michele reviewed it. I thought it a good hotel for an overnight stay, with the great weakness that there isn’t a single sign to it from the Heathrow Express; indeed the Directions on the hotel’s website assume that one will be driving to Heathrow! (A daft assumption). Luckily when I had been dropped at LHR a couple of weeks before I had spotted where it is.
I pointed out these defects to a manager, which may have been why I was given a 13th floor room with a view at dawn over T2 and a clear view of both runways, which were being used in mixed mode, thus increasing the fun. If I stay there again and get a lower floor room it will be most disappointing.
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