As promised, here are some pictures and thoughts about the TWA hotel at JFK for
@Lain and anyone else who is interested:
We cleared customs at JFK (wish we had gotten Global Entry instead of TSA pre-check btw) and found our way to the TWA Hotel around 7:30pm on Wednesday night. We had to walk in a street around a curve to get from the AirTrain exit to the hotel which a little unnerving with kids. No signage to lead us there but we were lucky to find a couple who had been there earlier in the day who was going the same way.
Check-in was very automated and basically there was a guy behind the desk that sort of walked us through how to check in using an iPad. I found it to be the least warm/ personal greeting I have ever had at a hotel.
We booked a Deluxe Double Queen which is their standard room for 4 guests. We had thought about booking a runway view but didn't plan to spend much time in the room during our one night stay so it was fine. (We did have a nice view of a bus stop lol).
There was a well-stocked mini-bar and plenty of snacks available for purchase... ($5 can of Coke to go with your $6 dollar mini tube of Pringles anyone?) The bathrobe was comfy but not sure why they didn't have more than one for a room that is meant for 2-4 guests. Check out the blue lights on the fridge because they will be important later...
The small bathroom looked neat but the shower was not enclosed with a curtain or a door so it made for a wet bathroom floor. It didn't help that the drain was super slow so the shower filled up like a tub while 4 of us showered as quickly as we could (right before checkout so we didn't have time to request someone to fix it).
We got dressed for the pool and planned to get some drinks and snacks at the pool bar while the kids swam. They were out of 3 of the 4 menu items that we were interested in so we got the fries (which were delicious) and the charcuterie board (which was really more of a cheese board). Total price for a few beers a few wines 2 fries and the charcuterie was just over $100 before tip.
They had a small cafe cart in the lobby but the only choice for breakfast with any gluten free options (for DW) was going into the Paris cafe (which is upscale dining in the evening). 2 omelettes, 1 stack of pancakes and a fruit plate with 2 milks for the kids ran us about $100 before tip. What made it worse was that we had ordered buttermilk pancakes for the kids to split but the server ordered GF pancakes (I guess confused after my wife talking about options for herself). When the food arrived and we let the server know about the error she apologized and said she would put in the order for buttermilk pancakes right away (it took about 1/2 hour for the buttermilk pancakes to arrive).
We had planned on swimming in the pool one more time and showering before checkout so I had asked and been granted a 12pm checkout instead of the standard 11am checkout (which was good since we spent so long at breakfast). When we got back from the pool our key did not work in the room so I had to go back down to the desk to get it reactivated which was kind of a pain since it takes some work to get back to the main lobby.
By the way, those are the "cons". I'll do another post for the "pros" and then wrap it up with some final thoughts.
. First, DH applied and was approved for the SW card with the 60,000 bonus points. We made a couple of hefty charges for a home project which met our spend for the bonus. Unfortunately, since it won't stop raining in Wisconsin, we have to cancel the project which means returning the supplies. It is not my intention to get away with anything and quite honestly, I prefer to stay in good graces with SW. Will they take the bonus points away? We don't use the card for anything else, but would it be better for me to use it to "re-meet" the spend?
Same! I am the mom who drags the car seat everywhere and makes crazy plans to make it work.
