The fabulously retro TWA Hotel at New York’s JFK airport boasts midcentury modern touches galore, from the vintage departures board clacking away in the Sunken Lounge to the wall-to-wall Twister Room to the former terminal’s overarching Eero Saarinen design. Now the property has transformed a rooftop infinity pool overlooking the runway into a cozy winter chalet, just in time for a post-holiday pick-me-up. 

TWA Hotel Runway Chalet at The Pool Bar interior - red fireplace on a round white foundation with red cushions
The TWA Hotel's Runway Chalet is now open © TWA Hotel

Dubbed The Runway Chalet at The Pool Bar, the 1960s ski lodge–themed space channels the après experience with cozy beverages (think: hot toddies and spiked hot chocolate) and snacks like salt and pepper fries, cheese and charcuterie plates, and chocolate fondue.

TWA Hotel Runway Chalet at The Pool Bar interior bar with white chairs, the red fireplace, and rattan light fixtures
The bar overlooks one of the airport's busiest runways © TWA Hotel

The bar is tented and heated, its centerpiece a vintage fireplace kitted out with electric logs, and there’s enough skiing gear strewn about that – if not for the jet fumes, and for the planes themselves – you'd almost forget you were gazing out on the airport’s Runway 4 Left/22 Right and not the slopes themselves. 

Two copper mugs, one with marshmallows and the other with a cinnamon stick on top, at the TWA Hotel Runway Chalet at The Pool Bar
The Weather Delay spikes hot chocolate with Belvedere vodka and marshmallows, while the Idlewild Hot Toddy features Sailor Jerry spiced rum and hot apple cider with a cinnamon-stick garnish © TWA Hotel

Even if it seems too cold for a dip, the “pool-cuzzi” is open for swimming, with water set to a steaming 95℉. But if stripping down to your skivvies in sub-zero temps doesn’t appeal, there’s always a more seasonally appropriate activity: ice-skating.

TWA Hotel Runway Chalet at The Pool Bar swimming pool overlooking the runway
During the winter, the rooftop infinity pool is heated to a balmy 95℉ © TWA Hotel

The 56ft by 44ft Runway Rink is built around the hotel’s tarmac-level cocktail lounge, housed in a 1958 Lockheed Constellation Connie airplane, and requires 3500 gallons of frozen New York City tap water to keep it in business. There’s open skating daily through February, weather permitting, at $15 for adults and $10 for kids, and a free skating show too, with performances on Friday and Saturday evenings. 

The ice skating rink by the runway at the TWA Hotel
The rink takes 3,500 gallons of New York City tap water to keep things frosty © TWA Hotel

The TWA Hotel opened in mid-May after three years of construction and renovations. The Runway Chalet is open from 11:00 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, and reservations are accepted. For more information, visit twahotel.com.

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