The TWA Hotel at JFK Airport is an aviation geek’s dream come true, thanks to the incredible design, amenities, and plane spotting. I reviewed the hotel several weeks ago, and was mostly very impressed.
One thing I noted in my review was that I was surprised they had a 10,000 square foot gym. That’s an absolutely massive gym (they claim it’s the world’s largest hotel gym), particularly at an airport hotel, where not many people actually seem to use gyms. I visited it a couple of times, and at most saw a couple of other people there.
Well, it looks like the TWA Hotel has plans for monetizing the space. The TWA Hotel JFK is now selling gym day passes and memberships:
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- You can buy a day pass for $25
- You can buy a monthly membership for $40
This really is a high quality gym that’s on par with some membership gyms that people may join. The gym has 14 Peleton bikes, free weights, battle ropes, kettle bells, a yoga studio, and 30+ pieces of cardio equipment.
This is an interesting option for a couple of reasons. First of all, if you have a long layover it can often be nice to hit a gym, so this is something else you could do during a JFK layover. I feel like this hotel has made long JFK layovers pretty awesome — you can have a meal or drink at the TWA Hotel, go to the gym, and before you know it you’ll be on your way.
The monthly membership fees could also make sense, especially given the pricing. A monthly membership costs as much as 1.6 visits. Presumably their target is those who may occasionally fly through JFK, who might use the gym a couple of times per month.
It’s also an intriguing option for anyone who works at JFK, who could be looking at a really reasonably priced gym membership. Given the location I’d say it’s not exactly an Equinox membership replacement (for those of you canceling your memberships), but it’s intriguing nonetheless.
I can’t imagine the gym will fill up because of this, but I imagine at least some people will take advantage of this.
Could you see yourself either getting a day pass or membership for the TWA Hotel gym?
#Sarah Schoofs-Cuccio - thank you - Yoga class - YES!
Definitely best hotel gym around. I was the only person in the gym on a Friday morning when I used it. I'd go back. I do wish there were more airport gym options for the really long layovers. I've used the "gym" that AA used to have in DFW a couple times. But, generally, there aren't a lot of options other than sitting either with or without food.
I'd be totally up for priority...
Definitely best hotel gym around. I was the only person in the gym on a Friday morning when I used it. I'd go back. I do wish there were more airport gym options for the really long layovers. I've used the "gym" that AA used to have in DFW a couple times. But, generally, there aren't a lot of options other than sitting either with or without food.
I'd be totally up for priority pass gyms. Obviously, the challenge is that you need at least a three hour layover for a workout to make sense. Maybe 2.5 hours... but when I have one it would be great.
Hi! My name is Sarah & I manage TWA Fitness.. Thank you for the article Ben! With all of the attention the hotel has received, our amazing facility is often overlooked. I would also like to include that we offer personal training & yoga sessions. We are about to roll out classes on Tuesday/Thursday mornings & evenings with our amazing instructors. If anyone has any additional questions, you can reach out at [email protected].
Thanks...
Hi! My name is Sarah & I manage TWA Fitness.. Thank you for the article Ben! With all of the attention the hotel has received, our amazing facility is often overlooked. I would also like to include that we offer personal training & yoga sessions. We are about to roll out classes on Tuesday/Thursday mornings & evenings with our amazing instructors. If anyone has any additional questions, you can reach out at [email protected].
Thanks again! :)
Sarah
@michael - Sweet! I usually stay at the Parker for the full Olympic gym but will see if I can figure out a way to start or finish my next NYC trip with a visit to the TWA gym.
Used the gym on Tuesday afternoon. I had a 7 hour layover flying ORD-JFK-AUH. Easy to get to, great quality sum and impressive locker room. I got in a 60 minute cardio workout + some weights. Great shower facilities. Then a cocktail in the lobby lounge before heading over to T4 and the Etihad Lounge. Well worth the $25!!
@Michael, on commercial Pelotons you just log in and... you're watching classes live or recorded.
They are sold with a subscription. My building has one; it's amazing.
Priority Pass
First it was lounges.
Then dayrooms.
Then restaurants.
Maybe time for a gym?
Having stayed there recently it makes sense for them to make their gym huge because they need to fill that huge space they have with something. I wonder how they will fill the rest of the actual public areas now. The museum of flight attendant outfits is fun, as are the vintage cars, but it feels very empty and almost barren at the moment.
What they are operating now feels like hotel "pop-up" and not a full-fledged property.
@Jamie Thompson: they have both.
The gym is awesome, unfortunately locked into what is a barely-functioning motel. When speaking to the manager of the gym, he indicated that there are 40K employees in the JFK airport complex, not including airline staff who travel through. Great point about understanding the wage profile of the target demographic @MCasey.
@Lucky - is there a shower in the gym? Because if there's a shower holy hell is that worth it, especially for JetBlue fliers.
@ hipper & Lucky - Yes FA and FO could afford it, but most of the “Airport Employees” that work there are contracted agents with a low pay scale.
Wondering if the cost include the use of the outdoor pool?
@Sam, that's probably right for the monthly memberships but I could totally see getting a day pass to a gym if I had a long layover someplace. I'm actually based in New York so I wouldn't use this since I'd just go to my regular gym, but there have definitely been times when I had a very long layover as a result of a flight delay or misconnect, and the option to go to a gym at the airport would have been perfect.
If gym usage is still low..... Priority Pass!!!!
Is there a bench rack or squat rack? If not, not a gym.
don't really know why they thought 14 Peloton bikes would be necessary, those don't come cheap and without the subscription it's no different than a regular bike.
I would assume their target audience with this is airport / airline staff, not occasional travelers. It would be a very logical gym for people who work at the airport.
At YYZ Terminal 1 there is a GoodLife fitness (the dominant gym chain up here) in the terminal, land side. Mix of people with memberships travelling through and staff.
FWIW this is easily the best hotel gym I’ve ever been to (and they claim the largest in the world- who knows). Far better than your typical Equinox in terms of provisioning. Even has 2 full sets of calibrated weightlifting plates (no idea why but I’ll take it)
You nailed it- this will no doubt be beneficial for flight attendants and airport employees. As a FA who primarily flies out of JFK, I'm signing up for this today.