A city base or a night at the airport, each charging a nightly fee. The William Vale, from about $260, for Williamsburg and a balcony off every room; the TWA Hotel, from about $225, for the night you land or fly, with a rooftop pool open all year.
The all-rounderA Williamsburg tower where every room has a balcony and the rooms at its west end face Midtown Manhattan, with a rooftop bar and a summer pool.
$$From about $260 a night
Choose The William Vale if
The catch
The entry King with Balcony is sold on neighbourhood views. The Manhattan skyline is promised only in categories with Manhattan View in the name and in the penthouse Vale Garden Residence.
The special oneSaarinen's 1962 TWA terminal at JFK as a hotel, with a bar in a Constellation and a runway-view pool.
$From about $225 a night
Choose TWA Hotel if
The catch
It is an airport hotel. Midtown is about 50 minutes away by AirTrain and the E train, so it works as a first or last night, not as a base for the city.
| Best for | The William Vale | TWA Hotel |
|---|---|---|
| Best design hotels in New York | On the list | On the list |
| Best value hotels in New York | On the list | On the list |
| Best hotels with a view in New York | On the list | Not on the list |
The William ValeTWA Hotel
The William Vale
TWA Hotel
The verdict
A city base or a night at the airport, each charging a nightly fee. The William Vale, from about $260, for Williamsburg and a balcony off every room; the TWA Hotel, from about $225, for the night you land or fly, with a rooftop pool open all year.
Questions people ask
A city base or a night at the airport, each charging a nightly fee. The William Vale, from about $260, for Williamsburg and a balcony off every room; the TWA Hotel, from about $225, for the night you land or fly, with a rooftop pool open all year.
Book it for the balcony, the rooftop and a Brooklyn base that still looks at Manhattan, and pay the step up to a Manhattan View room. Accept the subway ride to Midtown and a pool that only opens in summer. A tall, glassy Williamsburg tower where every room has a balcony and the rooftop bar is a neighbourhood fixture, so the hotel is busy and social and priced in the mid-range. Manhattan is in front of you rather than outside the door, and the pool only counts in summer.
It has an outdoor pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.
Book it for the night you land or the night before you fly, and spend it in the Sunken Lounge, aboard Connie and in the rooftop pool facing the runway. Base yourself in the city for everything in between. A landmark to spend one night at rather than a base for New York: the terminal, the bars and the pool on the roof are the stay, and Manhattan is the best part of an hour away. The price is modest for the city, the design is the whole point, and it runs on airport hours.
It has a rooftop pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.