An abandoned terminal at New York's JFK airport is being transformed into a swanky new hotel

For decades, New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport has stood as one of the world's largest aviation hubs, servicing some 50 million passengers a year. But modern times have seen it fall behind pioneering airports in places like Singapore and Zurich, which have begun adding facilities (like cinemas for filling longer layovers, spas, nap rooms, and hotels worthy of any city center) to better service their travelersfacilities JFK has been seriously lacking. No longer.The team from MCR Development (also behind Manhattan's High Line Hotel, another storybook reclamation project), alongside government officials, held a groundbreaking ceremony last month at JFKs long-abandoned TWA Flight Center for the airports first high-end hoteland it looks like it's going to be a doozy.RELATED: Best Airports for a LayoverThe iconic terminala futuristic, bird-like structure with outstretched wings and just-as-impressive sleek interiors, commissioned in 1962 by eccentric entrepreneur Howard Hughes and designed by famed Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinenstood empty for years but remained untouched thanks to a New York City Landmark designation in 1994. The projected $265 million construction project will restore the building to its former glory and add a 505-room wing, designed as an ode to the golden age of air travel.While details on design specifics are still relatively unknown, we do know what else is in the works: a 10,000-square-foot observation deck where guests can watch the tireless dance of aircrafts arriving and departing, a bevy of dining options including a resurrected Ambassador's Club, and a museum dedicated to New York's role in the glamorous Jet Age of the 1960s (including exhibits dedicated to mid-century modern design, natch).Scheduled to open in fall 2018, the TWA Flight Center Hotel has positioned itself to usher in a new era for airport hotel design and JFK as a whole. We're crossing our fingers it lives up to the hype.MORE FROM JETSETTER:Where to Go in 2017The Coolest New Attractions in Florence10 Stylish (and Affordable) NYC HotelsSEE ALSO:New York City's most iconic hotel is closing indefinitely ' take a look back at its star-studded pastJoin the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: There is a secret US government airline that flies out of commercial airports
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