TWA Hotel will open new ‘Runway Rink’ for ice skating

It’s been six months since the TWA Hotel officially reopened after years of work to breathe new life into Eero Saarinen’s midcentury modern landmark. The hotel has 512 rooms, a lounge, event space, and a rooftop infinity pool—and soon, it’ll get its very own ice skating rink.

The new amenity, deemed the Runway Rink, will be located on the tarmac near the hotel’s Connie cocktail lounge (located in a decommissioned Lockheed Constellation airplane), and will open on November 30. In addition to skating sessions, the rink will host shows inspired by Connie’s history.

“We’re creating the Rockefeller Center of Queens,” Tyler Morse, CEO and managing partner of MCR/MORSE Development, said in a statement.

Admission to the wintry attraction isn’t all that pricey compared to other NYC ice skating rinks: It’s $15 for adults, $10 for children under 12 years old. Ice skates will also be available to rent for $10 and $8 for children under 12. It’ll be open seven days a week until the end of February.

The TWA Hotel reopened to much fanfare back in May, following a significant revamp. The Saarinen building originally opened in 1962 and remained in use for 39 years, up to 2001, when it ended operations. The Port Authority, which owns the building, later hired architecture firm Beyer Blinder Belle to restore the space, and formal plans for its revamp surfaced in 2015. The hotel itself, located behind the TWA Terminal, was designed by Lubrano Ciavarra Architects, with Stonehill Taylor on the interiors. Those nod to the Saarinen building’s history with plenty of midcentury details.