At former TWA Terminal, a hotel is now boarding

New York

ALREADY sold out on its opening night, May 15, the new TWA Hotel at John F Kennedy International Airport, in the former 1962 TWA Flight Center designed by architect Eero Saarinen, will have 512 mid-century-furnished rooms, an infinity pool and lounge on the roof, a shop from Detroit-based watchmaker Shinola and a restaurant by chef Jean-George Vongerichten.

Nostalgia for both the period architecture and a defunct airline once considered the carrier to the stars is expected to be as much a driver of bookings as are Kennedy flyers enduring long layovers. But the TWA hotel is not alone among a new generation of airport hotels getting upgrades in style and amenities across the country.

As flying grows worldwide - the International Air Transport Association forecasts that passenger numbers will double in 20 years to 8.2 billion by 2037 - airports are betting they can capture some of these flyers at on-site hotels, which share revenue with their landlor…