Ramada Plaza JFK Hotel

Ramada Plaza JFK Hotel was a former airport hotel located in Airport Building 144 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in the South Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens, New York City. While it operated, it was described as JFK Airport's only on-site hotel. The six-story building had a white-brick exterior and 478 guest rooms, positioning it primarily as a practical lodging facility for air travelers, airline personnel, airport visitors, and people with flight connections. The property opened on May 8, 1958, under the name International Hotel. Over the course of its history it operated under several management and brand arrangements. Before adopting the Ramada name, it was managed by Forte Hotels and marketed as the Travelodge New York JFK. It subsequently operated as the Ramada Plaza JFK, connecting the property with the wider Ramada hotel brand while remaining situated on airport property controlled by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The hotel's role extended beyond ordinary accommodation during a series of major aviation disasters involving flights that had originated at JFK. After the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800, the hotel was used to house relatives of passengers and crew, support bereavement-related services, and accommodate journalists covering the recovery and identification process. It later served similar functions for families connected with Swissair Flight 111 in 1998, EgyptAir Flight 990 in 1999, and American Airlines Flight 587 in 2001. Because of this recurring role, the property was sometimes informally called the “heartbreak hotel.” It became a temporary gathering point where relatives could receive information, await the identification and release of remains, and obtain grief-related assistance. U.S. President Bill Clinton visited the hotel while it was accommodating relatives of TWA Flight 800 victims. The property’s final years were shaped by its lease arrangements and the need for substantial renovation. For several years, the Port Authority leased the building and site to Westmont Hospitality Group. Westmont decided not to renew its lease for 2009, and after the existing lease expired in late 2008, the Port Authority resumed control and leased the facility to Highgate Holdings for a one-year period. The Port Authority’s preliminary 2010 budget indicated that closing the hotel could produce estimated savings of approximately $1 million per month, citing declining aviation activity and the requirement for major renovation. The hotel closed on December 1, 2009, leaving nearly 200 employees redundant. The Port Authority then hoped to develop a new hotel on the airport property. JFK did not regain an on-site hotel until the opening of the TWA Hotel in 2019. The former Ramada Plaza JFK is therefore best understood as a defunct individual hotel property rather than an operating international brand.

Ramada Plaza JFK Hotel was established as the International Hotel on May 8, 1958. It occupied Airport Building 144 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York. The six-story building contained 478 rooms and was distinguished by its white-brick facade. Its location on airport property made it a specialized lodging facility for passengers and other airport users, and for much of its operating history it was regarded as JFK’s only on-site hotel. The hotel changed operators and brands over time. Before becoming a Ramada property, it was managed by Forte Hotels and operated under the Travelodge New York JFK name. It later became the Ramada Plaza JFK Hotel. Although the Ramada name linked it to a broader hotel brand, the property’s physical site and lease arrangements were controlled through the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the airport’s owner. The hotel acquired an important secondary function during several aviation disasters in the 1990s and early 2000s. After TWA Flight 800 crashed in 1996, the facility became a temporary base for victims’ relatives, recovery-related communication, bereavement services, and the media. Families waited there for information about the recovery, identification, and release of remains. The hotel’s use in this context led to the informal nickname “heartbreak hotel.” The same type of temporary support and gathering role followed the crashes of Swissair Flight 111 in 1998, EgyptAir Flight 990 in 1999, and American Airlines Flight 587 in 2001. President Bill Clinton visited the hotel while it was housing relatives of TWA Flight 800 victims. In the years before closure, the property’s lease structure changed. Westmont Hospitality Group had leased the building and site from the Port Authority for several years, but decided not to renew for 2009. After the lease expired in late 2008, the Port Authority resumed control and leased the hotel to Highgate Holdings for one year. A preliminary Port Authority budget issued in 2009 proposed that closing the hotel could save an estimated $1 million per month, attributing the rationale to reduced aviation activity and the need for extensive renovation. The hotel closed on December 1, 2009, and almost 200 employees lost their jobs. The Port Authority considered constructing a replacement hotel on the airport property. No on-site JFK hotel opened until the TWA Hotel began operating in 2019, leaving the Ramada Plaza JFK as a discontinued chapter in the airport’s accommodation history.

• 2009

  Hotel closes

  [1]Ramada Plaza JFK Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The Ramada Plaza JFK closed on December 1, 2009, amid declining aviation activity and the need for substantial renovation. Almost 200 employees were made redundant.

• 2008

  Port Authority resumes control after lease expiration

  [1]Ramada Plaza JFK Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  After the Westmont Hospitality Group lease expired in late 2008, the Port Authority resumed control of the property and arranged a subsequent one-year lease to Highgate Holdings.

• 2001

  Hotel supports families after American Airlines Flight 587

  [1]Ramada Plaza JFK Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel accommodated relatives of victims after American Airlines Flight 587 crashed shortly after departing the New York area.

• 1999

  Hotel supports families after EgyptAir Flight 990

  [1]Ramada Plaza JFK Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel again served as a temporary base for families connected with an aviation disaster involving EgyptAir Flight 990.

• 1998

  Hotel supports families after Swissair Flight 111

  [1]Ramada Plaza JFK Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The property hosted relatives and related support operations following the Swissair Flight 111 disaster.

• 1996

  Hotel becomes a support center after TWA Flight 800

  [1]Ramada Plaza JFK Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel provided accommodation, gathering space, bereavement-related support, and media facilities for people affected by the crash of TWA Flight 800.

• 1958

  International Hotel opens at JFK

  [1]Ramada Plaza JFK Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The property opened on May 8, 1958, as the International Hotel in Airport Building 144 at what is now John F. Kennedy International Airport.

• Property operates as Travelodge New York JFK

  [1]Ramada Plaza JFK Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Before adopting the Ramada identity, the hotel was managed by Forte Hotels and operated under the Travelodge New York JFK name.

A practical, full-service airport hotel offering on-site lodging at JFK, with an additional emergency-support role during major aviation incidents.

• Airport hotel · 1958

  Ramada Plaza JFK guest accommodation

  The property offered conventional hotel lodging in a six-story, 478-room building located directly on JFK airport property. Its principal customer base consisted of air travelers, airport visitors, and other users seeking convenient accommodation near flight facilities. The hotel’s on-site location differentiated it from airport hotels located outside the airport boundary.

• Crisis-support accommodation · 1996

  Emergency family and media facilities

  During several aviation disasters, the hotel was adapted into a temporary gathering and support center. It provided rooms and shared facilities for victims’ relatives, spaces for bereavement-related assistance, and accommodation or working space for media organizations covering the incidents. This was an important situational use of the property rather than a separately marketed commercial product.

• 2009

  Close the hotel rather than undertake immediate major renovationStrategy

  Background

  The Port Authority’s preliminary 2010 budget associated the property with declining aviation activity and a substantial renovation requirement. The hotel’s lease arrangements had also changed after Westmont Hospitality Group declined to renew for 2009.

  Action taken

  The hotel closed on December 1, 2009. The Port Authority indicated that closing could produce estimated savings of approximately $1 million per month and considered a future replacement hotel on the airport property.

  Aftermath

  Almost 200 employees were made redundant. JFK had no on-site hotel until the TWA Hotel opened in 2019.

  Estimated monthly savings from closure. $1 million per month estimated savings (Preliminary 2010 budget issued in 2009)

  Source

1. 1Ramada Plaza JFK Hotelen.wikipedia.org