Most travelers treat airport arrivals and departures like a mandatory punishment. They follow the signs, join the traffic, fight for a space at the curb and hope an airport cop doesn’t start blowing his whistle before they’ve unloaded the luggage.
I’ve spent decades traveling around the world, and I’ve learned that the obvious route isn’t necessarily the best one. At certain airports, the hotel has a separate entrance and connects to the terminal through a walkway, tunnel, skybridge or airport train. You can sometimes avoid the passenger curb altogether, without paying for a hotel room.
I recently used this trick in Bangkok, and it worked like a charm. Instead of fighting my way through the traffic at Suvarnabhumi Airport’s departures level, I had my driver drop me at the Hyatt Regency, formerly the Novotel. I walked through the hotel, took the air-conditioned underground passageway into the terminal and headed for check-in. No traffic nightmare, no sweating through my clothes and no driver getting yelled at for stopping too long. Best of all, I wasn’t even staying at the hotel.
That got me thinking about how many other major airports have similar arrangements. The answer is quite a few. Here are 25 of the best candidates I’ve identified, including several I’ve personally used and others whose airport connections make them worth investigating.
United States
JFK, New York — TWA Hotel. The restored TWA Flight Center connects directly to JetBlue’s Terminal 5 through the original flight tubes. Enter through the hotel’s designated road entrance and walk to T5. For other terminals, use the AirTrain. The famous architecture is a bonus, and so is avoiding a crowded passenger curb when the hotel approach works in your favor.
ORD, Chicago O’Hare — Hilton Chicago O’Hare Airport. Located across from Terminals 1, 2 and 3, with underground pedestrian connections to all three. Have your driver approach the Hilton rather than automatically heading for the regular departures curb. Terminal 5 requires an additional airport transit connection.
DTW, Detroit — The Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Located within the McNamara Terminal complex, with hotel vehicle access and an interior terminal connection. Particularly useful for Delta passengers. The separate Evans Terminal requires an additional transfer.
