Hilton New York JFK Airport To Close
The Hilton New York JFK Airport is shutting down this spring, according to a notice filed with New York State last week.
Avalon Hospitality Group, which manages the property, plans to close the business and lay off all 125 employees of the 356-room hotel in Queens on or around June 1, according to a Workforce Adjustment and Retraining Notice filed to the Department of Labor on Thursday.
The hotel is located at 144-02 135th Ave. in Queens, just across the Belt Parkway from John F. Kennedy International Airport, among a cluster of its competitors, including the Hampton Inn NY-JFK and the Courtyard by Marriott New York JFK Airport.
The hotel is owned by Soundview Real Estate Partners, according to property records. Soundview developed the property and opened it in 2012. Its closure comes as Soundview and Chartwell Hospitality prepare to open two new hotels in the nearby cluster.
The duo secured $94M in financing last year from MSD Partners for two hotels — a Marriott and a Residence Inn — which will be just next door to the JFK Hilton and total 542 keys, Commercial Observer previously reported.
The comings and goings in the hotels around it come as JFK Airport goes through its own $9.5B metamorphosis, partially funded by the Carlyle Group. Life insurance company Ullico and JLC Infrastructure are also investors in the project, while the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will build supporting infrastructure around the terminal, including roads and utilities.
The airport’s makeover is due for completion by 2028, with the gates of its first new terminal opening in 2026, according to the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The investment is part of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s vision to transform the airport, streamlining the security lines and sprints between far-flung gates that approximately 60 million passengers go through annually, The New York Times previously reported.
Avalon Hospitality Group, MSD Partners, Soundview, Chartwell and the hotel’s union, the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council, didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
