The Pool Bar — Restaurant in New York

I saw earlier reviews saying the service attitude was very poor, but I didn’t pay much attention. Unfortunately, they were right — the attitude was terrible.

On April 25, 2025, I visited the TWA Hotel pool with a day pass. As a first-time foreign tourist and swimming enthusiast, I was excited to visit this iconic place. Sadly, it became the only discriminatory experience during my month-long trip across eight U.S. cities.

I had a transparent waterproof bag and a foldable tripod. A staff member immediately said tripods weren’t allowed. I respected that and never used it. I only filmed myself minimally with a small handheld DJI Pocket 3.

They claimed filming might disturb others, but there were only me and a couple in the pool. When the woman kindly offered to help film, the staff stopped her, saying “No tripods,” despite my explanation that it wasn’t a tripod and we weren’t filming anyone else.

Minutes later, I saw other guests freely using large cameras and phones—no staff intervention. Two men had professional DSLR gear for plane-spotting and were not stopped.

Feeling singled out, I confronted the staff member. She couldn’t explain why others could film but I couldn’t and sent me to the manager.

The manager offered two options: either remove my clothes and swim again to be allowed filming, or a $25 refund. This felt dismissive and humiliating. There was no proper changing room, just a cramped stall. When I asked for their names to complain, both staff and manager refused in writing. The female staff even tried to slam a door on me, and the manager threatened to call security.

This treatment was unacceptable. Though my English is limited, I was treated like a nuisance, not a guest. The double standard and cold attitude made me feel unwelcome and discriminated against.

I ask: • Why was I the only one stopped? • Why no apology? • Why were others allowed large cameras while I was singled out?

This ruined a part of what should have been a happy memory. I hope the hotel reflects on its staff’s attitude and training. If the pool is public, service should be fair and welcoming.

I will file formal complaints with relevant organizations. This is a call for accountability.

Before visiting, I admired the hotel’s vintage red design and even bought a matching swimsuit. But this experience left a shadow on my impression of America. I don’t know if the employees are American, but they represented America to me — and it was a negative image.

After traveling to many U.S. cities for a month, this was the only place that disgusted me enough to write...

I’ve been to the pool bar 3 times now and I always enjoy my experience. We got day passes this visit and were able to enjoy drinks, snacks and get loungers too! The drinks are simple but enjoyable. We ate the nachos, turkey club, chicken tenders and the fried chicken sliders and liked them all. The sliders were flat out tasty, way better than they need to be at a hotel pool bar. Sessions are currently 105 min each and we did 11-12:45. And 1-2:45. We were able to get loungers both times which really made it enjoyable to relax & drink at the pool. If you have a long layover at jfk, it’s def worth a visit. The planes aren’t too noisy, it’s more like a constant white noise in the background. And it doesn’t smell like jet fuel, which my friend sarcastically asked. The hotel is beautiful and the pool is great, I’ll happily visit again when my friends have a long layover and need to...

My friend and I were delighted to visit the famous rooftop infinity pool over looking the runway. Unfortunately my experience there was less than pleasant due to the pools water temperature being about 90 degrees on a 94degree day in NYC. We expected to be able to cool down at the pool while we enjoyed the view during this heat advisory. Instead I felt as though I was taking a hot bath or hanging out in a jacuzzi. I inquired about the water temperature with a pool staff who said there was a sensor issue. It would have been nice if guests were alerted to the issue either while making the reservation or upon entry. This would have allowed us to make a sound decision on staying out leaving. There were no accommodations made for the guests and like myself, several other’s were complaining as well. We spent $50 to enjoy the pool, I am very disappointed...