Travel writer Harriet Baskas faced a dilemma for her 20th wedding anniversary. An assignment to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport would see her miss the milestone with her husband and, while they had no standing traditions at home, a couples weekend package at the new Grand Hyatt DFW was enticing.

What if, she thought, he joined her for the trip to spend time together in an unconventional date spot?

That’s exactly what they did, taking a gourmet cooking class, enjoying the restaurants and soaking in the views of one of the world’s busiest airports.

That stay kicked off a tradition that has taken Baskas and her husband to an airport hotel roughly every five years, in places including Denver, Nashville and Vancouver.

Her favorite? The Westin Denver International Airport, where they watched “Top Gun” on the plaza.

“That was just a big treat to watch an aviation-themed movie at the airport outside our hotel,” she said.

Airport hotels are no longer dominated by the staid, cheap, bed-for-a-night abodes that were standard for so many decades. New accommodations hark back to the luxury of early aviation, featuring top-notch amenities that are enjoyable for weary vacationers, road warriors and even locals.

The TWA Hotel at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport features a high-end bar where aviation-themed drinks are a must. The rooftop pool at the Grand Hyatt DFW features sweeping views of the surrounding airport. And workouts in the high-floor gym at the Denver airport Westin come with a view of the Rocky Mountains.

From early practicality to modern amenities

The idea of an airport hotel dates to the origins of air travel itself, when those who could afford to fly faced long, multi-stop trips. A New York-to-Los Angeles flight on TWA in 1936 took more than 15 hours, according to a schedule from the time. Weather and other delays were common and often could require an overnight stay en route.

The Dearborn Inn was one of those early abodes, said Ted Ryan, an archivist at Ford Motor Co. Others included the Aerodrome Hotel at Britain’s Croydon Airport and the Oakland Airport Inn in California.

The Dearborn Inn opened adjacent to the former Ford Airport in Michigan in July 1931. The stately Georgian-style building designed by Albert Kahn served as an overnight respite for fliers and crews until the airport closed in 1947.

The hotel is still operating, though, and a recently completed multimillion-dollar, two-year renovation highlighted its aviation heritage.

Julie Mendola, who oversees real estate projects for Ford and worked on the renovation, said one feature reimagines a tradition from the company’s founder.

“Previously, when individuals traveled, Henry Ford would give them a boarding pass,” Mendola said. “We took the original phone booth (that) sits just off the lobby. When you step in you can actually print, email or text yourself a digital boarding pass.”

The “boarding pass” features your photo and a vintage aviation-themed background, Mendola said.

Between the Dearborn Inn’s “Americana” luxury, as a 1937 brochure put it, and today’s posh Hyatts and Westins was a long period of basic airport accommodations that served a need and not much else.

Henry Harteveldt, a travel-industry analyst at Atmosphere Research Group, noted the introduction of jumbo jets, such as Boeing’s 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, as a turning point for airport hotels. A lot more people could afford to fly on these new planes that seated hundreds of passengers.

“That really led to a growth in the number of (hotel) properties near an airport and a variety of properties near an airport,” he said.

One important cohort was business travelers. While earlier work trips involved a stay downtown or near a factory, the advent of mass air travel meant corporate fliers could go somewhere just for a meeting at the airport. And they needed a place to stay.

The Hilton Chicago O’Hare Airport Hotel catered to these road warriors. It opened in 1973 as one of the first hotels connected to an airport terminal, and it featured rooms that Architecture Plus magazine described at the time as “a good cut above standard practice.”

The growing demand for airport hotels attracted global brands — Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott — that brought a standard look and feel to properties, Harteveldt said, contributing to the sector’s staid reputation.

Pricey convenience

Stacey Stegman, a spokesperson for Denver International Airport, said feedback on the Westin is generally positive, but it does get one frequent complaint.

“People love the convenience; they love the quality,” she said. “The only negative thing I typically hear is that it can be pricey at times.”

Travelers do have the option of cheaper hotels near the Denver airport. There are more than a dozen accommodations a little more than five miles from the terminal, with rates as low as $100 a night, Google Maps shows. But none of these offer the convenience and ease of the Westin that is steps from baggage claim.

Newer, more sophisticated airport hotels are relatively expensive and popular.

The Grand Hyatt at SFO, which opened in 2019, is full more than 80% of the time, the San Francisco International Airport spokesman Doug Yakel said. The cheapest room for a one-night stay on a recent Friday was $340, according to the hotel’s website.

And a top amenity for aviation enthusiasts? The views.

Harteveldt said the views of Los Angeles International Airport from the Hyatt Regency LAX, his favorite airport hotel, are excellent. That includes the one from the gym at the top of the hotel.

“That makes a workout more fun for an AV geek like me,” he said.