Let's talk LOUNGES

Airline lounges are utilising art, design, food and wellness to offer a premium space to all travellers

- HANNAH BRANDLER

It's just gone 5.15am when I enter the BA Galleries Club Lounge at London Heathrow T5. Autopilot kicks in and I make a beeline for the coffee machine and pastry corner to revive my zombie-like self before my flight. Neighbouring passengers have different priorities, toasting the start of their holiday with a glass of bubbly, getting ahead with emails, or snoozing on reclined chairs.

"Catering to all those different audiences is something you've got to be mindful of when developing a lounge proposition," explains Shaun Weston, just a few weeks into his new role as SVP, guest experience and operations/chief operations officer at the Collinson-owned Airport Dimensions whose portfolio includes 65 airport lounges and experiences around the world.

Well-placed charging ports, suitable workspaces, decent coffee and quiet zones should instinctively be incorporated into the design. "It's part of your housekeeping. You pivot around these fundamentals and build out from there," adds Weston. Today's focus lies on elevating the existing offering.

Herein lies the power of the 21st-century airport lounge, which has transformed from a soulless stopover into an exciting destination packed with entertainment, dining and wellness experiences - all the while maintaining the essential requirements for business travel.

DESTINATION DESIGN

One way to jazz up a lounge space is through design. Long gone are the days of stale, carbon-copy waiting rooms scattered across the world. Today's lounges feature characterful artwork and local design cues.