See inside United's brand new $41 million lounge at DC's Dulles airport with sleeping pods, showers, and a full-service restaurant

Prices are accurate at the time of publication.

United Polaris lounge at Washington Dulles airport.
Taylor Rains/Insider

United Airlines opened its brand new Polaris lounge in October 2021, welcoming business travelers flying internationally.
The lounge offers showers, sleeping pods, food, drinks, and plenty of space to work, including private meeting rooms.
The dining room and buffet serve made-to-order meals by professional cooks, and the bar offers local wines and beers.

Before COVID-19, many airlines were starting to develop and open more luxury lounges in an effort to attract deep-pocket customers.

Lufthansa Business Lounge.
EQRoy/Shutterstock

United Airlines, in particular, unveiled its Polaris product in 2016, which included a new and improved premium cabin offering and a network of luxury airport lounges.

United Polaris cabin.
EQRoy/Shutterstock

Since then, the airline has opened six Polaris lounges across the US, including at its Chicago O'Hare, San Francisco, Houston, Newark, Los Angeles, and Washington DC hubs.

United Polaris lounge at Chicago O'Hare.
RaksyBH/Shutterstock

Now, as transatlantic demand is expected to skyrocket in 2022, United is hoping to fill its lounges again, especially to countries with relaxed COVID-19 restrictions.

A United Airlines plane. — A United Airlines airplane is seen at the Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, United States.
ayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Washington, DC's Dulles International Airport is the latest location to open its doors on October 21, 2021, welcoming business travelers flying long-haul to places like Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America.

The $41 million facility, which is located near gate C18, was the first Polaris location to open since the pandemic, though the other five have since re-opened as well.

Source: The Points Guy

Premium passengers traveling internationally from Washington Dulles are in for a treat in the new lounge. Those eligible for entry are those who hold a same-day ticket on a United Polaris long-haul flight…

…or are a business or first class traveler on a Star Alliance long-haul flight, which is a global partnership United cofounded alongside Lufthansa, SAS, Air Canada, and Thai Airways in 1997.

Air India Star Alliance livery.
Phuong D. Nguyen/Shutterstock

Source: Star Alliance

On my most recent trip to Washington, DC, I was given a tour of the new lounge and was impressed with the modern amenities, ample seating, and wide selection of food and drinks.

Upon arriving, the high-class feel of the lounge was immediately noticeable due to the marble-clad decor at the entrance. The design makes the space feel warm and welcoming.

I checked in with the United employees at the front desk and made my way up the stairs to the main guest area. Customers can also take the elevator to the right of the stairs up to the lounge.

Inside, United has decorated the space with calming blue and gray colors, as well as incorporated art from local artists.

According to United's manager of corporate communications, Kimberley Gibbs, the art bridges the lounge with Dulles' home of DC.

United packed a lot into the 21,000-square-foot-facility, including plenty of space to work. There are cubicle-style seats that are private and plush...

...and offer outlets for charging electronics.

Also available are phone rooms for business meetings, which are perfect for travelers working remotely or who need a quiet place to talk.

If the private seats are full, there is plenty of additional seating around the lounge for work or relaxation.

For travelers who need to wash up before or after a multi-hour flight, United has installed large bathrooms with standing showers.

The room is complete with a two-way closet on the door. This allows a lounge attendant to deliver pressed or ironed clothes to passengers taking a shower without them having to open the bathroom door.

Fortunately, for travelers who did not pack toiletries in their carry-on bag, United provides everything they need to shower, including hair and body products…

…towels, deodorant, and Qtips…

…and slippers.

The lounge also has regular bathrooms without showers for travelers. The restrooms can be used by any gender.

Meanwhile, available to families is a private changing area and nursing pod.

For those on a long layover who want to take a nap, there are two sleeping pods available. The beds are long and padded and have a door for privacy.

Attendants can provide blankets for sleep, which are kept warm in a special heating machine.

United took no shortcuts when designing the food and drink offerings in the Polaris lounge, which was the most impressive part to me.

Customers can enjoy food from the buffet or the onsite dining room. The buffet offers a wide selection of food, including charcuterie and sandwiches…

…hot foods like soup and pasta…

…and salad.

Doug Markley of Flik Hospitality, the service provider for Polaris lounges, told Insider the food is rotated every hour to keep it fresh. Moreover, the lounge maintains a set menu across all six locations to keep the products consistent.

Meanwhile, he also explained that the lounge will sometime offer special food for route launches, like West African jollof rice for the maiden flight from Washington Dulles to Lagos, Nigeria, in November 2021.

Inaugural flight from Washington Dulles to Lagos, Nigeria.
United Airlines

Also available is the dining room where travelers can sit and request made-to-order meals from the kitchen.

Menu items include dishes like a vegetarian ramen bowl made with shitake mushrooms, bok choy, and tofu…

…and the Polaris signature burger made with short rib. I tried both during my visit and was impressed with the taste and flavors. It was clear they were made from scratch by professional cooks.

For a quick or simple bite, Polaris also has a snack bar set up with items like soda, coffee, and fruit.

On my visit to the lounge, I was also given a tour of the kitchen, which is connected to the airside of the terminal.

This means that deliveries to the lounge come straight from the ramp rather than having to be carted through the airport, which is more convenient for the lounge and better for customers.

The kitchen was huge, with burners to cook hot meals fresh and plenty of refrigerator space to store inventory. According to Markley, all of the food is temperature-controlled.

Moreover, the employees all have restaurant or hospitality backgrounds and focus on one job, like bartending, cooking, or serving.

As far as liquor is concerned, the Dulles Polaris lounge has pretty much anything you could ask for, including cocktails like the Aperol spritz and old fashioned...

…draft and bottled beer…

…and local and branded wine.

I've been to several lounges in the Priority Pass lounge network, which I get through my credit card, and the drinks have always been hit or miss. However, Julian, one of the bartenders, made every cocktail perfectly.

Overall, United's new Polaris lounge was the exact luxury treatment I expected.

I enjoyed the food and drinks, particularly the charcuterie offerings, and the overlook of the airfield where travelers can watch planes take off or land. As an aviation enthusiast, there is not a better spot to wait out a long layover.

Read the original article on Business Insider

from Business Insider https://ift.tt/0kRWwqO

COVID-19 New Corona

See inside United's brand new $41 million lounge at DC's Dulles airport with sleeping pods, showers, and a full-service restaurant

Post a Comment

No comments

Popular Posts

Categories

Hot in This Week

Tags

Click on your country for current update

COVID-19 New Corona

See inside United's brand new $41 million lounge at DC's Dulles airport with sleeping pods, showers, and a full-service restaurant

You Might Also Like

Post a Comment

No comments

Popular Posts

Categories

Hot in This Week

Tags

Click on your country for current update