BER Lounge Tegel — Attraction in Schönefeld

On Sep 1, 10:40 am the morning shift, I have never encountered such a terrible experience among the hundreds of lounges I have visited around the world as frequent travelers. The blonde middle-aged woman (who would not provide her first name) showed truly horrendous behavior, not just on a customer service level, but basic human level, leaving me and my partner, who are usually mild-mannered, very angry. It starts off as a completely normal encounter, with us displaying on Priority Pass cards immediately, and then boarding pass. Even though the machine clearly does fine(as in many times in the past) scanning the code through the glass, she gestured to lower the phone to the part without the glass. I did so, and then she immediately; unprompted, grabs my phone. (Which is already sort of a violation). She will later claim she was trying to turn it, which makes no sense as the screen was already facing her. Still, I said nothing, except a slightly annoyed gesture. This woman then - unprompted - makes the extremely rude comment of “do you even talk, both of you don’t even say a word, extremely strange”, berating BOTH my partner and I after we finished scanning -for quietly going about our business. Think about such a comment, filled with entitlement, is belittling, and frankly, racist undertones(we were both Asians wearing a mask). I argued back at this point, calling out her horrible attitude, before this woman turns on further insults, whilst having a superiority complex, claiming that WE are rude for not saying ‘hello’, whereas completely ignoring her first rude comment, and obviously subsequent even ruder behavior. She barely allows us to get a word in, before then saying she has the authority to kick us out of the lounge. Of course, this completely soured the mood, but we stayed briefly in the lounge following this. On our way out, we tried to get her name to report it, as well as correct her on her false and skewed interpretation of events. But she would not give her first name to us. She then further displays her horrendous behavior, hurling gestures of arm waving to ‘get out’.

Absolutely infuriating experience, which is...

This is probably the most uncomfortable lounge I’ve ever used. First, the reception desk could not have been more disinterested in someone appearing at their counter. Sure, it’s boring and I get it; I’m only commenting because this person seemed exceptionally dismissive to greeting me to the lounge. The seating is crushed together offering tables with no room to move; the benches, half of which are only seats with no tables, are rock hard with high backs that are essentially at 90 degrees. As a lounge that is supposed to evoke relaxation, it offers none. The place is crammed with people with very little privacy. I am listening to a dramatic news program in another language courtesy of the couple within arms reach, across the main walkway. Don’t sit near the waitstaff back of house because theirs is loud talking, laughing, and at one point someone screamed as a coworker intentionally jumped out at them. I can’t comment on the food because the bench I had to sit on had no table, only upholstered benches that force you to sit with your legs in the narrow walking space. The USB port under the bench was not functional. I am incredibly disappointed. I will say the weight staff regularly circle to clear tables of used dishes, but since I did not have space to eat it didn’t affect my experience. It was more comfortable in the general...

EDIT: Since writing this review, the management have responded to our emailed complaint with an apology, a refund, and information about how they are addressing our concerns. I have updated my rating to reflect the fact that they take on board feedback and want to improve their service.

1.30pm on a Thursday, the lounge was hotter and more crowded than anywhere else we were in the airport.

The food selection was poor, and didn't include any vegan options despite saying it had them on the website. There wasn't even a vegan spread for the bread. Just a few bits of salad. No allergen information was provided for any of the breads.

There were a lot of dirty glasses and dishes around and tables were not properly cleaned. Cleaning staff were definitely there and working hard, but maybe the lunchtime rush was too much for them. Every 'clean' glass I checked by the drinks was stained.

The charge points on the large high chair tables (the only places that had a space most of the time) were unsuitable for most laptop plugs - only accommodating the slim plugs and USB plugs.

We asked for a refund and all they gave us was a QR code to contact customer service via our phone. Will update this review to confirm whether a refund was...