United Club — Attraction in Houston

Has been...

I suppose you could insert "use to be" where I choose to use the term "has been" when speaking about the comforts and value of United Clubs. In years past they have been a sanctuary where everything from a comfortable semi private work station to a hot shower complete with clothing steam pressing were available without charge. Those days are long gone. Also the clubs are more likely to be full. And frankly the people filling the club lack basic manners. I assume this has happened for two main reasons. Access to the Club has been extended to more travelers. I believe it used to be access to the club was limited to annual members who paid for access. The last time I checked that cost was 550 dollars a year. However certain higher level elite status holders received a discount. The amount of that discount I can not recall. The last time I paid for membership I believe it cost me 350 or 375. At the time I believed that was not an unreasonable price. Currently there is no way I would pay to enter the club. I only use the club when traveling overseas and have first class seating. Which brings up United's newest club product, the Polaris Lounge. Twice since its opening I have flown seated in the Polaris section of a Dreamliner, both times I flew internationally. Both times I was refused access to Polaris. First time I was told I needed to cross an ocean to qualify and my trip to south America didn't qualify. The second time I was told since I orginally purchased an economy seat and used miles, not a small number of miles, to upgrade to a Polaris seat I only had access to the standard United Club. I called in after arriving in Europe and was told I should have been granted access to the lounge. I neither asked for nor was I offered any type of compensation for being refused access. In fact I fairly certain the customer service rep. Never even apologized they simply suggested I insist on access and if still denied call my elite status 800 number.

In the past United Clubs have been welcome sights for tired travelers who had extended layovers or a pleasant place to relax after clearing TSA and waiting to board. They had been relaxing because young children and drunk travelers were politely either convinced to adjust their behavior or removed. They had been relaxing because an open set of sets for you and two or three traveling companions could easily find sitting. They had been relaxing because you could often find a hot shower after a 5 hour international fly while awaiting your 3 hour domestic flight to your final destination. Those showers are gone, though they maybe available in the Polaris Lounge. Children routinely run through the lounge while their parents either pretend to be unaware or look on as if this is acceptable behavior. I recently heard a child, maybe 4 or 5, yell at his mother "I wanted God Da* marshmallows in this!" Did she scold the child for his behavior? Of course not. She apologized for not being able to find marshmallows. The child slammed the cup on the table and ran to the drink self service area, literally pushing people out of his way. Thankfully he didn't find any either. I say thankfully because I am certain if he had the entire club would have been filled with his voice vulgarly expressing his displeasure with his mother. In years past anytime I witnessed a child running, yelling or simply pushing other club visitors out of their way or to the front of snack line a United employee would have had a quiet conversation with the family and the behavior either ended or they were asked to leave the club. The days of United quietly dealing with unruly children and drunks seem to be over. The most I have personally seen is loud, obnoxious and vulgar club visitors have been refused more alcohol. That still leaves them in club yelling at the television and repeatedly requesting another drink.

In short the days when the United Club was worth the cost of the annual membership...

There are a couple of United lounges in IAH airport- this review is for the lounge in terminal C.

Smaller than the lounge in terminal E, but still very nice and comfortable. I spent the afternoon the day after Christmas in the lounge and for the most part it was quiet and uncrowded. This left many seats open close to the power outlets which was nice as I wanted to use my laptop and keep my phone charged for the long flight ahead.

I was a bit disappointed though when I moved to the business desks as the two I sat at didn't have lamps (there were lamps on the desks but they were missing bulbs) and one of the power outlets wasn't working. As these desks are purposely for working they should have working lamps and outlets at all times. There is also free WiFi, but all of IAH airport offers that now too.

The food in United lounges really isn't a good selection, it's basically a few nibbles (crackers, humus, cheese cubes, olives, etc.) and sometimes I've seen soup. The soup would be the best you could do to make a light meal while waiting for your flight. For beverages I've only ever had Coke, which is free, but I believe some of the drinks there are a charge for.

The rate to visit the lounge is $50 per visit if you don't have status or passes etc. which, for the food and beverage selection, really seems a bit high to me. The only time I've visited have been with free passes. If I had visited and paid $50 I would have been disappointed with the value for the price.

If you have passes or flying international with status this is a nice place to wait for your flight or spend a layover, but it doesn't even come close to the two British Airways lounges I've recently visited for food and...

Continuing my reviews of United Club lounges. This is the E terminal lounge in Houston and it is very nice. A fairly large one. When I got here there was a line of about 12 people and it was going slowly. United club members are members for various reasons and sometimes the club pass does get on their ticket, or they don't understand why they don't have access. Moved along quickly after a bit. It was also very busy when I first got here, but as I said it's large so it was still easy to find a seat. They have a variety of sitting options depending on what you're doing. High wide tables with power for people on their computers, 2 person tables for sitting and eating, and the standard leather chairs with a side table, power and USB ports (don't use the USB ports use a power brick). No layback lounge chairs like the Polaris Club. Food was good and spread out to reduce lines. Hot station with breakfast tacos, oatmeal and fruit, coffee station with the nice Illy machine plus some cans of cold brew, cereal, juice, whole fruits, and lemon water. Another station had some breads, English muffins, and whole fruits. There is also a full bar and a few TV's. I got here in a Sunday and they don't open until 10:00, so I can't speak to the selection. I did find a couple of loungeish chair clusters. The staff here is amazing. Nothing is left empty or messy. They are constantly cleaning surfaces, refilling food and drinks, clearing away dishes and trash. I would say that it is the staff here that makes this location a great place to relax. End note: there is a Family Room here so kids and their parents can have fun and be...