No1 Lounge — Local services in Crawley

This is the third time we’ve been denied entry to the No1 Lounge at Gatwick North, despite being American Express Platinum cardholders, a card that explicitly advertises complimentary lounge access worldwide, with no need for reservations. Each time, we’ve been told the lounge is at full capacity. The staff offered little assistance and were noticeably dismissive, leaving us stranded with no alternative during our layovers.

The reason this is so frustrating is that one of the key benefits of the American Express Platinum card and a major factor in choosing it is access to lounges like No1. However, in practice, this specific lounge frequently fails to deliver on that promise, unlike other lounges we’ve used globally where access issues are rare.

Update After Lounge’s Response:

Following my review, No1 Lounge responded by suggesting I make a reservation in advance next time. While that may technically be an option, it undermines the principle of the benefit promised by American Express, which is access without the need to book. If reservations are now essential, this should be clearly disclosed by both No1 Lounge and Amex, because right now the advertising is misleading.

Moreover, this problem seems to be unique to Gatwick North, suggesting a capacity issue at this specific location not a general policy. On a past occasion, I was turned away while my friend (already inside) saw plenty of empty seats. This raises serious concerns about inconsistent and possibly arbitrary entry decisions, made at the discretion of staff.

The lounge’s official reply unfortunately fails to address the real issue: that the capacity they offer is incompatible with the volume of Platinum cardholders they’re partnered with and that the user experience is unreliable and unfair. Simply telling cardholders to “book next time” doesn’t resolve the root of the problem, and it certainly doesn’t reflect the standard of service expected at this level.

In summary: American Express should seriously reconsider its partnership with No1 Lounge Gatwick North, as it consistently fails to meet expectations, and its access policy appears both unstable and subjective. Travelers relying on this benefit, especially during long international travel days deserve a more reliable, transparent, and...

On arrival we were declined entry as we were too early. The lady on the from desk ‘Olivia’ was rude and openly blunt about us to other staff who were all watching us. Fine we went away and came back at the correct time. We were travelling as a family of 8. We were immediately ushered into a side room completely away from the main lounge. We decided we didn’t want to sit there as we had children with us who wanted to watch the planes. On sitting down in the main area we were immediately approached by another member of staff ‘Caitlin’ who asked us to move back to the first place and when we declined she told us it was because they were very busy and needed the seating despite the lounge being almost empty. I politely pointed out that we had paid to be in this lounge and we were very happy to stay where we were. She again pushed for us to move as ‘they were very busy today and had lot of people coming in’ I again pointed out that were were more than happy to stay sitting where we were as we were settled with the kids and a disabled older person who has assistance booked. The lady who tried to move us then openly got on her ear piece and started speaking to other members of staff about us. There were 3 members of your staff openly mocking us on the other side of the bar. This is very disappointing and completely disrespectful and completely uncalled for. We had done absolutely nothing wrong except come into the main area. We travel as a family of 8+ regularly and ALWAYS book the No1 VIP lounge and have NEVER had an issue. What a complete let down from the staff and frankly a huge disappointment to the beginning of a family holiday. We expect much better from a service we use regularly. We are very dissatisfied and disappointed with how we’ve been treated. We were quiet and not being disruptive, yet we have been made to feel like we’re not welcome and all because we strongly suspect they have over booked the lounge. This is not a cheap experience but it’s been very soured for us. No1 VIP staff need much more training in how to treat people. Especially quiet people who just want to start their holiday the right way. It's not our fault it’s busy… we, like everyone else have booked and paid for this and it’s been shocking. No1...

DO NOT SPEND 1£ HERE FIND ANY OTHER PLACE INSTEAD

I had an extremely disappointing experience at the No1 Lounge at Gatwick Airport. I paid £48 expecting a premium, relaxing environment as advertised, but it was far from that.

The lounge was uncomfortably cold, and when I asked for an electric heater to be moved closer to me, I was relocated with the heater to another room—which was still cold. Not exactly the cozy environment I had in mind.

The lounge was overcrowded, even though there were no flight delays. I had specifically asked at the entrance which lounge would be quieter since I’d had a tough day and needed some peace. Instead of providing honest advice, the staff simply tried to upsell me access to a more expensive à la carte lounge. No one mentioned the lounge I was paying for would be packed, despite me making it clear that quietness was my priority.

To make matters worse, I was moved to a table for four (with no sofa) and was soon asked to share the small coffee table with strangers, leaving me with less space and comfort than I’d have had in a regular airport café. I paid a premium price for personal space and comfort, but got the opposite.

The most shocking part? A staff member approached me and questioned if I’d even paid for access, asking to see my receipt in front of everyone. It was incredibly embarrassing and unprofessional.

Overall, I felt unwelcome, uncomfortable, and constantly under scrutiny. This was supposed to be a relaxing pre-flight experience, but instead, it was stressful and frustrating. I left without even feeling like having anything to eat.

I won’t be using No1 Lounges again and definitely do not recommend it to anyone looking for a premium, stress-free airport experience. A total...