Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse — Local services in London

When accessing WIFI, the Clubhouse’s gateway form auto-capitalizes the passcode, despite the passcode always being required in lowercase. Nit-picky criticism? Maybe. But I argue this demonstrates how the Clubhouse narrowly misses being awesome in many areas: by making everything just a little bit harder on its customers than it needs to be.

I read a lot of positive reviews about the food. When I arrived, I found that the menu posted online differed from what was in-service (why post it, then?). I was also surprised that a club which opted for a “we bring your food to you” design, they don’t provide the crucial information: how long will it take to arrive? (My simple salad arrived in 25 mins).

You can, of course, order a drink while you wait. But, even that feels complicated. You may choose “Champagne” in their in-app menu. But, any customer paying Upperclass fees likely knows the word “champagne” covers all manner of sins. So, which are you ordering from your phone? When I visited the bar, I found they had four different brands that you can’t choose from your phone (sadly, none that appealed to me).

Fortunately, guests are likely forewarned that things are about to get complicated by the Clubhouse entrance. You may have to see it to understand. You can enter by carrying your luggage upstairs (ugh, but faster) or via elevator. But, if more than one guest arrives at the same time there is congestion where the narrow balcony meets the stairs—because of where Virgin places their check-in kiosks. A casual observer quickly sees that placing their kiosks slightly further in the foyer would prevent guests carrying luggage from being stranded on the stairs.

The list of small touches that could make the difference between “fine” and “awesome” goes on and on. At the end of the day, I’d choose American Express’ Centurion Lounge any day. It may be slightly more crowded, but the food is immediately available (with more and better-tasting options), the menu of drinks is more expansive, and the space is stylish and clean. They don’t have windows, but at least that means they don’t have the Clubhouse’s dirty streaked windows that are sad to look at. The only way the Centurion lounge significantly underperforms vs the Clubhouse is that their guest-to-bathroom is way too high. But, I think that’s a price I’ll pay for higher convenience, speed, and...

The staff here are not the most welcoming! I was standing in line to enter the lounge and watched in disbelief as the person in front of me was allowed in and then the attendant turned to the man behind me, completely ignoring me. I raised her attention and she coldly said, “can I help you? This lounge is only for business and first class passengers.” To which I showed her my Delta One ticket and watched the surprise cross her face. No apologies for ignoring me. Maybe because I’m a young looking female she stereotyped and misjudged based on my appearance or whatever else, but either way no need to completely ignore me! I also saw her colleague speak in a very rude manner to a woman who was clearly distressed because she had been told to use the printers in the lounge for some reason but did not seem to have the right ticket type.

Once in the actual lounge it’s difficult to find a good place to sit no matter what time or day it is. Way too busy which means service isn’t the fastest either. Maybe they let in too many people who have lounge access but not a ticket? Either way it doesn’t feel secluded or serene enough.

I’m giving it three stars at a push because I appreciate how extensive their menu is and at least it’s better than sitting amidst the commotion of the main terminal in Heathrow airport. But the prejudice is not what you pay thousands...

When you get verified, you will come into a large area with newspapers / Magazines in front for reading. You will have a variety of places to sit and relax before your flight. There was a second level, but I didn’t check that out. Some areas included a view of the airport runways and others had large TVs with sports.

When you find your spot, you will see a display with a QR code (and wi-fi password). You just need to scan the code to get a link for a menu. Once there, you can order food and non-alcoholic drinks. They will bring it to where you are, so no need to get up.

There is a large bar area where you can order mixed drinks. I didn’t see any beer taps, so I'm not sure if beer is served. They have a station where you can create your own charcuterie board and get desserts. Great place for a quick bite if you want a custom plate.

There is a departure screen to review, but they will also make announcements. Only issue was that I had no idea where my gate would be. It may be Gate 21 per a review by one of the staff. What I found disturbing was the time of the gate notice was 5 minutes before Sky Priority loaded. Luckily it showed up when I looked about 15 minutes...