Good day from London Gatwick. At Gatwick, writing about Heathrow; now I’m getting confused. Let me take a take step back, if I may, to last week when I was at Heathrow awaiting my United flight back to Los Angeles. I checked out the Star Alliance lounge in Terminal 1 and true to my hypothesis, lounges, regardless of airline or alliance, are always better outside the United States-even if it’s a US based airline.

The Star Alliance Lounge at Heathrow provides plenty of room to spread out and relax as well as some more private areas to work. There is free wi-fi with the a code that is provided, although I was unable to locate any power outlets where I was seated. Shower rooms were available, but I did not use them. There were a plethora of magazines, dated US newspapers and the day’s locals too.

Food, while seemingly basic, can make or break a lounge for me. (What did you expect… my last name starts with “eat”) There was plenty of it at the Star Alliance Lounge-Heathrow. Sausages, sausages on rolls, bacon on rolls, cereal, yogurt, bagels, fruit, croissants and at least 2 dozen beverage choices not including the hard stuff (booze). You would be hard-pressed to go hungry there.

Best Bet: When you enter the lounge, veer off to the left and head towards the back of the lounge. This area seems to be the most spacious and there is alot of natural light provided by floor to ceiling windows.

The last few times I have passed through Heathrow, I have stayed at the Sofitel at Terminal 5 and more recently, the Novotel on Cherry Lane.  Both properties are part of the Accor family of hotels.  I thought it worth noting the differences as there are so many hotel options near Heathrow.

In the simplest terms, the Sofitel is a Park Avenue (NYC) hotel, the Novotel is a hotel on South Beach (Miami).  Meaning, the Sofitel is more upscale, refined and conservative.  The Novotel, trendy, hip and modern.  The Sofitel’s room rates are considerably more, sometimes double, the rates of the Novotel.  As expected, you get what you pay for.  At the Sofitel, no detail is overlooked i.e. refilling mini-bar and re-stocking in room coffee.  At the Novotel those things were overlooked, but the the overall service at both hotels is noticeably attentive.  The food is good at both, but stick to the “local” items like fish & chips and Indian delicacies.  The Sofitel is more spread out and you may have to walk a ways to your room; the Novotel is more compact.

The biggest difference is location.  You can access The Sofitel from Terminal 5 without even walking outside (as I recall).  The Novotel, like most hotels at Heathrow, requires guests to catch the “Hotel Hoppa” bus which costs 4 pounds and stops at a few different hotels, thus it will take longer to get to.  Different Hotel Hoppa buses stop at different hotels and different terminals so make sure to get on the right one.  No reservations are required.  A cab to many of the hotels at Heathrow will cost about 9 pounds.

I had a chance to stop by the new SkyTeam Lounge at Heathrow’s Terminal 4.  I read that the first floor opened in June of 2009, but I am not sure about the second floor.  Needles to say, both floors are very similar and both quite impressive.  It is easily the nicest SkyTeam Lounge I have been to in recent memory. The lounge is modern, clean and there is plenty of complimentary food and drink.  I set up shop at the rear of the first floor along the “living” wall.  While there was a power outlet at every seat in this area, none of them worked, but this provided good joke material for myself and a few other travellers.

It was morning and guess what type of food was being served? Breakfast! Omelettes, waffles, pancakes and bacon sandwiches among other debatably healthier options.  I was really yearning for some Biscoff cookies and trail mix but settled for a cup of tea and a waffle.  The first floor also had a PlayStation table that could accommodate several players and relaxation closets: a small rooms with a lounge type seats and doors.

The second floor was less crowded, but had a very similar layout.  It would be difficult to realize there was a second floor unless someone pointed it out.  Overall, the lounge was very comfortable and inviting, but leave yourself some time as some gates are a 15 minute walk.  My only question… why can’t I find this type of lounge in the United States?
entrance

plenty of reading material

PlayStation “Table”


bar

other bar

rest closet

2nd floor of lounge & living wall

The End!