My layover at Heathrow was roughly five hours, as I was arriving in London around 3PM, and departing for Paris shortly after 8PM. Ford was on a different transatlantic flight, and landed in London about an hour after I did. My flight from San Jose arrived at Terminal 5C, meaning that on arrival I had…
Continue reading: Review: British Airways Concorde Room London Heathrow Airport
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Incorrect info on the showers. Concorde Room guests can shower without a Cabana at the Elemis Spa. I've done it twice.
Unimpressive wine selection - business class standard rather than first class.
Agree that Virgin Clubhouse looks nicer. That bathroom looks like a hospital bathroom. Yikes!!!!
Regular first class flyer here. Visited this Lounge twice in April (BA was the only oneworld option in first class available for my specific flights). Totally unimpressed! I'd venture to say that if the BA First class lounge was not so overcrowded, I would have spent time there. Definitely not worth the price I paid. CX and Quantas Lounges in T3 are far better
What happened to the Concorde seats (which were converted into office chairs) in the boardroom!?!?
Might also want to fix the access requirements. CCR holders get access, not all GGL members are CCR card holders.
The Cabana room looks like the room I was taken to when I gave a sperm sample at the fertility clinic. Well, it had only one chair, and a TV+DVD player, but otherwise similar.
If I'm arriving in London on BA First but continuing on in BA Business, can I go the Concorde Room?
@Jenny:
Absolutely. Just show your boarding pass from your inbound flight. Once or twice I've been incorrectly told by the lounge attendant that I needed to use the Galleries First lounge. If they say this, press them that you've arrived on a BA flight in F.
-They got rid of the horse with the lampshade on its head on the terrace! Improvement indeed!
-Why did ford order a soup with coriander? Did/does he not know that coriander = cilantro, and cilantro is the worst spice ever?
-Do the cabana shower drains still drain the water at 100 decibels?
Santastico- had that exact same thought about them looking like Hospital bathrooms when I was there in March. Couldn't believe they looked like that and it was early on a Sunday morning so no crowd at all.
Travelin'Willy- does Cilantro taste like Soap to you? Many people are allergic and that's the surefire response to it.
Overall I'd call it a good not great lounge. Could really use some refreshes in the cabanas and bathrooms
The Champagne wasn't very chilled but the beer was good. As for the decor, I like your term "lackluster". I often think to myself that the British version of chic translates to American drab.
@Andrew - I most definitely have the anti-cilantro gene. I'd never even tasted it until I had a taco at a restaurant in Bakersfield California in 1988 (I am old) and I had to spit it out. I had no idea what it was until the friend I was with told me. From that moment I have avoided it at all costs. https://www.nature.com/news/soapy-taste-of-coriander-linked-to-genetic-variants-1.11398
Can I say that I am routinely disappointed by the beer selections in many premium cabins and lounges? The individuals over these decisions need to recognize that increasingly people do not care about either Dom or Krug, neither of which I have any interest in drinking, but may actually be interested in a decent cask ale or sour. Amstel Light, really?
The shower rooms and the toilets of the Concorde Room; feels and smells like you are in a NHS hospital’s A&E ward. (Decorated with cheap linoleum and moulded discoloured plastic). Unbelievable, as this is BA’s Premium top-tier lounge!
I'm a CCR cardholder and visit once or twice a fortnight on average. There's no doubt that, as a regular, you become known to the servers and managers, and accordingly get notably better service. Indeed, the visibility of, and interaction with, the lounge managers have markedly improved in the last couple of years.
I never use the cabanas, and agree that the toilets are sterile (but you only spend a couple of minutes in them, so does it really matter?), and that the wine list has fallen off a cliff in the last 2-3 years. I think the food is much improved than it was in the same timeframe, though the menus and quality of the dishes in some months are notably better than others. I agree that the cod dish you tried is not the strongest (the steak was much the better option last month!), but generally speaking the food served in the restaurant is the best in any Heathrow lounge, in my opinion (or, perhaps, equal with the QR premium lounge in T4).
Broadly, I think the refurb has improved the atmosphere (particularly on the terrace) no end. I'd certainly put the CCR in the top 5 lounges world-wide (and there aren't many of note that I haven't been fortunate to visit), though I accept that I might be getting a different experience than the once-a-year visitor.
The only way to book the Spa is to request it a month in advance (which is when the reservation for First Class passengers opens). You can do this online. My last experience was that I tried it through the online form at exactly the time it opened, then got a response it was already fully booked. I protested that it simply wasn't possible... to which they half-heartedly apologized and then reserved spots.
the new furniture look straight out from one of those pubs that just closed down, probably one from each closedown pub as well, seeing how different each piece looks. and somehow they manage to have the new one looks so worn out. the toilets outside just look cleaner and a more premium feel than the Cabana... sigh, the Clubhouse just puts them to shame but BA with its dominance in Heathrow means we have to suck it up sigh
The main reason a lot of airlines serve better champagnes and wines in the air than on the ground is that items consumed in the airports are taxable, and thus more expensive for the airline than items consumed in the air.
@TravelinWilly - Horselamp lives in the Galleries South lounge at LHR T5 now. He crops up frequently in Kevincm's TRs over at Economy Class and Beyond, another Boarding Area blog.
If you have a long layover and would rather spend the time in London than in The Concorde Room, can they store your luggage?
I'm a fan of your photos generally but oddly these don't (in my opinion at least) do justice to the CCR - the new decor is eclectic but it does actually work in real life. I didn't think this until I had seen it for myself. The cabanas are ghastly - I have to agree. In fact they could do with more loos generally. I see the BA bashers are back out in force - thought they were oddly quiet in the comments to your 787 F review!
I'm glad I had the chance to check it out last year....made my birthday even better. (Flying BA First that day to Seattle.)
But IMHO, my best lounge experience was with Emirates in Dubai.
A perfect example of the pathetic British sense of "style". I feel so sorry for anyone who has to fly that airline
I quite like the look and layout of the lounge itself but I think you must have met the same stern 'matron" at the entrance door.
To Nick L ... in my view that first ek lounge in dubai cannot be more sterile and boring and soulless if it tried.
Every year I get to use this lounge between 4 to 6 times during any calendar year. Despite the snobbery and air of exclusivity surrounding the Concorde Room like an impenetrable cloak, it has been going rapidly downhill over the last few years (possibly linked to the acquisition of another major European airline and changes in management structure with a new CEO from a low cost airline), be it the quality of food and wine, or menu choices. At one point of time, the menu in the lounge was the same as it was in the dining room within the lounge, which was shocking.
The recent refurbishment has helped improve the image when one walks in to the lounge. The menu is variable, the staff often ignore you but are happy to respond to requests when approached. Yet the toilets are awful and I often shudder at the sight when I enter one of them.
All in all, though I will continue to use the Concorde Room, I cannot help feeling that it is nothing compared to the Cathay Pacific Pier First Class lounge in Hong Kong or the Singapore Airlines Private Room at Changi Terminal 3.
EXACT same experience with the angry lounge dragon trying to send me to business lounge this past December until I presented my F boarding pass for my incoming flight.
And also agree on the shower set up, that one shares with the business class pax. Any Ibis has a nicer setup.
No showers at the lounge expect when you book a cabana, even showers are very important cimponent these days specially when transiting or upon arrival when available, they mostly target the business passnger, in the concorde lounge, according to the customer profile there's no need of showers in the facility. It would be great if they have it, but not really necessary, as long as they keep a good champagne offering and a good menu selection, this would do it, the place is comfortable and never too crowded. Top 11 would be a good rank.
As for the British having no taste, I’d point out that the designer of the CX F lounges is British (Ilse Crawford — def check out the Netflix design episode about her as it touches on the CX lounges a bit). Pity they didn’t hire her to put thought into the design of the Concorde Room.
Outdoor plug points in the UK? Not a good idea with the strange weather they recieve. All you need is one genius passenger rushing back in due to rain, forgetting some electronics on the terrace and then saying "BA didnt warn us"
Not sure what the problem is with the people on the door. I approached clearly holding up my First class boarding pass, and the lady said to me "Are you traveling in first class?" "Yes," I said, "here's my boarding pass." "But are you traveling in First class?" (Still holding up boarding pass). "Yes, here is my first class boarding pass." "This lounge is only for passengers traveling in First class." Then I raised my voice. She snapped out of it and apologised saying she had just got new glasses. Then she laughed and said "I haven't really, I've got no excuse!"
I was in the Concorde Room recently and was dismayed by the furniture. The 'Cabana look' and grotesque pink terrace sofa is quirky - as in jumble or yard sale style. Over the last few years British Airways have stripped the Concorde Room of any hint of class. The wine list is worse. Drinks selection is worse. Well stocked bar? Not in my view. The food is mediocre and service perfunctory. Staff in the restaurant didn't smile once when I was there in March. There were only three tables full and service was so bad that everyone was commenting and laughing. Concierge failed spectacularly to deliver courteous or efficient service. What has happened to them? A spa treatment was unavailable despite booking in advance. The Cabanas feel more tired than ever.British Airways can't compete with rivals on any level. The only consistency offered in a guarantee of poor service on the plane and on the ground.
The reason the furniture appears to be mismatched is because they are not pieces from Target or Ikea ( as suggested by some of your readers on your linked renovation piece, ie those at the Philistine end of the spectrum) but rather original designer pieces from decades ago. Hence they have been re-upholstered ( as opposed to being chucked out).
It's not intended to be the bland, uniform, plain vanilla typical lounge experience but rather something unique and maintains something of the history of the room, albeit not THAT much.
You said this is your third favourite lounge at LHR though surely you think Qantas is better than the Concorde room
@palermo - QR Heathrow lounge is not a patch on CX T3 lounge, or the QR lounge, for that matter!
@palermo - QR Heathrow lounge is not a patch on CX T3 lounge, or even the QR lounge, for that matter!!
British Airways picked some hideous furniture in the Concorde Room. Regardless of the intention, it fails miserably. The swathes of curtains impinge on the views to and from the terrace. The whole look isn't trendy or stylish. It feels like something that would have been cobbled together on 'Changing Rooms' - the downmarket BBC programme. The lamps with the duck feet? Hardly cutting-edge design. British Airways couldn't give a duck about improving the Concorde Room. It's significantly worse than a few years ago. The bathrooms are horrible on the planes and in the CR. The cabanas look grubby, worn, tired. It feels like a budget attempt to inject personality. It's a mess.
BA is not good at T5 lounges.
Club World (biz; there are two) is a zoo at peak times and, as a pax’s guest, I was surprised how busy First was a few months ago.
Staff are not proactive; I grabbed a full English from the buffet before realising I could have ordered from a menu, after seeing a staffer amble by with someone’s eggs benny.
A passable experience but no wow factor.
@ jesper I dare say the wines and champagnes served in the lounges is because so many passengers are not travelling in the premium cabin but have states access to the lounge. I was in first on Emirates and a mate in business, we were chatting in the on-board lounge and they wouldn't serve him the Dom champagne I was having.
@TravelinWilly - to clarify, cilantro is *not* a spice. It's a vile weed that has infested far too many cuisines. It needs to run its course and then disappear in to the hole from which it came.
I love the exclusivity of the Concorde room to be honest, is it better than any other First Class lounge, in my opinion, no. I've used it a couple of times and I have to say the bathroom is God awful. The rest of the experience was as I expected.
I've also used the Concorde bar at Singapore airport, very small and a bit dark.
I am Concorde Card holder...Frankly the 'New Lounge' is EXACTLY the same as the old one, except for a few new lamp shades and Cabana's in the outside section.
Same food, same wine (not that great), same same everything!
Poor show BA, you should have delivered better than this!
OMG the cabana shower/washroom looks like a hospital washroom! The main washroom doesn’t look any better.........not hard to find examples of mere business class facilities that are heads & tails above these......
Ben, your comment about Fast Track immigration leading to a non Fast Track security surprises me – normally they have the queues organised so the fast track escalator emerges into them nd they cover the first couple of security checkpoints. You must have been there at an odd time.
I personally think it’s easier to land in the U.K. and then take the lift up to the First Wing and walk through to the CCR, but then I’ve got the correct sort of passport! (Mind you, so do you…)