Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge Washington Dulles

If you check out the British Airways Galleries Lounge, they have self serve liquor. The airport itself is located in Virginia, and they can have self serve bottles.

What happened to the Champagne Lucky? The picture does not look like Taittinger as per the menu to me!

@Lucky - if one is *G and in UA C or F (transit international to domestic or vv) can one ask to use the shower in the Business Lounge?

Dulles is in Virginia--not DC--but I think you're right about state law prohibiting self-serve (among many other silly rules).

Only 4 couches? Really, what if they have 5 FC passengers and 4 HON members?

Did you check out their Business Class lounge downstairs? it's a pretty sad effort; a huge step down from the Senator Lounge.

Thanks for the insight, Lucky. What's the best way to figure out the access to each lounge at the airport, instead of looking into each of their website? I wouldn't know if this lounge would allow Star Alliance Gold members travelling domestically to enter.

Makes sense to rope off a First section. Those tables is usually where I sit. I guess this separates the F passengers from the UA Gold riff raff that go into the lounge. It is clearly better than the UA Global First lounge (which UA won't let LH F passengers in).

@Dani: Star Alliance lounge finder. http://www.staralliance.com/en/benefits/status-benefits/lounge-finder/

thats austrian 777 ..the new one - blue danube 🙂
Had the pleasure to fly it VIE-IAD in C class 🙂

Was going through Dulles last month. In my opinion, I liked United First Lounge better. It is not too far, only a short train ride. Self serve full bar over at UA. UA First is more like a gentlemans club rather than light and airy feel of the Senator Lounge.

@Dani - I'm a UA 1K (Star Gold) and I've used this LH Senator lounge many times on a UA domestic to domestic connection and never had any issues entering. It's a bit of a hike from the UA gates though; more convenient if you're traveling to or from the United Express gates in concourse A (10 minute or so walk). As for figuring out lounge access, there's a good free app available for iPhone (not sure about other platforms) called LoungeBuddy where you enter all your elite status and paid lounge card information and it will tell you which lounges you can access at which airports.

Wife and I were there last month. Very nice food and drink selection. Also the staff was excellent, keeping the place clean and serving drinks - very helpful.

Wow... since the last time I was there they have even given the corner bench seating over to the first class section. This lounge can be mobbed in the evenings before the international flights depart. Even before they gave that corner bench seating to the first class section, many people had to stand. After the flights departed, we were the only ones in the lounge! (a good place to spend time on a long delay in IAD!).

@ john galbraith -- Good point. I was getting champagne from the Senator Lounge bar, so maybe I should have asked for the first class selection.

@ wxguy -- Yep!

@ wwk5d -- There are close to a dozen counter-top seats as well as a handful of tables as well.

@ Mike -- Not this time, though I've seen it in the past. Agree it's not as nice.

Why does •G gets lounge acess on domestic UA flight?

FYI Dulles is in Virginia, not DC

@Rami: It is a general star Alliance rule to always give lounge access to all *Gold passengers flying on any star alliance flight. United clubs have a specific exception in their rules to exclude domestic passengers from their own clubs. But the Lufthansa lounges choose to follow the regular *A rules and provide to all *Gold passengers on any *alliance flight.

@ Rami -- What chris said.

Lucky, did you ever get a new camera?

Indeed, the Senator Lounge can get quite crowded in the late afternoon, and I think it is well advised to provide a designated first class section to ensure that F pax can, at a minimum, get a seat.

As for the comparison between the Senator Lounge and the UA Global First lounge, I have gone through the Global First Lounge only on the late bank of flights (10 pm or so) which serve FRA, LHR, and Middle East and SA destinations. The lounge by then is a colossal disappointment. I have never seen them make any effort to update the offerings from the earlier group of flights to the point that hummus is caked on the bowl from which it is served, the "sushi" is dried out, and the warming tray which claims to have spanakopita has shards of phyllo dough leftover. The whole experience has made me feel like a second class citizen in first class.

@ Gaurav -- Not yet.

@ alex -- Whoops, of course. Fixed, thanks!

@Chris and @KevininRI: thanks!

Love this lounge. Earlier this year, the 4hr+ wait for a severely delayed SN flight was rather pleasant here. As the crowds died down and those needy LH-First passengers departed (ha), the bartender mixed up some fun concoctions, followed by a mini whiskey tasting session while the staff brought out freshly made pretzel-bread mini-sandwiches. The party lasted until almost 1 AM when we finally crawled on board and slept all the way to BRU.

One thing to mention about this lounge is the awful internet access. I was there maybe a little over a year ago and it routed all traffic through Germany, which may or may not have contributed to the slowness. There also limited to no cell reception in the business lounge on amusingly enough, T-Mobile, so tethering is not an option either.

If IAD is my final destination and I am *G will they let me in?

@ Ed -- Nope, you must have an onwards boarding pass.

Business Class Lounge has a cold atmoshere
Food was miserable, only Staff was very friendly
we left and Took a meal in the corridor