The Private room/1st class lounge: Whats your perfect design?

[SOPOOR]

Ever since my first and only visit to the old TPR. My first reaction when i walked in was "geez this place is small" I found the 2x small rooms with the lazy boy chairs to be practical but cheap looking.

Ive also recently been to the Emirates first class A lounge and was blown away by the size , but it felt kind of sterile and artificial. I visited every room and after a while , every empty room felt like a ghost house

The new tpr,
I found the chairs style to be not premium, loved the sleep rooms, a la carte was great, service top notch



So, if you could design your ultimate First class lounge, what would it be?

Eg
Layout
Size
Food: a la carte/buffet
Drinks
Service: personable/professional
Extra services: masseuse/cigars
More/less interactive stuff

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I think a lounge needs a bit of a buzz… a ‘soul’ if you like. Which I have never found in TPR.

Some oneworld F lounges do it quite well… the number of F pax is so small, but is bolstered by top tier elites. So there’s enough traffic to provide plenty of staff, and a good service offering. Think the Concorde Room, Cathay Pier/Wing F, even the QF F offerings.

Star alliance lounges like Luthansa or Swiss do it well for F.

Not sure why TPR has never quite ‘made it’ in that sense. They probably have enough F seats, but the lounge is a bit sterile, as you say. The Asiana F lounge was a bit the same.

So in answer to the question… it just needs some ‘life’… some more people!

 

[jamesatfish]

I think a lounge needs a bit of a buzz… a ‘soul’ if you like. Which I have never found in TPR.

Some oneworld F lounges do it quite well… the number of F pax is so small, but is bolstered by top tier elites. So there’s enough traffic to provide plenty of staff, and a good service offering. Think the Concorde Room, Cathay Pier/Wing F, even the QF F offerings.

Star alliance lounges like Luthansa or Swiss do it well for F.

Not sure why TPR has never quite ‘made it’ in that sense. They probably have enough F seats, but the lounge is a bit sterile, as you say. The Asiana F lounge was a bit the same.

So in answer to the question… it just needs some ‘life’… some more people!

I know this is a "can never please everyone" scenario but one of the reasons I like TPR is that it's the opposite of the Sydney QF F lounge in being quiet and not packed to the gills.

There's no queue for a seat at the dining section, nobody telling you to move on and work elsewhere if you get your laptop out, and it's easy to find a spot to talk with your travel companions or take a phone call / meeting without disturbing others or being disturbed yourself.

The exclusivity of the access rules are appealing also - it's nice that a First lounge is kept exclusive for First customers, in stark contrast to QF's LAX First lounge which prioritises status over cabin in terms of unlocking the top-tier experience.

What I'd really like though is a lounge that solves the 'last mile' problem when flying F. The Concorde Room is fantastic but you still need to leave 45 minutes before your flight, take the transit train or the long underground walk, and then mill around your gate waiting for boarding to commence. The EK experience where you can walk from the F lounge directly down to the plane to board is only beaten by Air France or Lufthansa providing car transport to the plane from the lounge when it's time to leave.

In short, keep it smaller and exclusive, keep the food & drink top-shelf and make it easy for me to get to my flight so I don't need to leave until the last minute, and I'd be happy.

 

[SOPOOR]

I think a lounge needs a bit of a buzz… a ‘soul’ if you like. Which I have never found in TPR.

Some oneworld F lounges do it quite well… the number of F pax is so small, but is bolstered by top tier elites. So there’s enough traffic to provide plenty of staff, and a good service offering. Think the Concorde Room, Cathay Pier/Wing F, even the QF F offerings.

Star alliance lounges like Luthansa or Swiss do it well for F.

Not sure why TPR has never quite ‘made it’ in that sense. They probably have enough F seats, but the lounge is a bit sterile, as you say. The Asiana F lounge was a bit the same.

So in answer to the question… it just needs some ‘life’… some more people!

I havent been through every first lounge in the world but its almost like a AI designed lounge, and missing the buzz

I saw a video of the etihad one , the top one where you get a private series of rooms to yourself and that appeared to have the soul

Im sure there is a lounge that ticks all the boxes, subjective as it may be

 

[MEL_Traveller]

agree maybe the QF F lounges can get a bit full at peak times. But that’s a function of size and capacity rather than the lounge itself? Lufthansa and Swiss do it quite well… F and HON members… so you still get a critical mass of pax to give it a vibe.

For me it’s more funds to enjoy a meal with other people around than all by yourself in an empty restaurant!

But then again, I prefer F cabins to be open rather than boxed suites!

 

[9171]

Hey there, sorry to be so newbie, but what is "TPR"?

I get this thread is about ideal F lounges. I have only been to a few, but as per the OP question "design your ultimate First lounge", I think the answer is not just one. As even a single person (like myself) can have different desires on different days. Some days I want to party, some days want absolute privacy and solitude.

So perhaps a blend is the way to go. So have say four separate areas. A sit-in restaurant area, a bar area with great runway views, private rooms/areas with food/drinks delivery and solitude, and finally, an area for additional services such as spa/massage/etc.

With this basic layout it allows people to choose sociable or private things.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

TPR = The Private Room. A lounge operated by Singapore Airlines for its First and Suites class passengers only. Not even first class passengers of other star alliance members are granted access.

Its exclusivity is on par with Lufthansa’s First Class Terminal, and Air France’s La Premiere lounge offering.

 

[dajop]

I know this is a "can never please everyone" scenario but one of the reasons I like TPR is that it's the opposite of the Sydney QF F lounge in being quiet and not packed to the gills.

Agree. I can do without the "buzz". There are plenty of lounges and places at airports with "buzz" . Peace and quiet is a rare commodity. In fact I wish more lounges had "silent zones" where talking socially and especially talking on speakerphone are prohibited.

OK, I don't fly the F cabin very much, in fact haven't been to the new TPR yet. But I do use the SQ F lounge at SIN T3 often (every month or two). Through a combination of availability, routes and preference most of my flights are around the 11am-2pm slot, which is exceptionally peaceful in the lounge and I really enjoy the quiet. Occasionally I visit at a much busier time and . Yes it has "buzz" but give me peace and quiet any day.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yes. But ‘buzz’ doesn’t have to be loud and noisy. I’ve eaten dinner as the sole occupant of the old TPR on a couple of occasions. Was about as much fun - and sterile - as eating in an empty operating room. Part of the fun of eating is the atmosphere and others around you also enjoying the space… getting to see interesting dishes come being enjoyed, hearing conversations and so on.

Sure lounges should have quiet spaces. But that doesn’t mean they have to lack a soul.

 

[dajop]

Yes. But ‘buzz’ doesn’t have to be loud and noisy. I’ve eaten dinner as the sole occupant of the old TPR on a couple of occasions. Was about as much fun - and sterile - as eating in an empty operating room.

That for me is the ideal! We're all different.

In fact right now I'm at ZRH Swiss Senator lounge, when I arrived it was ghastly busy, before the departure of a whole heap of US flights, so I went out onto the outside terrace - the only person out there. I wouldn't say it wasn't loud and noisy, but that wasn't because of other people

Now the crowd has left I'm back inside, and no other people in earshot or line of sight where I'm sitting. Lovely!

 

[9171]

Exactly, each to their own. But how hard is it to cater to both? Have a dining area with part open-air and sociable, the other part secluded/private. Only requires a slender partition.

 

[dajop]

Exactly, each to their own. But how hard is it to cater to both? Have a dining area with part open-air and sociable, the other part secluded/private. Only requires a slender partition.

Although nothing can be done about the sociable bit if there's no one else in the lounge, which might be part of the problem of a very exclusive lounge at a time when not many flights with F cabins departing. But for those want to it to be busier, there's always the F and J lounges

 

[pgsdiver]

Having just had dinner, then overnighted in a sleeping room then breakfast then lunch (yeah don't ask - stupid connection to make sure I was in F), I think the key when it's quiet is to try to engage the staff. I've had a couple of good conversations with the staff, who are willing to engage as much as you wish, or leave you alone.

My perfect lounge would be the quiet and service of TPR with a broader menu selection (sometimes I don't feel like a la carte so wander through the J or F lounges to find more pedestrian pickings.
Having said that I am turning the waffles into an endangered species this trip, and wagyu satay will be on the threatened list before I leave this evening.

Perfect lounge = the one I haven't paid for...........points all the way!

 

[JackMiles]

What I'd really like though is a lounge that solves the 'last mile' problem when flying F. The Concorde Room is fantastic but you still need to leave 45 minutes before your flight, take the transit train or the long underground walk, and then mill around your gate waiting for boarding to commence. The EK experience where you can walk from the F lounge directly down to the plane to board is only beaten by Air France or Lufthansa providing car transport to the plane from the lounge when it's time to leave.

Sure, superior F&B is nice, but I think this service would definitely be in my design of the best F lounge. So relaxing, and I especially like the option to be last to board.

 

[Cynicor]

I don’t need atmosphere. Happy to be the sole occupant. Quality food and comfortable area is all I want. So I guess TPR is pretty much it already!