Well, sort of.... The design and decor of the lounge are indeed very impressive, but not everything is up to the standard you would expect. There is WiFi internet access, but it doesn't work very well, neither do the two PC's in the lounge. Talking to the business centre, they seemingly have been having problems with it all day - in fact, the Wireless network seems to work better in the Business section of the lounge. Here is Willard wondering if old age will overtake him before he gets an IP address for his connection.

...but the massage chair is good! With a range of programs, and a REALLY WIERD automatic acupressure pressure point detection sequence, this is a nice toy to play with!

So, why don't we like this lounge? After all, it's got a good selection of drinks, Champagne (a very acceptable Pol Roger), a dining section and lots of toys.. The service is non-existent for a start off! After having been waited on in the Heathrow lounge, the complete lack of anyone to serve drinks or food (or even help us find where they are) is a real let-down. It's unnerving when you are obviously having trouble (in this case trying to pick up a few chocolates for Pat) and two staff are looking on, enjoying your difficulty, rather than offering assistance. Other things, such as half of the supposedly clean coffee cups being stained and/or cracked (everytime I found a dirty cup, I put it on the side, and every time I came back the staff had put them back for others to use) make this lounge feel somewhat "unloved".

But it's a long connection (soon to become even longer, but we didn't know that yet) and so Willard chooses to do a little "lounge-hopping" to see what the general standard is, and in the interests of providing valuable intelligence for his readership. Here we are in the Shared "Plaza Premium" lounge, which is where you would find yourself if all you had was a priority pass. The lounge staff were unwilling to let us in for a look round, so we checked in with our Priority Pass card, courtesy of American Express (after persuading the staff that Willard did not count as an additional guest!).

And we immediately found out why we could not access the lounge "for a look". If anyone looked at it, they would never, ever be willing to pay for it afterwards. This is definitely one of the smallest, worst catered lounges Willard has seen. Drink options are, erm, beer, beer, or beer, and the food spread is also pretty limited.