Continuing reviews related to my trip to Melilla – including a Polaris ride and the Diamond Lounge – today is a Brussels Airport the Loft review. Does this lounge live up to the hype? Unfortunately I did not have access to the VIP area, but was able to access the rest of the lounge via my Star Alliance Gold status.
As a reminder, for internal “house” reviews, we score on the same 1-3 scale we use elsewhere. A 3 indicates that a given category exceeded reviewer expectations, a 2 indicates it met expectations, and a 1 failed to meet expectations. We evaluate the categories we believe are most relevant to the flight, hotel, or lounge experience.
I had a 3-hour layover in Brussels. My plan was to spend the first part of it at the Brussels Airport The Loft, in the Schengen terminal. This is the Lexus co-branded Brussels Airways flagship lounge. I wanted to spend more time at The Loft vs. The Suite, which is in the international terminal. Based on prior visits to both, I recalled The Loft being better. To pull this off, I needed to budget time to make it through passport control, which historically had been a breeze, so I figured I had at least an hour to spend in the lounge.
Upon entering, the lounge manager—who went full “Lounge Dragon” on me—told me that I was in the wrong terminal and needed to go to the right one. I responded that I knew I had to go to the non-Schengen terminal, but I had plenty of time, and this lounge was better. After a back-and-forth and her repeatedly telling me, “you have been warned, it’s your responsibility if you miss your flight,” and me standing my ground, she finally threw in, “Oh I heard there’s only one person working passport control, and the line is huge.”
Now I was faced with the typical challenge faced by veteran travelers of having to weigh several factors: a) Past experience telling me I’m OK; b) Wondering if the lounge manager is messing with me because I refuse to listen to her; and c) If I miss my flight, my wife is going to be pissed. I decided to roll the dice and swing into the lounge—all for you, readers! Hopefully this Brussels Airport The Loft review is worth it. Unfortunately, I’ve just got one self-taken picture due to the short stay here; the rest are stock. Forgive me!
Name of Lounge: Brussels The Loft
Location: Terminal A, Schengen
Time/Length of Visit: 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Date of Visit: 4/15/19
Seating – 2/3
At 11 AM the lounge was probably at 90% occupancy. In general, this lounge has a ton of seating in a variety of formats: bar seating, lounge chairs, regular chairs. The lounge is also in good shape since it is relatively new. I found a high chair to sit in while assessing the food options.
Drink – 3/3
Lots of fancy coffee/espresso/hot chocolate machines were available. In addition, there were some alcohol options as well, beer and wine mainly. I saw some liquor but wasn’t paying too much attention. The beer options included several Belgian beers on draft. Too bad it was morning; Leffe Blonde is a good lounge beer. While no exotic or fancy offerings, the combination of good coffee and good beer options were great for a business class lounge in my opinion.
Food – 2/3
Hot options included beans, eggs, and potato cakes. I went with the eggs and potato cakes, and while not special, they were good. There were a variety of cold cuts, decent croissants, yogurt, and the like available. The food was solid, but nothing special—although to be fair, I didn’t try any of the delicious-looking pastries on display. Gotta save the calories for alcohol.
Cleanliness – 3/3
The lounge was clean and well maintained, despite being busy.
Bathrooms – Not Reviewed
I did not have a chance to review the bathrooms. Wow, that sounded creepy. There were 4 shower stalls available.
WiFi – Not Reviewed
I did not have a chance to use the WiFi this trip. In the past, it has been acceptable. I ended up enjoying my coffee and snack while reading on my Kindle.
Views – 3/3
One side of the lounge has windows with excellent tarmac views. This side is usually quite busy due to the superb views. The rest of the lounge either has views into the terminal or no views.
Brussels Airport The Loft Review Overall Rating – 2.5/3
I had planned to stay longer, but two factors cut my stay short: the crowded nature of the lounge killing my vibe and the front desk woman’s ominous warning about a massive line of doom at passport control. After I finished my snack and fifth double espresso of the day, I decided I’d make my way to The Suite in the non-Schengen terminal to avoid risking missing my flight, thus both making me the worst husband of the year AND proving the lounge manager correct. I had recalled that beyond slightly inferior food, The Suite was good enough to kill any remaining time.
It turned out this was a decent call, as the line through Exit Control was fairly lengthy—30 minutes long. I will note that there were plenty of immigration officers working, not “just one officer” as I had been told. That said, I’m not sure if it was an issue of staffing shortages or just a busy period. Either way, I made my way through, popped into The Suite for a beer, and boarded my flight.
Candidly, while good, my last visit to The Loft was better, but this is still a really nice business lounge. It can just get crowded in the mornings, which makes it less of a positive experience.