Originally Posted by
uclacolumbiaunc
Does either of Aspire Lounge at YYC serve hot food? If so, what kind of hot food do they serve. If not, do they at least serve deli sandwiches?
Here's what I posted a few days ago in the
New YYC International Terminal thread:
ASPIRE LOUNGE
I won't rehash my full list of pros and cons from that post here, but in summary:
- Hot food = yes. Dinner options I've seen are a butter chicken w rice, and a tortellini with a red sauce.
- Sandwiches = no
Originally Posted by
uclacolumbiaunc
I have traveling plan passing through Transborder terminal E returning to US. I am just wondering if I should go to Aspire Lounge (using Priority Pass) for dinner or buy at one of the restaurants in Terminal E.... ?
I do dinner in the lounge. It's not gourmet, but it's good. And I like it being quick and easy. Plus that lounge really is a beautiful space.
Restaurant options in terminal E, if you'd rather: there's a full service Wolfgang Pucks, plus a wine bar and a Belgian beer cafe. Plus, there's a food court with about 5 options, a Starbucks, and a cute little frozen yogurt place.
Originally Posted by
uclacolumbiaunc
I believe these two are the first Aspire Lounges in North America... I wonder how Aspire Lounges compare to normal US or Canadian domestic lounges (or even AMEX Centurion Lounge)..??
On par with or better than most U.S. airline lounges. Hot food (and the great space) puts them over the top.
But nowhere as good as the Centurion lounges. Not even close, sadly. The Centurions are the gold standard in both food and professional service.
Originally Posted by
rehoult
The food is the exact same as the old YYC TB lounge, so generally considered weak. OTOH, I can get cereal, toast and coffee in the morning, and a wrap and drink in the afternoon, so it meets my simple requirements.
I disagree. That definitely hasn't been my experience. YYC's old TB lounge was limited to cold food (pretty much just pre-made sandwiches) and packaged food like bags of chips and factory-wrapped squares of cheddar. And it was a ugly, dingy little room stuck in the 90s.
That's absolutely not the case in this new Aspire lounge. There's always hot food out, and there's a decent selection of meats, cheeses, nuts, etc.
I do like the Aspire Lounge. They're still going through growing pains, though. They need to get better - substantially better - at keeping their food options properly stocked. Ditto for keeping cutlery and glassware stocked. And while their service is friendly, it's nowhere near the level of professionalism in the Centurion lounges or even the more professional airline lounges like DL.
And I agree with TravellingGypsy above: the wine served in Aspire is some pretty nasty, low end plonk. They really cheaped out here.