Knobbgb

That was pretty hit-and-miss in the own place and I assume they haven't made any staff changes. Once I sat at at table for nearly three hours and it was full of empty plates and glasses from the previous people (plus mine) when I left. A few days later, I went to get a cup of coffee and returned to find my plate gone, along with the food I'd not quite finished eating.

I actually find the hard metal chairs quite comfortable (if they are the same as the old ones). OK - not to relax in for a couple of hours, but to sit up and have a coffee while reading a newspaper. It's way too easy to fall asleep in the soft chairs - especially after a couple of beers and a belly full of the "great" food they offer, hehe. I think it's important to have a choice of different seating styles.

It looks like the 'island' food service area has indeed gone, as per the artist drawings we saw earlier. I guess this makes more room for seats but it was nice to have the refreshment area separated from the seating - I can imagine everything will be more cramped now - maybe there'll be even fewer choices.

Does anybody know - do they still have some PC's in there? I found those very useful for catching up with stuff (and for staying awake at 4am). The new SKG lounge has about4 really fast computers so I'm guessing there will be.

gpb_croppers63

Hi all!

Here are some live pics of the new lounge. It’s a major upgrade on the old one. Smoking area is gone so the whole place smells much fresher! There is a smoking room right outside though so it’s really not that inconvenient! Enjoy the pics!

DELLAS

Great pics and congrats on being the first to bring us the pics. I like the idea behind the drinks trolley a very fun idea. That was not there when I had a mini preview of the lounge a few days ago.
Certainly a major enhancement. Good riddence to the smoking section and as you say the smoking ''lounge'' is right near the A3 lounge so the smokers can light up til their heart and lungs are content without bothering the majority as before.

headingwest

+1 for the drinks trolley. Finally I'll get to pretend that I'm cabin crew while preparing my own drink!

Thanks for the photos gpb_croppers63

DELLAS

Skycart Designs. . Christmas is coming treat yourself ...

DJ Bitterbarn

Those aren't lever-action espresso machines, are they?

BrianUA800

It will be appreciated if someone can share the information on food offerings during lunch time in the renovated lounge
Thank you

MrArkadin

I visited yesterday during lunchtime. Overall it is a nice refurb, place looks bigger and more fresh. It’s nice to see the extra space claimed from the ex smokers lounge although I’m not a fan of the wire chairs.

The armchairs are nice, but they look like a cheaper version of the LX lounge ones, which bothers me a bit. AC power and USB outlets are available.

Unfortunately I found the food offerings unimpressive. Some sandwiches, pies and baked goods, but no hot plates or salads. I’m also not keen on the fridge situation they could have saved space (and waste) with a soft drinks dispenser.

gpb_croppers63

Knobbgb

So, what's down at the far end (on the left as you go in)? Is that the old black sofas (or new versions of the same thing) I spy on the photos?

Are there any computers?

What are the bathrooms like? Have they been refurbished or are they the same?

Have they got rid of the horrible intrusive "music" that plays just a little too loud to be classed as background?

Sorry, for all the questions. I really appreciate the photos and descriptions so far! I'm looking forward to my first visit in January.

EDIT, I notice that they have added two serving hatches behind the centre food counter. Could that be a sign that they are planning to add proper hot food soon?

gpb_croppers63

No problem about the questions. I’ll try my best to answer them all.

1. Yes, there are 2 of the old black sofas there. They look a little out of place but nice for the nostalgia.

2. I didn’t see any computers but I may have just missed them.

3. The bathrooms have been refurbished. They’re the same size but much nicer.

4. The music is still there. They were playing random versions of Christmas songs.

5. I’m not sure about the serving hatches but hot food would be nice. The cheese pie is still as good as ever though.

Hope those answers help!

Romanianflyer

Agreed, it looks nice! Thanks indeed for making the effort to put some pictures online!

Although some spoiled frequent flyers might probably say serving from a cart is "tacky" and the proper way in any premium cabin is to serve drinks by tray

DJ Bitterbarn

Well, you've got me there. After AC's lateral move from Van Houtte to Lavazza I'm really looking forward to passing through ATH again to finally get some drinkable coffee.

KLouis

You mean to say that Canadian coffee is "better" than Italian and you're looking forward to having Swiss one? Or is it the George Clooney effect?

DJ Bitterbarn

Now that's just a complex question

At the surface Kicking Horse > Lavazza but nobody uses Kicking Horse in any commercial context. At the same time, though, I've only ever found one roast of Lavazza that was anything more than passable and most of the time it's not really very good. Van Houtte is.... well it's better than Tim Hortons which is absolute trash. I'm not really pushed either way on Nespresso, but at least they can keep it consistently good (when the machine works - looking at you SFO SilverKris Lounge with your "one in every five of these pods is actually going to result in coffee" machine. Not that it matters anymore that the lounge is closed to expand the UA Club, the only saving feature of which is the Illy espresso).

Which is all academic anyway, I'll still drink it unless it's Timmy's.