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That's a very good comment. I perfectly agree, and I realize my criticism was culturally-biased. Judgment aside now, I still felt awkward, but that's just me of course.Originally Posted by eternaltransit
I wouldn't really see that a positive or negative, only part of the cultural offering and how you feel about being exposed to something that is culturally unfamiliar.
Looking forward to my next visit on Saturday. This will be over lunch, hopefully the dining experience will be different.
Shuly
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Given the main point of reference was the IST TK lounges - then yes Originally Posted by DYKWIA
As for quiet and boring, what were you expecting. A busy and noisy lounge?
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The IST lounge is a zoo and there's nothing even remotely luxurious about it. BUT: it's a business class lounge, not a first class one; the food is excellent, IMHO; there's really quite a lot one can do in the lounge. In a way, it's a mirror of Istanbul itself... which I like a lot.Originally Posted by irishguy28
Given the main point of reference was the IST TK lounges - then yes
Coming to think about it, the EK first class lounge is a reflection of Dubai...
Shuly
I've visited 3 times now, at a variety of times both day and night, and struggle to get excited about the place. Will be going there again next month, but with Mrs User Name in tow. It will be her first visit - maybe she will like the place.
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Coming to think about it, the EK first class lounge is a reflection of Dubai...
Shuly
In what way?Originally Posted by shuly
The IST lounge is a zoo and there's nothing even remotely luxurious about it. BUT: it's a business class lounge, not a first class one; the food is excellent, IMHO; there's really quite a lot one can do in the lounge. In a way, it's a mirror of Istanbul itself... which I like a lot.Coming to think about it, the EK first class lounge is a reflection of Dubai...
Shuly
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clinical, presumablyOriginally Posted by m3red
In what way?
I was only in the A concourse J lounge but found it to be sterile and uninviting compared to the B concourse lounge. B felt more "lived in" and more like a nice living room (esp the more darkly lit central area overlooking the terminal).
The A lounge felt expansive, but that's about it. I once heard from an event planner that people unconsciously prefer to be compressed (but not too much) into smaller areas, and I find that true in this case.
The A lounge felt expansive, but that's about it. I once heard from an event planner that people unconsciously prefer to be compressed (but not too much) into smaller areas, and I find that true in this case.
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The A lounge felt expansive, but that's about it. I once heard from an event planner that people unconsciously prefer to be compressed (but not too much) into smaller areas, and I find that true in this case.
Your friend is right. For events. But relaxing between flights in a lounge is not an event and I think the more privacy the better, so I have absolutely no problem with an expansive underutilised lounge.Originally Posted by Metanoia
I was only in the A concourse J lounge but found it to be sterile and uninviting compared to the B concourse lounge. B felt more "lived in" and more like a nice living room (esp the more darkly lit central area overlooking the terminal).The A lounge felt expansive, but that's about it. I once heard from an event planner that people unconsciously prefer to be compressed (but not too much) into smaller areas, and I find that true in this case.
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This is perhaps where the marketing and people's own expectations about what F travel is - an event - might be an issue (EK market F as a luxury experience).Originally Posted by skywardhunter
Your friend is right. For events. But relaxing between flights in a lounge is not an event and I think the more privacy the better, so I have absolutely no problem with an expansive underutilised lounge.
In this case though, I just think that many people do not think that expansive and overly attentive is a hallmark of luxury - for instance, see how many people feel uncomfortable to say the least with Asian service standards of luxury (people kneel down to talk to you, there is an obvious status differential that is emphasised as a selling point) but for many if you *don't* do that, it's not a luxury experience. You can see it on Flyertalk, where some people have such a negative image of EK to the point of it being a serious impact on their travel experience just because of the internal color scheme. I personally easily tune out things like the gold and walnut - but I know that some people literally don't fly EK just because of gold.
I agree that the F lounge reflects its heritage and local market - where bigger is better is hospitable. Intimate and understated are not the prestige characteristics of the region. That is simply the cultural heritage imho.
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
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You said the EK First lounge was quiet, boring, bad food, and you got followed to the toilet.Originally Posted by shuly
Coming to think about it, the EK first class lounge is a reflection of Dubai...
I don't think Dubai could reflect any of those... other than maybe the last, in a few dodgy night-spots.
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I agree that the F lounge reflects its heritage and local market - where bigger is better is hospitable. Intimate and understated are not the prestige characteristics of the region. That is simply the cultural heritage imho.
Ahh yes, I have failed to look at the A concourse in the context of the local culture. B feels like it was trying to emulate the best of the Asian and European carriers and A takes it to a whole new level to compete with the likes of the other ME3 (2?).Originally Posted by eternaltransit
This is perhaps where the marketing and people's own expectations about what F travel is - an event - might be an issue (EK market F as a luxury experience)....
I agree that the F lounge reflects its heritage and local market - where bigger is better is hospitable. Intimate and understated are not the prestige characteristics of the region. That is simply the cultural heritage imho.
That being said I find the onboard service has the perfect amount of attentiveness, and I am from North America. I also tend to view it more as an event/experience as I only travel international premium cabins max 3 times a year.
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The lounge is huge. It's not big, or spacious, it's just huge. It feels much more like a (rather deserted) terminal than like a lounge, especially given the duty free shops and the gates on its perimeter.
There's nothing luxurious about it, nothing that spells first class, in sharp contrast to the FCT in FRA. The way there (from the entrance to the terminal) is long and boring. No personal touches whatsoever.
The food quality is meh. Again, in sharp contrast to FRA. I find even the IST food better.
Perhaps the most annoying feature is the service. The lounge is full of attendants who's main function seems to be to greet you whenever you pass them. It's nice at first, then gets annoying, and borders intruding when they accompany you to the restrooms and wait for you to finish washing up. I really don't want a random attendant to be there next to me when I brush my teeth.
A minor point: there's no storage space. I would have liked to be able to leave my carry-on bag somewhere when I'm enjoying myself.
In short, the lounge is boring. There's really not much to do there (compare with TK), the food is mediocre, and the atmosphere is not very relaxing. It's very quiet, even during rush hours (early morning), which is nice, but not somewhere I would plan to stay for several hours.
Shuly
Originally Posted by shuly
I was looking forward to my first visit to the A concourse lounge this morning. I was not impressed. My comparison datapoints are the TK (business) lounge in Istanbul, which I visit frequently, and the LH first class terminal in FRA, which I only visited once.The lounge is huge. It's not big, or spacious, it's just huge. It feels much more like a (rather deserted) terminal than like a lounge, especially given the duty free shops and the gates on its perimeter.
There's nothing luxurious about it, nothing that spells first class, in sharp contrast to the FCT in FRA. The way there (from the entrance to the terminal) is long and boring. No personal touches whatsoever.
The food quality is meh. Again, in sharp contrast to FRA. I find even the IST food better.
Perhaps the most annoying feature is the service. The lounge is full of attendants who's main function seems to be to greet you whenever you pass them. It's nice at first, then gets annoying, and borders intruding when they accompany you to the restrooms and wait for you to finish washing up. I really don't want a random attendant to be there next to me when I brush my teeth.
A minor point: there's no storage space. I would have liked to be able to leave my carry-on bag somewhere when I'm enjoying myself.
In short, the lounge is boring. There's really not much to do there (compare with TK), the food is mediocre, and the atmosphere is not very relaxing. It's very quiet, even during rush hours (early morning), which is nice, but not somewhere I would plan to stay for several hours.
Shuly
The A lounge is pretty boring, IMO too, when you compare it to many other FCL - QF- SYD&MEL, CX- HKG, LH - FCT, even Galleries First at LHR has more buzz!
I was there last week and have to say, nothing inspired me food wise and yes, it is just a whole floor with corridors and gates with food, areas in between. Never tried the wines - too early in the day for me. Service was good and the attendants were very helpful, but, again, bored looking like the pax!
I prefer the B lounge really, for me the food selection seems better and the lounge has just a little more life in it!
EK lounges, I think, need a revamp to brighten them up, esp outstations. GLA and AKL being an exception.
Mind you, was in MUC last week and the staff were fantastic, bright and chatty - what a difference it can make.
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I guess this perfectly summarizes what I meant when I said that the A lounge was a reflection of Dubai.Originally Posted by eternaltransit
I agree that the F lounge reflects its heritage and local market - where bigger is better is hospitable. Intimate and understated are not the prestige characteristics of the region.
Shuly
I'd say the OP raises some interesting points in his assessment.
Whilst I don't agree with everything he/she says, I do feel the general debate which has been prompted here helps to balance things out a little.
The DXB F lounges have in the past been glorified somewhat - and perhaps overly so. When I first experienced one of them myself, I remember thinking at the time it was pretty 'spectacular' and unique ; and that's pretty much how I described it to friends/relatives who had yet to see it. Emirates deserve due credit for providing what I still regard as a true premium lounge product at their home hub (and distinctly better than many other equivalents ..... notably, BA F lounges at LHR). But .... ambience and perception of luxury can be difficult concepts to define and it all becomes very subjective, as other posters have remarked.
All said & done, airport lounges are essentially waiting rooms. Some are undoubtedly more comfortable and better 'provisioned' than others, but waiting rooms nonetheless. Hence my ongoing bemusement when posters come on to say that they are purposely designing their itinerary in order to spend a whole day in the lounge, because they've been told it's the seventh wonder of the world.
Of all the comments here I reckon m3red (who probably sees far more of these DXB lounges than most of us) hit the spot with his "It's a nice place to be for a couple of hours that's it."
Whilst I don't agree with everything he/she says, I do feel the general debate which has been prompted here helps to balance things out a little.
The DXB F lounges have in the past been glorified somewhat - and perhaps overly so. When I first experienced one of them myself, I remember thinking at the time it was pretty 'spectacular' and unique ; and that's pretty much how I described it to friends/relatives who had yet to see it. Emirates deserve due credit for providing what I still regard as a true premium lounge product at their home hub (and distinctly better than many other equivalents ..... notably, BA F lounges at LHR). But .... ambience and perception of luxury can be difficult concepts to define and it all becomes very subjective, as other posters have remarked.
All said & done, airport lounges are essentially waiting rooms. Some are undoubtedly more comfortable and better 'provisioned' than others, but waiting rooms nonetheless. Hence my ongoing bemusement when posters come on to say that they are purposely designing their itinerary in order to spend a whole day in the lounge, because they've been told it's the seventh wonder of the world.
Of all the comments here I reckon m3red (who probably sees far more of these DXB lounges than most of us) hit the spot with his "It's a nice place to be for a couple of hours that's it."
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Whilst I don't agree with everything he/she says, I do feel the general debate which has been prompted here helps to balance things out a little.
The DXB F lounges have in the past been glorified somewhat - and perhaps overly so. When I first experienced one of them myself, I remember thinking at the time it was pretty 'spectacular' and unique ; and that's pretty much how I described it to friends/relatives who had yet to see it. Emirates deserve due credit for providing what I still regard as a true premium lounge product at their home hub (and distinctly better than many other equivalents ..... notably, BA F lounges at LHR). But .... ambience and perception of luxury can be difficult concepts to define and it all becomes very subjective, as other posters have remarked.
All said & done, airport lounges are essentially waiting rooms. Some are undoubtedly more comfortable and better 'provisioned' than others, but waiting rooms nonetheless. Hence my ongoing bemusement when posters come on to say that they are purposely designing their itinerary in order to spend a whole day in the lounge, because they've been told it's the seventh wonder of the world.
Of all the comments here I reckon m3red (who probably sees far more of these DXB lounges than most of us) hit the spot with his "It's a nice place to be for a couple of hours that's it."
I think the key word here is indeed 'perception'. It is only what it is perceived to be. I have been in 2 of the J lounges at DXB and will have my first visit to an F lounge there in a couple of weeks. Originally Posted by subject2load
I'd say the OP raises some interesting points in his assessment. Whilst I don't agree with everything he/she says, I do feel the general debate which has been prompted here helps to balance things out a little.
The DXB F lounges have in the past been glorified somewhat - and perhaps overly so. When I first experienced one of them myself, I remember thinking at the time it was pretty 'spectacular' and unique ; and that's pretty much how I described it to friends/relatives who had yet to see it. Emirates deserve due credit for providing what I still regard as a true premium lounge product at their home hub (and distinctly better than many other equivalents ..... notably, BA F lounges at LHR). But .... ambience and perception of luxury can be difficult concepts to define and it all becomes very subjective, as other posters have remarked.
All said & done, airport lounges are essentially waiting rooms. Some are undoubtedly more comfortable and better 'provisioned' than others, but waiting rooms nonetheless. Hence my ongoing bemusement when posters come on to say that they are purposely designing their itinerary in order to spend a whole day in the lounge, because they've been told it's the seventh wonder of the world.
Of all the comments here I reckon m3red (who probably sees far more of these DXB lounges than most of us) hit the spot with his "It's a nice place to be for a couple of hours that's it."
Having heard so much about the lounges I was very disappointed with the J lounge at the C gates and quite impressed by the J lounge at the A gates.....and I confess to being a little excited about seeing the F lounge.
I remember a few years ago when I had my first access to the BA F lounge at LHR I organised my connecting flight to give me more time there than I needed
I wouldn't do it now but I enjoyed the experience then.If one is 'given' access to something that seems exclusive (whether or not it is) then it can make one feel 'special'. If it doesn't live up to ones expectations then disappointment is felt but that is about the perception not what is perceived, surely.
Once something becomes habitual or humdrum there is no longer any anticipation which is I assume when, as subject2load says, any lounge becomes only a waiting room..... as any car is a means of transport but there are some I'd rather travel in.