Love to Lounge? Great Airport Lounges For Business Travelers

(Photo: Thinkstock)

For frequent business travelers, airport lounges can be a home away from home. They’re oases of tranquility that offer sanctuary from the often cacophonous hustle and bustle of airport gates — quiet safe havens where you can either catch up on work or ignore it completely.

What makes a good airport lounge for business travelers? “Plenty of space and modern amenities,” says Jami Counter, senior director of TripAdvisor Flights and SeatGuru. “It’s also nice to have shower facilities in case you’re going straight to meetings after you land.” Counter also has some ideas on the ideal decor: ”A bright, airy feel where you don’t feel like you’re shoved in a broom closet.” Free Wi-Fi and enough outlets to charge all your gadgets are plusses too.

Related: Sneak Peek: American Express Opens Swanky Lounge at LaGuardia Airport

Yahoo Travel went to some experts and business travelers to find out which airport lounges fit the bill. After all, Counter is right: airport lounges shouldn’t make you feel like you’re in a broom closet. That’s what airplanes are for.

Emirates’ Business Lounge, Dubai International Airport

Emirates has a reputation for spoiling guests at its Business Lounge in Dubai. (Photo: Emirates)

The opulent flying experience for which Emirates is known extends to its business lounge in Dubai, which AirlineReporter.com Founder/Editor-in-Chief David Parker Brown cites for its “high level of class and sheer size.” The lounge also offers sit-down gourmet dining and direct boarding access to your flight. Rhonda Vetere, Estee Lauder’s Chief Technology Officer and frequent business traveler, cites the lounge’s proximity to a gym and hotel. “You can work out while on a long layover,” she says. “It is a great way to run off the jet lag.”

Virgin Atlantic’s Clubhouse Lounge, Heathrow Airport, London

Virgin Atlantic’s fun lounge in Heathrow is a clubhouse in every sense of the word. (Photo: Virgin Atlantic)

Virgin Atlantic’s fully wireless flagship lounge offers laptops for those who wish to browse while lounging. But it’s also perfect for business travelers who want to take a break from all that businessy stuff. “It’s a $17 million facility that offers facials, haircuts, massages and a fantastic bar that serves meals,” says Andrew Wong, regional director of TripAdvisor Flights. In the lounge’s aptly-named Den, there’s a pool table and retro video game consoles.

American Express Centurion Lounges

If you can’t join `em, beat `em: American Express’ Centurion airport lounges are winning raves after AmEx cardholders lost privileges at other airlines’ facilities. (Photo: American Express)

When multiple airlines stopped offering free lounge access to American Express Platinum Card members, AmEx looked to its Centurion Lounges to help fill the gap. Now that it has four lounges up and running (Las Vegas, Dallas-Fort Worth, New York’s LaGuardia, and San Francisco airports, with Miami scheduled to open next year), American Express is getting praise for its lounge game. “They are designed for business travelers, TripAdvisor’s Jami Counter says of Centurion. “You can order meals, unlike some U.S. airline lounges where you may get a ‘help-yourself-to-crackers-and-cheese’-type buffet.” He also like its decor. “You feel like you’re at a tech firm where it’s got that kind of open feel,” he says. “But it’s also a little 21-century forward looking.”

United Airlines’ United Club, Boston Logan Airport

United’s new Club lounge in Boston wins points for its spacious layout. (Photo: United Airlines)

The new 8,000-foot lounge seats 178 travelers and features nice views of Boston Harbor. ”It’s a great workspace environment,” says Counter. “They’ve done a good job with the design. It doesn’t feel like you’re in a gate where everyone’s sitting on top of each other.”

Star Alliance Lounge, Tom Bradley International Terminal, Los Angeles International Airport

The Star Alliance Lounge at LAX provides a home-like environment for business travelers who haven’t seen their homes in a while. (Photo: Star Alliance)

This is a nice, warm lounge that boasts a homey atmosphere for its mostly-business class clientele. “It really feels like I’m at someone’s home,” says AirlineReporter.com‘s David Parker Brown. ”The decor is not too trendy or cold, like you find in many other lounges. They also have a fake outdoor balcony overlooking the terminal and a real outdoor patio with multiple fire pits, a waterfall and the ability to host live music.”

Cathay Pacific’s Pier Business Class Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport

Cathay Pacific’s Hong Kong lounges are big with our experts; the noodle bar might have something to do with that. (Photo: Flickr/Matt_Weibo)

For more than one of the business travel experts we talked to, this was the top choice. “Cathay Pacific’s lounge is my favorite,” Counter says. Wong calls it “a beautiful facility” and adds: “There’s even a noodle bar with freshly prepared Hong Kong style noodle soups and dim sum.”

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