Aspire opens new Luxe lounge at Birmingham

Aspire has opened a new Luxe by Aspire lounge at Birmingham Airport, part of a three-tier lounge strategy. According to a review on Head for Points, the lounge can be booked for £52 or accessed by Priority Pass members for a £15 upgrade fee at the door.

Some airlines also direct their business class and status passengers to the Luxe lounge. This includes SAS and, temporarily, Lufthansa, SWISS, and Brussels Airlines, with the latter three set to eventually move to the standard Aspire Lounge.

Location and access

The new Luxe lounge is situated in a newly built complex on the corridor connecting the North and South sections of Birmingham Airport's terminal. It is approximately 80 metres from the main Aspire Lounge. The entrance is clearly marked, leading to a check-in area with separate desks for the Luxe and the higher-end Suite lounges.

Lounge facilities and seating

Inside, the lounge is described as spacious and bright, with floor-to-ceiling windows. It has seating for 104 guests. The seating variety includes a large hot-desking table, half-moon booths, armchairs with high tables along the window, and a dining area with banquette seating near the buffet.

Charging points are reported to be relatively plentiful, with in-floor sockets along the window and plugs under the banquettes. The review notes that tables and chairs in the room's centre might have fewer sockets. Two departure screens are installed inside. Bathrooms are within the lounge in individual cubicles, but the reviewer states there are no showers.

A notable feature is a glass wall separating the Luxe lounge from the Suite lounge, which the reviewer suggests reduces privacy for the Suite side.

Food, drink, and value

The Pantry buffet and bar serves breakfast and lunch. The breakfast selection includes bacon, sausages, baked beans, hash browns, plum tomatoes, and scrambled eggs, which the reviewer criticised as very dry and bitty. This is accompanied by pastries and a charcuterie and cheese board.

For lunch, the hot food switches to Sri Lankan chicken curry, rice, margarita rice, and individual risotto portions. The cheese and charcuterie remain, supplemented by a variety of salads.

Drinks are available from the bar. Soft drinks and coffee are self-service, while alcohol is served by a bartender. Prosecco (Serenello extra dry) is complimentary, but champagne incurs a charge. A wide range of spirits is available at no extra cost, unlike in the standard Aspire Lounge.

The available spirits include:

The reviewer from Head for Points was impressed overall, calling the furniture and fit-out very stylish. They concluded that for £10 more than the standard Aspire lounge when booked in advance, or a £15 Priority Pass upgrade, the Luxe lounge offers decent value due to its likely lower crowds and generally nicer environment.