The star of the Aspire Lounge at O.R. Tambo International in Johannesburg was Jeffrey and I was so pleased to experience his kind hospitality. In terms of Priority Pass lounges at JNB, this one is my favorite.
Aspire Lounge Johannesburg (JNB) Review
In fact, the entire lounge staff was lovely, from the kind woman who checked me in to the entire hospitality staff…but Jeffrey was simply amazing. He saw I was taking pictures and offered to give me the lounge tour, beaming with pride as he showed me each part of the lounge.
And like going to the home of a friend, he wanted me to eat, offering to bring me a number of dishes and fix a number of drinks. I hated to disappoint him, but all I wanted was a glass of sparkling water. Even so, he checked on me often during my stay and I saw him exert the same level of professionalism and care toward the few other guests who entered the lounge after I did.
The Aspire Lounge had just reopened after a long hiatus, but was virtually empty thanks to the omicron travel bans so many nations had imposed (and continue to impose) against South Africa.
This is a comfortable lounge and felt more spacious and elegant than the Shongololo Lounge, which was located just a few paces away. It is located in Terminal A (international) near gate A7 and open daily from 5:00am to 11:00pm.
Although the South African Airways lounge offers space for Star Alliance premium cabin passengers, Lufthansa, SWISS, Singapore, and Air China use this lounge for their business class passengers.
Cold food (with the exception of cheese) is individually packaged (fruit, sandwiches, mezze, salad) while warm food is served buffet style.
On the west side of the lounge is a row of oversized chairs with ottomans that can be used to sleep on (fluffy blankets are waiting on top of the ottoman).
The rest of the lounge has a mix of couches and chairs.
Showers are available as well as clean restrooms and a nursing room for mothers.
CONCLUSION
Jeffrey took great care of me during my stay at the lounge and made me feel right at home–like a member of his family–a gesture I greatly appreciated it. In terms of Priority Pass lounges at JNB in Terminal A, I’ve now visited all four and find this one the best.
That looks like quite a bar for a PP lounge. I’ve historically found lounge staff at the SAA lounges at JNB to be fairly charming too, so maybe that’s just a common trend at the airport.
Is it just, or out the 3 lounges you posted about, the Virgin Atlantic lounge seems to have the most local inspired food?
Yes, Virgin lounge has a great menu which indeed incorporates more local elements.