With a long layover ahead, I set up camp in the Lot Polish Business Lounge Polonez, located in the Schengen Area of Warsaw Chopin Airport. The lounge is quite nice and offers a decent assortment of food and drink, showers, and seating area.
LOT Polish Business Lounge Polonez Review
LOT offers three lounges in Warsaw, including a lounge within a lounge in the Polonez lounge which I will review separately (the LOT Elite Lounge). The Polonez lounge is LOT’s flagship lounge and is intended for travelers within the Schengen Area while the smaller business lounge Mazurek is located in the non-Schengen Area.
Location + Hours + Access
This lounge is located near the security checkpoints in the Schengen Zone on the mezzanine level (one level up). The closest gate is A25. You can take the stairs or an elevator up.
The lounge is open daily from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm.
Access is reserved for:
- LOT Business Class passengers
- Star Alliance Gold members
- HON Circle members
- Miles & More member with Frequent Traveler status (Star Alliance Silver)
LOT Premium Economy passengers on flights from/to China, Kazakhstan, India, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Sri Lanka and the USA can purchase access at a discounted rate of PLN120 (~27USD).
Seating
LOT banks flights meaning the lounge will get very crowded, then empty out. As you enter the lounge, there is a seating area with tables and chairs followed by a number of additional alcoves with more seating.
I like the way LOT used plants and natural light to give the lounge a more home-like feeling.
You will struggle to find a power port. Most of the tables and chairs do not have one within reach, which seems to me to be the biggest failing of this lounge. Wi-Fi is fast.
Food + Drink
I spent nearly six hours in the lounge and had both breakfast and lunch during my stay. While food options were not abundant, I appreciated the selection of food and found the quality excellent.
A buffet area included a decent spread for both breakfast and lunch.
- Breakfast
- quiche
- sausage
- whole fruit
- freshly-cut fruit
- cereal
- bread
- cold cuts
- salad
- cheese
The quiche with a bit of spicy tomato sauce was very pleasant, the croissant fresh, coffee strong, and the fresh fruit sweet. Not a bad way to break my fast.
There was also a bar (that remained unstaffed during my six-hour stay) that offered a number of drinks including a cocktail menu.
Other drink selections included:
- water
- soft drinks
- tea
- coffee (including several automatic espresso machines)
- apple cider
Around 11:00 am, breakfast dishes were replaced with lunch, which included many of the same items but also a delicious carrot soup and a white fish in a creamy mustard dill sauce. Topped with parsley and beets and mashed potatoes on the side, I found this a very satisfying dish.
Overall, LOT Polish Airlines seems to embrace quality over quantity in its lounge and I think that is a good thing.
Showers + Restrooms
After that long bus ride from Kyiv, you can bet that my first stop was the shower. You can request shower access at reception and the lounge has one male shower and one female shower (inside the restrooms). You will receive a key which is needed to open the locked door.
Pressure was fine and the shower was clean enough.
Restrooms on the other hand…
Yes, that’s a cigarette butt in the toilet and the whole bathroom reeked of cigarette smoke. Warsaw Airport has several smoking areas (although the lounge does not) so I am not sure why someone could not be bothered to go downstairs to smoke.
Service
Cups, glasses, and dishes were collected promptly, but there was little communication that went on (perhaps a language barrier). I appreciated that the buffet was kept well-stocked.
Steam Your Shirt
In partnership with Samsung, the lounge has a nifty machine in which you can place your shirt or another garment into it and it will be automatically steamed.
Premium Beauty Lounge
If you visit the lounge during the week (Monday – Friday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm), you can enjoy a complimentary facial or massage in partnership with Yonelle. These treatments are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you are interested, check in at the “Premium Beauty Lounge” and if necessary, add your name to the waiting list.
CONCLUSION
The LOT Polonez lounge is open and was perfectly suitable during my six-hour visit to work, shower, and eat. While on the small side for a flagship lounge (it does get crowded), I thought the food was very good (especially the fish) and the amenities like the spa make it the best lounge at WAW.
Not sure if I would prefer to smell like a 15 hour bus ride or an ashtray. Probably the bus ride smell. Seriously, I have zero tolerance for cigarette smoke so I can would have skipped the shower.
It amuses me that we look back at the “golden era” of flying, prior to 1990, and the entire airport and airplanes smelled like ashtrays along with the restaurants.
I live a now largely smoke free life rarely encountering smokers and sometimes I need to remind myself to pause and smell the literal roses. It’s wonderful to take in a big breath of fresh air and enjoy it.
But for the bus ride, how would Matthew have been able to live some “golden” moments along the roadside at the border crossing? LOL…
Are you flying UA back?
If I were you I’d just go Warsaw to LHR then nonstop to LAX, upgrades easy this time of year. Unless you avoid departing LHR because of that pesky upgrade tax.
I outlined this in my previous post. I was originally booked to fly UA back via LHR, but since my bus arrived late I had to fly via JFK instead on LO/B6.
https://liveandletsfly.com/flight-dilemma-poland/
In the 1990s and early 2000s this lounge was a dungeon. There was also no “Schengen” area back then. I’m glad to see Okecie (errrr Chopin) stepping its game up. This looks like a solid lounge.
I completely agree.
It should be a bit larger (especially considering LOTs expansion) but the food and drinks are decent and while it gets crowded i always found a seat. What more do you need for a few hours?