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Home » Reviews » Lounge Reviews » Review: United Club Chicago O’Hare (ORD – B18)
Lounge ReviewsUnited Airlines

Review: United Club Chicago O’Hare (ORD – B18)

Matthew Klint Posted onAugust 24, 2021November 14, 2023 14 Comments

a glass doors in a building

The B18 United Club at Chicago O’Hare is currently my least favorite of the four United lounges at ORD due to the more limited food selection and threadbare furniture, but it brings back many happy memories.

United Club Chicago ORD B18 Review

I arrived in the lounge around 6:00pm and left around 7:00pm to board my flight to Los Angeles. I’ve visited this lounge for years and there’s something about returning to it each time that makes me smile.

Location + Hours + Access

Located next to gate B18, this lounge is currently open from 5:00am to 8:00pm. It is located directly adjacent to a gate shared by Lufthansa and United at the end of the B concourse in Terminal 1.

a building with glass doors

a glass door of a building

Access is reserved for United Club members, Chase United Club Visa holders, Star Alliance Gold travelers, and international business or first class passengers traveling on any Star Alliance flight.

Furthermore, one-time passes from Chase are accepted or a single-visit pass can be purchased at the reception desk for $59. Access using one-time passes may be limited if the lounge becomes too crowded.

Also note that if you hold a Star Alliance Gold card from United Airlines (Premier Gold or higher), you can only access the lounge when traveling in conjunction with an international itinerary.

Those who have a Star Gold card from other programs can use the lounge when traveling on any Star Alliance flight in any class of service. Also note that from ORD, United does not give premium cabin passengers access on domestic flights without status.

Global Services passengers are also allowed complimentary entrance.

Seating

For this lounge, you enter on the terminal level, present your credentials at a check-in desk on the right, then proceed down an elevator or escalator to the lower-level lounge. With the lounge at aircraft level, the windows are frosted but there is plenty of natural light.

As you step off the escalator, immediately to your right are large phone booths in which you can sit down and make phone calls without disturbing others.

a glass door with a desk and chair

a sign on a glass door

Adjacent to a trio of desks with agents offering ticketing help, there are oversized wing chairs and a round table in the middle.

a reception area with chairs and a picture of an airplane

a desk with computers in front of a sign

a lobby with chairs and a table

The main part of the L-shaped lounge includes a large seating area in between a buffet and bar and more seating around the corner.

a group of people sitting in a lounge

a counter in a restaurant

a row of tables in a room

a room with a large wall and chairs

a room with tables and chairs

a room with chairs and a table

a room with chairs and a table

a room with a glass railing and tables and chairs

a room with chairs and a poster on the wall

But upon closer examination, I noticed many of the seats have not aged well. They are not that old, which is particularly concerning and demonstrates the importance of buying quality product that is not just nice-looking upon purchase, but durable.

a leather chair with a stain on it

a close up of a crack in a metal surface

a white leather chair with a stain on the seat

Food + Drink

Food and drink selections are currently pre-packaged, though I was pleased to see a number of sandwiches and salads available that were quite tasty.

Breakfast Selections (before 11:00am) include:

  • Hardboiled eggs
  • Bagels
  • Cereal
  • Yogurt
  • Apples
  • Chips
  • Biscotti

Lunch/dinner selections (after 11:00am) included:

  • wraps
  • caprese salad
  • tortilla chips
  • salsa
  • guacamole
  • instant noodle soup
  • string cheese
  • potato chips
  • apples
  • Rice Krispies Treats

a buffet with food on the counter

a group of trays with food in them

a display of food on a counter

a bowl of snacks and a wooden tray on a table

a tray of yogurt on a counter

Note, this lounge had no hot food, including hot dogs (let alone Chicago-style hot dogs) or burritos. Prior to the pandemic, this lounge had a wonderful selection of hot and cold items including scrambled eggs with potato and sausage with fresh berries and yogurt for breakfast and delicious soup and salad later in the day:

a plate of food and a bowl of fruit

a plate of salad and a bowl of soup and a glass of water
Prior to the pandemic, this lounge had an excellent selection of hot and cold food

A Coke Freestyle machine and illy coffee machine offered self-serve beverages while the bar (menu here) was staffed. Passengers traveling in United’s Polaris business class on transoceanic flights are given a voucher for two premium drinks. Both illy coffee machines, while nice in theory, were broken or turned off.

a machine on a counter

a coffee machine on a counter

Restrooms

Restrooms are located to the right of the main seating area. Like other United Clubs, there are no showers available.

a bathroom with sinks and a trash can

a urinals in a public bathroom

CONCLUSION

This is my least favorite United Club at Chicago O’Hare due the (more) limited food selection. It also can get crowded during peak departure periods. While it is still pleasant enough to wait out for your flight, I recommend you head down both the larger B6 lounge for a better food selection (at least for now…hopefully we will see a full restoration of hot food choices in the weeks ahead).

If you’d to compare this lounge to United’s others at ORD, you can review them here:

  • B6
  • C16
  • F9

One final note. Before this lounge was remodeled (back in its Red Carpet Club days), it used to all be on the upper floor (space that has now been converted into a restaurant). Here’s a picture of me in the lounge from 2005. Oh how time flies…

a man in a suit and tie looking at his phone

(yes, I used to dress up when I flew in first class)

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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14 Comments

  1. GUWonder Reply
    August 24, 2021 at 3:46 pm

    Did the blazer and tie save you from being falsely called out as not entitled to priority check-in/screening/boarding back in 2005?

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      August 24, 2021 at 3:47 pm

      Ha, ha! Honestly it didn’t. On that trip I was told I was too young to fly first class.

  2. Aaron Reply
    August 24, 2021 at 3:53 pm

    “I recommend you head down both the larger B18 lounge for a better food selection”

    Er, isn’t that the lounge you are currently reviewing?

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      August 24, 2021 at 8:52 pm

      Sorry, I meant B6.

  3. Gravelly Point Guy Reply
    August 24, 2021 at 4:21 pm

    We’re you non-Reving at the time Matt?? Is that why you had to wear a coat and tie in First Class??

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      August 24, 2021 at 8:53 pm

      Ha! No, I was not. I just liked dressing up.

  4. Russell Howland Reply
    August 24, 2021 at 4:49 pm

    I visited this club about two weeks ago at 6:30 a.m. As mentioned above, the coffee machines were broken (surprised they aren’t fixed yet) and the bar was not open (for a mimosa). Most of the food was also yet to be set out. I wouldn’t recommend burning a day pass here, I regret it!

  5. hbilbao Reply
    August 24, 2021 at 5:37 pm

    Tie looks good.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      August 24, 2021 at 8:54 pm

      Ralph Lauren. I still have it! 😉

  6. Andy Morabe Reply
    August 24, 2021 at 8:45 pm

    There was a brief time where you could order Giordano’s famous Chicago style pizza from this lounge You can have it delivered to the lounge or to the gate. They discontinued prior to the pandemic but I do hope they bring something similar back.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      August 24, 2021 at 10:22 pm

      Indeed – I wrote about it here in 2016:

      https://liveandletsfly.com/order-pizza-from-chicago-united-club/

      Hard to decide whether Giordano’s or Lou Malnati’s is better!

      • UA-NYC Reply
        August 25, 2021 at 11:15 pm

        Lou’s all day

  7. Chris Reply
    August 24, 2021 at 8:55 pm

    Fake it til you make it!

    I thought I remembered that lounge being on the departures level a long time ago. Do you remember when it moved downstairs?

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      August 24, 2021 at 10:21 pm

      I believe it was in the 2014-15 timeframe.

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