United Airlines is preparing to open a new club lounge in the A-Concourse later this year in Denver and I had a chance to take a hard hat tour to view the progress yesterday. Let’s take a look.
A Hard Hat Tour Of New A-Concourse United Club Lounge In Denver
United will increase its lounge real estate to over 100,000 square feet in Denver in the years ahead. That will include:
- Concourse A: 24,900 square feet – opening summer 2023
- Concourse B-West: 36,500 square feet – opening 2024
- Concourse B-East: 36,500 square feet – opening summer 2023
- Club Fly: 1,600 square feet – now open
- Polaris Lounge: opening date and size TBD
Yesterday, I took a walk through the future home of the United Club in Concourse A, where United plans to concentrate international departures. Alexander Dorow, United’s Managing Director of Lounges, took Live And Let’s Fly and a small group of other travel writers on a hard hat tour.
First, I have included some renderings of what the new lounge will look like. You will notice the lounge has Colorado-themed elements meant to resemble a cozy lodge, like fireplaces, stacked firewood, and beautiful wood ceilings.
Ahead of its summer opening (the precise opening date has not been specified), much progress has been made, but much work remains. The two-story lounge will feature plenty of natural light via skylight and a mezzanine entrance much like the new C121 United Club in Newark, complete with automatic gates for entry.
The lounge will include a mix of seating options, including booths designed for single travelers and for couples, chairs, couches, and a bar spanning the north side of the lounge overlooking the apron below. A buffet area will include a mix of hot and cold regionally-inspired dining options plus familiar comfort items like sandwiches and soup.
Outlets will be ubiquitous in the lounge and include both USB-A and USB-C ports:
While United continues to push its “agent on demand” technology, the lounge will have a handful of agents on-site to assist with flight-related matters.
Restrooms will include both gendered options and unisex individual suites similar to the Polaris Lounges. This particular lounge will not have shower facilities, though Dorow was tight-lipped about whether either of the B Concourse lounges will.
I asked about whether this lounge will have barista-mode coffee, like the Club Fly Lounge, and was told that a final decision has not been made, but that United wants to differentiate its lounge offerings, which suggests to me the Club Fly Lounge may be the only one in Denver to offer barista-made coffee.
It does appear there like there is much work to do, but Dorow insisted that progress is being made at a rapid pace and the lounge would be opened by summer.
CONCLUSION
The lounge real estate is growing at United’s fastest-growing hub. Two new lounges (one that has been refreshed and greatly expanded) will open this summer, giving travelers a greater incentive to fly via Denver. I am impressed at United’s investment in lounge spaces over the last several years and hope that these new lounges are but a taste of what is to come in the years ahead.
Great insight and post, thank you! Looks like it will be a fantastic physical space once complete, though I am thinking more toward Labor Day if United is intending to stick to the “summer” target!
It seems that United needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into the inclusion of showers as an amenity at UCs, which is a basic feature of most new Admirals Clubs and SkyClubs. Their schizophrenic approach (no at new LAX, yes at new EWR, no at new ORD) to it suggests that they really don’t want to make the investment, either on a capital or operating basis. Unfortunate.
Showers should definitely be in the new A club for international travelers. Not having them in domestic oriented clubs makes sense to me. I really want them to have hand lotion at least in the dryer locations like DEN.
Funny, the concept art does not feature the lines, overcrowding, and families sprawled over every available inch that I have come to expect from Denver’s United club.
The additional space is very welcome
Enough of the black and grey decor – the rocks behind a black cage looks cold and uninviting
Travelers want warm, inviting spaces, not cold concrete dungeons
I think the wood and earth tones as seen in the renderings will yield a much warmer feel than recent United Club builds (EWR, PHX, ORD) or the more institutional decor of the 2013-2020 lounge projects.
Here’s hoping for a cool Rocky Mountain inspired water feature!
A water feature in a lounge would hands down make it the best lounge in the network. I love that idea.
That would be very cool and pretty practical as well – maybe like a sun room with palm trees and retractable doors that can open onto a patio. One can dream!
Great post, and this is what I like most about your blog. Looking forward to testing it out later this year!
Showers at DEN Clubs?
A Barista at DEN clubs? are you kidding me? It’ll take hours to get a coffee with all the moochers wanting their free cappuccino. Just press the button and let it be, or if you want a barista made coffee charge $5 bucks….that’ll put an end to the wait.
And having to clean up 15 shower room for the folks connecting to Fargo? Come on, except for the few international flights from here, no one needs a shower for a 2 to 3 hour flight to anywhere from Denver. What a circus that would be.
There’s a barista at the club fly in Denver – not too bad and the the place is never crowded.
Correct – there’s never a line there. The real reason UA won’t put in a barista is that it does not forecast sufficient demand to justify it…that’s why it was ripped off of ex-Continetnal planes.
I think it’s disingenuous for them to keep saying it’ll be “ready by summer” – what does that even mean? For those of us who work in the industry summer is basically starting next week. It’s not even close, it’s still all exposed pipes and wires. They’d be lucky to have it done by Labor Day. Just say it’s coming in the fall, stop giving flyers false hope that it’s coming soon.
Alex Dorow is a great guy, but let’s be a little more realistic.
“It does appear there like there is much work to do, but Dorow insisted that progress is being made at a rapid pace and the lounge would be opened by summer.”
Considering that meteorological summer starts in 8 days, and astronomical summer in 28, methinks they need to pick up the pace a little.
Great for United. However, will the Capitol One Lounge that has been teased for years ever open?
What about Turkish Airlines announcement a number of years ago that Turkish would be flying to Denver?
Denver Mayor announced that Ethiopian Airlines would be starting Denver service. Is that going to happen?
Capital One Lounge is much closer to completion – I just walked by it.
Not a single end table with a lamp or art work to make it feel more warm. Looks like a cheaper version of a Swiss lounge.