Initial access:
On leaving New York the other week I had the pleasant experience of spending time in the new Chase Reserve lounge at La Guardia. It had only been open for 9 days when I was there.
The official name is the Chase Sapphire lounge by The Club, and it is located in Terminal B on level 4 with access next to the Brooklyn Diner.
You walk down a hall, go into the elevator and then go to the lounge.
The staff were all very eager to help, especially Kimberly at the entrance desk. She was very courteous with me, helping me check in and then taking me aside to explain all the areas of the lounge.
https://account.chase.com/sapphire-airport-lounge
For those of you that do not know, as a Priority Pass member you get access to a Chase Reserve lounge once a year for free and anytime after that it will cost you $75 each time.
(Oh by the way, the Capital One lounge in the same terminal looks to be coming along nicely, I am sure we will get an opening date soon).
Inside the lounge:
Back to the Chase lounge. It is a very modern looking lounge centered on a circular bar in the middle. There are a variety of seats, settees and benches all around and then there is a spiral staircase that takes you upstairs to more seating and some other areas.
Those areas include the Suites. They are pre-bookable 72 hours beforehand for a rate of either $2200 or $3000 per visit which includes a signature caviar service and a dedicated host. There seems to be enough room for a whole gaggle of your friends to join you in one of the suites and you will get all drinks and snacks for free.
Here is the central round bar and on the left is the staircase going up.
A view down from the upper level. This lounge does not have effective sound proofing so there is quite a bit of chatter evident wherever you sit apart from the separate lounge areas.
Here is one example of a quieter room, these are specific phone call rooms.
This was my favorite space in the lounge, a very pleasant room called the Arcade.
This is a listening and games room that has a fancy interactive video entrance.
Inside are table games, pinball, music memorabilia and a jukebox.
This is a very nice place to hang out and it completely separates you from the rest of the noisy lounge.
Here are some of the different seating areas available.
As you can see there are a variety of comfy chairs that you can sit on,
Here you can see the design elements extend to the wash rooms.
For a treat Face Haus luxurious facials are also available in the lounge. There also seem to be meditation areas and private rest pods but I did not see where they were.
The food and drinks available:
The automatic coffee machines are available as are iced tea, water and soft drinks. The bar will provide you with any alcoholic drinks you might need.
Seeing as this is the first time of publishing, I will include quite a few pictures of the food choices available.
The style reminds me of the Capital One lounge at DFW. Lots of small snacks type dishes that you can choose from.
First there is salt cod brandade and cauliflower with cheese.
Here is the kale salad.
Here is broccoli parmesan and Korean chicken.
This setting is grilled cheese melt with pistachio.
Here is the food counter with the active kitchen behind.
Pesto burrata with lovely tomatoes.
Interesting pumpkin muhammara with crispy crackers.
Fresh ricotta as well as roasted beets and apples.
Finally the desert zone included lemon squares, salted chocolate chip cookies, mini chocolate bites and carrot cake.
Many of the dishes presented have the tag line “by Joseph Leonard”, which is a West-Village fixture and has been brought on to provide classic dishes.
You can also order from your table and the wait staff will bring it to you. Here is the first page when you scan the barcode.
Some of the food items you can order include burgers, seared salmon, roast beef sandwich and noodles.
Here are some of the drinks available.
Overall verdict:
The lounge is open nice and early at 4:30 am and should close at 9;30 pm.
One strange quirk is that there are no windows. The positioning of the lounge means it does not have access.
This is a lovely lounge and will be a welcome venue in the new Terminal B at La Guardia. It is fast becoming one of my favorite terminals in all of the USA. Who would have thought we could say that about La Guardia just a few years ago. Everyone will enjoy this lounge, it even seems to be worth it if you have to pay the $75 entrance fee.
I encourage all Priority Pass members to try it, you will enjoy the experience.
