Plaza Premium Group has added its first lounge at London’s Gatwick airport, with the rebranding of Virgin Atlantic’s North Terminal Clubhouse.
This summer Virgin struck a deal with Plaza Premium for the lounge provider to take over the day-to-day running of its Clubhouses, with the exception of its flagship Heathrow facility.
The lounges retain Virgin’s branding, but with the carrier having announced plans to close its operations at Gatwick in May last year following the onset of Covid-19, the North Terminal facility has been reflagged under the Plaza Premium branding.
The lounge itself is only four years old, having opened in 2017 as part of a shake-up which saw Virgin move into Gatwick’s North Terminal and British Airways switch to the South Terminal.
For our first look at the lounge shortly after it opened, see:
First look: Virgin Atlantic’s new Clubhouse at Gatwick Airport
Plaza Premium said that the 1,350 sqm facility can accommodate up to 190 guests, with features including a bar, kid zone, and a contactless food ordering system via smartphones. The facility is open daily from 0600 to 1730.
Plaza Premium also confirmed that the Gatwick addition will be followed by two lounge openings at Frankfurt and Budapest airports later this year.
Commenting on the news Mr Jonathan Song, global business development director of Plaza Premium Group, said:
“The opening of our first Plaza Premium Lounge in London Gatwick Airport, presents very exciting opportunities for Plaza Premium Group as we continue to grow our footprint in the UK and Europe.
“UK’s fast and successful vaccination rollout has led to the recent relaxation of travel restrictions and the encouraging increase in international travel again for its citizens.
“Confidence is building, passenger numbers are regaining impressive growth, and Plaza Premium Group’s ambitions to extend its 360-degree world-class airport hospitality services & facilities in Europe are on track.
“We look forward to delivering our award-winning, best-in-class signature hospitality including Airport Lounge, Airport Meet & Greet, in-Terminal Airport Hotel, Airport Dining, and other premium airport services at London Gatwick airport and across more Airports in Europe in the months to follow.”
