Last summer Priority Pass added the club lounge at the Sofitel hotel at London Heathrow’s terminal 5 to its roster of lounges that cardmembers could access. This was a really creative play, it’s not a traditional airport lounge, but provided a very unique option for travelers.
Sofitel Heathrow Atrium
However while the Priority Pass website still makes reference to the lounge:
It’s now gone from from their list of London Heathrow lounges and gone from the lounge search as well.
Reader Len M. writes, “Just checked into the Sofitel Heathrow. According to the [front desk], they left Priority Pass on June 6.”
This may be a minor note and there are plenty of options remaining at Heathrow for use of a Priority Pass — including the new Aspire lounge in terminal 5 — but it’s a good reminder that lounges in this program can come and go, and it’s always a good idea to search the Priority Pass website before making your airport plans.
You know there is a lot going on with PP mostly not so good. I think they “over sold” to the US Bank Card issuers with many lounges “closed” during heavy travel times, witness AS Lounge issues, but then their too damn small to begin with.
Internationally PP is pretty good. at JRO it’s the only thing with A/C!
Gary, what are your thoughts about the fact that PP lounge changes – both additions and subtractions – seem to come with zero advanced notice? You beat up on loyalty programs for similar.
@swag well I don’t *like* it, but Priority Pass isn’t a loyalty program, individual hotel properties leave hotel chains and frequently there isn’t notice that’s more of an outrage, I suspect there’s little that Priority Pass can do about these departures without notice but that’s something I should probably get into a bit more.
I suspect it bothers me less because I don’t know many people buying the membership vs getting it as a throw in with a variety of credit cards But that’s just an initial reaction and I need to think through the question more.
U.S. banks have killed PP within the U.S. I no longer bother. Didn’t renew my credit card with the benefit.