Review Crown Lounge 52 Amsterdam: endless and beautiful
In anticipation of the centennial celebration of its founding, KLM in 2017 began modernization and [...]
KLM
SkyTeam
AMS
In anticipation of the celebration of the centenary of its founding, KLM in 2017 began modernization and renovation work on its main lounge inside Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
In this article:
This lounge is dedicated to non-Schengen passengers, so generally those for long haul. For everyone else there is another room called Crown Lounge 25.
The best bonuses
Renovations have doubled the size of the hall, which today, anti Covid measures aside, can accommodate more than 1,500 travelers. Inside there is everything from an a la carte restaurant, rooms to sleep in, a rooftop terrace from which to photograph aircraft on the runway, and a small amphitheater with a TV room.
The terminal dedicated to flights out of Europe also houses other lounges, at the moment the only one open is Aspire, which is affiliated with the major cards that give access to the various VIP lounges around the world and with many of the airlines that fly on AMS at the moment and do not have a reference lounge.
Access
The entrance is on the ground floor, the one where all the passengers pass through, impossible to miss. It is a light-flooded mirror with two escalators leading to the upper floor.
On the walls hang the iconic porcelain houses, the symbol of Holland and KLM's gift to all its business class passengers..
Upon entry you can either go through the front desk or scan your boarding pass. To gain access you must be a KLM business passenger or a passenger on a flight operated by an airline SkyTeam or possess elite plus status and thus have access to Sky Priority services.
The Lounge
The lounge occupies two entire floors of the terminal; the second floor houses the buffet, bars, beer garden, and all the main facilities. It overlooks the terminal and is illuminated by lots of natural light.
On the second floor are the two a la carte restaurants, the rooftop terrace, and the small amphitheater that is accessible from both floors. One of the two was reserved solely for the Dutch Olympic team, for which of course KLM is the official carrier.
In this pandemic period, it is open from 6:30 in the morning to 9:30 in the evening; in the "former world," however, it was operating h24.
It is so big that each area has a name, and in the lounge there are directions to get from one part to another without getting lost.
Polder/City is the main area that houses the buffet, cafeteria, beer garden, and most of the seating.
The first thing you notice, of course, is that there is virtually no one inside the lounge. Of course, not a surprise given the times we are living in.
Impossible not to find one's ideal seat. It doesn't matter whether you're looking for a small table, a sofa, a runway-view seat or an armchair hidden from the light. There is everything for everyone.
The prettiest area is definitely the one called Dutch Mountain. It is a small amphitheater that connects the two floors and faces both sides.
Inside it also houses a small TV room, in which, of course, the Olympics were broadcast live.
If you want to hide from the chaos, this is definitely the ideal area, since having so many steps is a natural barrier to defend yourself from screaming children and distracted passengers.
KLM spared no expense when designing this lounge. This is evidenced by the Delfit ceramics on the walls, the same as the cottages. The designs are the "frames" of the safety video that is shown before takeoff on all KLM aircraft.
On the opposite side from Dutch Mountain is the Sea area. The one designated for relaxation.
Here are seats/boxes that seem designed to maintain social distancing, except that they were designed before Covid-19.
The upper floor houses the area called SKY. Here, too, the walls are made of glass with the iconic Delphi cottages hanging from them.
Two restaurants, both of which were closed at the time of my visit: one reserved for Olympians and the other open only for lunch.
KLM's choice is "original" since these two restaurants offer a pay-as-you-go menu, so those who want a more quality product can choose to pay to eat in a classic restaurant.
From here you can also access the observation deck, too bad there is not all the movement of planes in the pre-pandemic world at this time.
Food & Beverage
Of the pay restaurants I wrote above, otherwise I must say that I was a little disappointed in how the service was restricted in this pandemic period.
The whole area dedicated to buffet and passenger service was the last area opened in the new lounge. It has a circular layout and all services are distributed around this island.
Before the pandemic KLM offered a buffet, not a very rich one, but certainly varied. Now everything is reduced to two small areas (at least at breakfast) where a reduced choice of products is offered.
I must say that the solution adopted by British Airways, and others, to opt for a menu and with table service is much more convincing to me.
In this case it is a choice that I just cannot understand, here there is not only little supply but also little quality.
On the opposite side of the buffet is the bar with an adjoining craft brewery. Although it was 8 a.m., champagne, wine and cocktails were served as at cocktail hour.
Services
Of course there is a help desk for transit passengers and others. KLM has also provided a small medical center to do swabs and other checks for passengers, the first time I've seen this service in a lounge.
There are also free lockers in the restroom area for you to use to leave your belongings safe.
Power outlets are present virtually every 2 seats. Granted, due to pandemic some services were not available, but compared to airlines and airports that have no operating lounges at all, the KLM offer is more than worth it.
Showers can also be used, simply by booking the service directly from one of the many automated terminals scattered around the lounge. You scan your boarding pass, choose a time from those offered and enter an email. A few minutes before your appointment, you will receive an email indicating the shower number and the QR code to open the door.
KLM preferred to focus on many smaller showers than, for example, those found in the Lufthansa Senator Lounge in Frankfurt, which is really a bathroom. In any case, it is sufficient for freshening up after (or before) an intercontinental flight.
In conclusion
This is (probably) the best business lounge on a European airline. KLM's choice to have two large lounges, one for EU flights and one for non-EU flights, is certainly to be rewarded. Having been opened just before the pandemic outbreak, this lounge is almost immaculate. The only thing that doesn't convince me is to focus on a mediocre offering in terms of food to push guests to go to the paid restaurant.
Pro
- La louge and all services
- The runway view terrace
- The Dutch Mountain
Against
- The breakfast offering
- The paid restaurants