Airport Experience® News - Retail & Amenities Issue 2023

and have screened global championships, World Cups and tournaments in the lounge in order to attract young guests’ attention and entertain them.” Youth & Family Focus The experiential push by airports, both in lounge spaces and beyond, is well underway domestically and internationally. A recent report by the consulting firm Oliver Wyman predicted that physical spaces in airports will need to be designed and transformed within airports to accommodate passenger demands. But the report singled out lounges as growing in popularity and in demand enough where airlines are requesting the facilities be upgraded in terms of size and customer experiences by adding amenities such as cinemas, pools and virtual-reality gaming. Whether it’s incorporating gaming, targeting younger passengers or localizing

an airport’s amenities, international airports have been stepping up their respective games. Awrite-up on the website at No1 Lounges , which has lounges at airports in the United Kingdom, describes My Lounge on the south Terminal at London Gatwick Airport (LGW) as the only outdoor terrace at LGW. The lounge also includes a games room with video games, foosball and board games; a mix-your-own-cocktail area and a variety of food offerings. LGW’s website lists seven different lounge offerings fromNo1 Lounges, Plaza Premium and Clubrooms across the airport with the intent of meeting everyone’s needs. “As demand for airport lounges has increased over recent years, at London Gatwick we have worked to offer a variety of options available for all passengers,” says Hannah Wilson, senior property asset manager. “Regardless of what airline passengers fly with, we provide an array of options from family friendly areas to table service.” Credit Card Company Influence And the trend is growing domestically, as well.

While airlines still run their own lounges with primarily the business traveler in mind, credit card companies – started by American Express and followed by Chase and Capital One – have taken third-party lounges to a new level with both business and leisure travelers in mind. Originally, lounges were largely about seat count, but that landscape has changed, says Ginger Gee DiFurio, vice president and studio design director at Corgan , which develops lounges for many partners across the U.S. “The focus is really on an elevated hospitality experience in lounges,” she says. “So, by doing that, you have to cater to all your demographics – families traveling with kids or teenagers, or even grandparents, that’s becoming something people are really catering to.” So, while some airports are instituting gaming, sleep pods, nursing areas and other amenities throughout their terminals, they’re also asking lounge designers to fit in many of those same amenities. “It started out as we would get a request from clients that they want a family zone, that could be an area where maybe the seating is more friendly for family to gather in groups,” DiFurio says. “Then it became

Below and Following Page: From a wellness area to a family room, The Club Lounge at SFO opening next spring will have a bevy of offerings not often seen in previous lounges.

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