This is our review of the Eurostar Premier lounge at London St Pancras station.
It’s been over two years since we last reviewed the lounge so I thought it was worth an update. The name of the lounge has changed following the recent renaming of Eurostar travel classes. It is now the ‘Eurostar Premier’ lounge rather than ‘Eurostar Business Premier’.
Remember that you can access this lounge with a personal American Express Platinum card – there is no need to book an expensive Eurostar Premier ticket.
Entrance to the lounge is on the right hand side of the concourse – it’s easy to spot as you can see above.
You either have to be travelling in Eurostar Premier or have Carte Blanche or Etoile status to get in, unless you have a personal UK, French or Belgian American Express Platinum card. There is no option to pay. If you go through the fast track security and passport line it is literally ten seconds additional walk.
The geometry of the station and the available space means that the lounge is long and thin. It does, however, get plenty of natural light thanks to its large windows overlooking Kings Cross.
It is split over two floors:
The lounge was virtually deserted when I arrived because we were a little early and there is an odd two hour gap between Paris trains on a Saturday morning. It did fill up considerably prior to departure.
Access to the upper floor, which is the best place to sit because most people never make it up there, is via a shiny spiral staircase.
At the top you are greeted by the cocktail bar, which unfortunately doesn’t operate at the weekend:
During the week it opens at, I think, 3pm. There is a similar cocktail bar in the Paris lounge.
Further on is a small self-serve drinks area with wines, spirits and soft drinks:
…. plus a few snacks. Food has always been virtually non-existent in Eurostar lounges and it’s worse than usual during a weekend mid-morning. Your options were crisps or three different types of bread (no butter):
The seating upstairs has been replaced in the last year or so. The replacements are cloth covered and physically smaller than the old leather seats.
Connectivity is fine – despite what you see below, most pairs of seats have a table with built-in charging between them.
Here are some more of the new smaller seating styles. The old maroon carpet has also been replaced with the new black and white one:
and
The selection of magazines and newspapers remains outstanding – better than any airport lounge I know. It seems to be unfashionable to do it these days, even though most publishers are willing to provide copies free of charge and it helps cultivate an upmarket image for the lounge.
The rack above is just a fraction of the selection available across the two floors.
Conclusion
Natural light, a cocktail bar, self-pour spirit and drinks – you can’t really ask for more. The food offering is slim (OK, let’s not be too polite, it is terrible) but then you can expect a meal service if travelling in Eurostar Premier or Eurostar Plus (the old Standard Premier).
It can get crowded during busy periods but I’ve never had issues getting a seat, either here or in Paris. In general, the earlier you arrive the quieter you will find it and you can take your pick of the seats. The peaks and troughs are more noticeable in Paris where there are fewer departures.
Remember that Eurostar lounge access is a benefit of American Express Platinum (see our review here) – just show your card at the door. It is not a benefit of Business Platinum. No guests are allowed but obviously your partner could come in if they were your free Platinum supplementary cardholder. The lounge is also known to show leniency towards additional child-sized guests at weekends.