Review: United Arrivals Lounge London

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Planning & Booking II
Washington Dulles (IAD) Lounge Hopping
United Airlines 777-200 Global First Washington to London
United Arrivals Lounge London
Andaz London Liverpool Street
Etihad Airways First & Business Class Lounge London
Etihad Airways A380 First Class Apartment London to Abu Dhabi
Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi
Etihad Airways Premium Lounge Abu Dhabi
Etihad Airways A380 First Class Apartment Abu Dhabi to New York
American Express Centurion Lounge LGA

Terminal 2 at London's Heathrow Airport is really something.  It is after all, The Queen's Terminal. 

Our bags were out in less than 10 minutes and were soon in the arrivals hall.  It took us a minute to find the arrivals lounge...as you exit, make a left and look for the signage on the wall.  We didn't see any signage on the overhead signs.

Entrance to the LHR Arrivals Lounge in Terminal 2

We were quickly admitted and the lounge attendant asked if we'd like a shower.  Yes was the answer.  They offered to store our larger bags while we showered/ate which was greatly appreciated.  

Review: London EDITION

Introduction

United 787 BusinessFirst Houston to London

London EDITION

United 767 BusinessFirst London to Houston

We arrived at Paddington Station via the Heathrow Express and were out to the street and in a cab in about five minutes.  Definitely the quickest way to get into London.  The drive from Paddington took about ten minutes in light traffic given that it was Sunday.  The hotel is located in the Fitzrovia area which is a really cool part of London's West End close to parks, shopping, and a ton of bars and restaurants. 

We made our way into the gorgeous lobby where Emma checked us in and sent us on our way.  We had been upgraded to a Superior Room which at 301 square feet, was still pretty good size for a big city hotel room.  The room was warm with wood walls and a clean white bathroom.  Very similar to Ian Shrager's other project (Public) in Chicago.

The best part of the London Edition was definitely the public spaces.  Ian Shrager doesn't seem like the type of guy to partner with conservative Marriott but the relationship clearly works because the hotel is beautiful. Everything from the decor to the music to the lighting was just perfect.  The service was friendly and warm but a bit indifferent at times.  We were there over the holidays and saw many of the same staff working long hours so perhaps they were a bit burnt out. 

United 787 BusinessFirst Houston to London

Introduction

United 787 BusinessFirst Houston to London

London Edition

United 767 BusinessFirst London to Houston

After heading to DEN around 1PM, we had an uneventful flight down to Houston on the United "Friendship" A320.  Always cool to see that old school livery.  The plane was equipped with United's inflight WiFi ($6.99) which made the 2:19 flight go by quickly.

We made our way over to Terminal E and didn't have long to wait to board the aircraft  We were lucky to fly the Dreamliner in January from Tokyo to LA on the way back from our honeymoon.  The day we landed in LA was also the day the JAL 787 caught fire which was one of the incidents that caused the plane to be grounded for so long.  The plane really is amazing.  The cabin is spacious with massive windows that don't have shades - there is a button that you can push to darken/lighten each window.  The cabin is pressurized to a lower altitude so in theory, the impact of flying is reduced.  I can't say I've actually experienced that but it's nice marketing. 

Boarding the 787 was quick and we made our way to 4A and 4B.  The flight time for United flight 4 was scheduled for a short 7:40.  We enjoyed a few glasses of wine with our meal, watched a movie, and went quickly to sleep.  With such a short flight and only 2.5 days in London, we wanted to get as much sleep as possible.  The 787 BusinessFirst seats are great in that they angle away from the aisle so you get a bit more privacy than on other aircraft.  That said, row 4 kind of sucked as we were so close to the galley.  The United flight attendants talked pretty much the entire flight, didn't turn off the light in the galley or shut the curtain.  Pretty standard stuff for US flight attendants though.

The United bedding is actually super comfortable.  A full sized pillow and soft duvet are enough to help me sleep just about anywhere.  Unlike most European/Asian airlines, United has individual air nozzles meaning you can control the temperature (i.e. make it as cold as possible) to ensure you're comfortable.

I slept for a solid four hours, watched an episode of Entourage, and changed out of my pajamas before landing.  We were quickly off the plane, through immigration, and on our way into London via the Heathrow Express.

Off to London!

Introduction

United 787 BusinessFirst Houston to London

London Edition

United 767 BusinessFirst London to Houston

We are headed to London tomorrow afternoon to ring in the new year.  We both needed a few thousand miles to re-qualify for United Premier Gold and I had four expiring United GPUs that we needed to burn.  So why not?

We purchased mileage earning tickets (we'll earn almost 40,000 RDM) and used the GPUs to upgrade to Businessfirst.  On the outbound, we'll get to experience the Dreamliner again which should be great.  United has a great overview of the Dreamliner and some specifics on their configuration.

We're staying at the London Edition in the Fitzrovia area.  The hotel is pretty new and the second outpost of Ian Shrager's partnership with Marriott.  We burned 90,000 Marriott points for the first two nights and we'll use cash for the third.  Looking forward to a great trip!