Review: Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow T2 (LHR)

Last week I visited the No1 Lounge at Heathrow’s Terminal 2, as well as the Plaza Premium Lounge. The No1 Lounge opened late last year, whereas the Plaza Premium lounge has been open for way longer (since 2014). I’ve been to the Plaza Premium lounge at Heathrow’s Terminal 2 a couple of times ago, though never got around to reviewing it, so I made a point to do so this time round.

How is the Plaza Premium lounge at Heathrow’s Terminal 2? Well, don’t expect the same calibre you’ll get out of an airline lounge, and in fact, don’t even expect you’ll get similar amenities or catering to what you’d see in Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur (a noodle bar, etc.). However, I think this is a well thought-out space if you’ve got unlimited Plaza Premium access, such as if you have the AmEx Platinum card. I certainly prefer it to the Plaza Premium lounge at Heathrow’s Terminal 5.

Here’s a review of the lounge, including the seating, catering, and other facilities available.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Access and Entry Requirements

The Plaza Premium lounge at Heathrow’s Terminal 2 is open from 5 AM to 9:30 PM, and is open to the following passengers:

• Priority Pass cardholders
• AmEx Platinum cardholders (including supplementary cardholders in countries where they wouldn’t otherwise get Priority Pass access)
• DragonPass cardholders
• HSBC EveryMile cardholders
• Icelandair Saga Premium passengers and Saga Silver/Gold cardholders

If you don’t have access on any of these bases, you can enter the lounge for £43.20 (HK$440) for two hours, or £81 (HK$825) for six hours. A 30-min shower also costs £27.50 (HK$280).

There may be other cards that are left off the list – check with your card issuer whether you have access to this specific lounge.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Location

The Plaza Premium Lounge is lounge A3 at Heathrow’s Terminal 2, so it’s located by the A gates. There’s fairly clear signage to this lounge, which is located behind a few airline service desks (I generally find the signage at Heathrow T2 to be significantly easier to navigate compared to T3).

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 

From there, the Plaza Premium Lounge is clearly visible at the end of the hallway.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Entrance

My AmEx Platinum Card was scanned, and I was granted entry into the lounge, first going through a hallway with art displays.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Entrance

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Seating and Atmosphere

I like the design of the Plaza Premium lounge at Heathrow’s T2. There’s zero natural light and it’s not a huge space, though I feel like it’s used quite effectively, and there’s a good range of seating.

Right by the entrance is this blue couch, with a wooden light fixture as the centrepiece of the lounge. The bar is located to the left of this, whereas there’s some seating here.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Seating

There’s a little enclave right next to the bar, which features more bench and armchair seating for extra capacity.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Seating

Once you get past this area you get to the main seating area of the lounge. There’s a large communal table for a more work-style seating, as well as Plaza Premium’s signature grey and dark-coloured armchairs. The lounge used to have a few higher-backed work pods, though these have been swapped out for higher-capacity seating.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Seating

Then by the dining area is some more restaurant-style seating, with benches and chairs facing one another. You’ll have to move tables around if you want to sit in groups of more than two, though.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Restaurant Seating

There’s also a random enclosed space behind this area. In this case it was reserved, though I’ve seen this be open to the public on previous visits.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Enclosed Space

Then further behind this you find more Plaza Premium-style armchairs.

 
Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Armchairs

At the very back, you find an alcove with some more intimate seating, though this was marked as “reserved” during the morning of my visit.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Seating

I’ve been to this lounge a couple of times, and there’s definitely more seating available than there is at the No1 Lounge, despite the fact that more passengers have access. However, that’s not to say that it doesn’t get very crowded throughout the day, especially during the morning and evening rush out of Terminal 2.

There isn’t a ton of space to get ultra-comfortable here, though I’d overall call it a well-appointed space for a contract lounge.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Food and Beverage

I found the breakfast spread at the Plaza Premium lounge to be on the limited side. In terms of hot options, there was hash browns, beans, scrambled eggs, toast, and pancakes, none of which looked very appealing even though it had just been brought out when I arrived.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Breakfast Spread

Then there were pastries, cereal, and other condiments.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Breakfast Spread

There are a couple of coffee machines here as well, which were frequented during the morning.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Coffee Machines

There isn’t actually any juice at the spread, though instead there’s orange juice in a vat next to some flavoured water, dotted throughout the lounge.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Juice and Water

Nobody goes to a European Plaza Premium lounge for the catering, and I’d say that the Heathrow lounge is no exception. Breakfast here was especially unmemorable, and I also thought that the drinks were even less exciting than the No1 lounge, which at least had a couple of smoothie shots.

For reference, here are a couple of photos I took of the dinner spread a couple of years back. At least there are some hot options here, and I even remember them being quite flavourful.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Dinner

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Bar

By the centrepiece couch near the entrance, you’ll find Plaza Premium’s bar, which features a selection of paid and complimentary drinks.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Bar and Menu

From the bar menu, there are only a few red and house wines, and a few spirits, as well as Poretti draught beer. Even the cocktails in the premium menu are just given out of cans, and the lounge charges £8 (HK$81) for these.

I didn’t drink anything this time round (I also didn’t spot a coffee machine, which some other reports mention, though I also admit I wasn’t paying much attention at this time in the morning). However, last time I do remember asking for an old fashioned, which was granted to me without issue.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Bar Old Fashioned

In terms of canned drinks, you’ll also find Pepsi, 7-Up, and Tango dotted throughout the lounge.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Drinks

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Bathrooms

The Plaza Premium lounge at Heathrow T2 features some dedicated bathrooms, located to the left once you enter the lounge. These were kept reasonably clean throughout my stay.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Bathrooms

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Showers

Note: if you’re entering the lounge via a credit card (including AmEx and Priority Pass), you are not automatically given access to the shower. You have to buy the shower pass separately, which costs £27.50 (HK$280). I can only see this being worth it in a very limited number of cases, such as if you are connecting in economy/premium economy and desperately need to shower before showing up to a meeting first thing in the morning – bonus points if essential travel costs are billable.

I decided that I’d do it once for the review, so purposefully skipped my morning shower to make the most of this. The water pressure was fine, though you’d think that they’d offer some better toiletries than the unbranded stuff offered given how much they charge for this.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Shower Room

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Nap Rooms

If you require a longer layover at Heathrow’s Terminal 2, you can get a nap room at the Plaza Premium lounge. From what I can see, these are open 24/7, even though the rest of the lounge closes at 9:30 PM. I asked the kind lounge attendant, who let me have a look and get some photos, even though I wasn’t using it.

While it’s nice to have the option to get a real bed airside, the rate is £99 (HK$1,007) for three hours. At this point I’d just get an airport hotel.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Private Resting Area

At least this private resting area comes with a private bathroom and shower, so you won’t have to pay any more to get a shower here.

Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2 Private Resting Area Shower

Conclusion: Plaza Premium Lounge Heathrow T2

The Plaza Premium lounge at Heathrow’s Terminal 2 isn’t a particularly inspiring lounge, though it is a decently kitted out space for a contract lounge. There’s absolutely no reason to spend any extra time here than necessary, and the catering isn’t great – though I do appreciate that it’s a good size, and you can find a seat here most of the time.

Have you been to the Plaza Premium lounge at Heathrow T2 before? How was your experience?