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United Airlines reopened its Polaris® Lounge at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) today. The lounge closed in January for renovations and an expansion that adds 350 seats, a larger dining room, a second bar, as well as dinnerware and decor curated by Crate & Barrel.
The Chicago Polaris® Lounge was the first location. It opened in 2016 and has been in need of a refresh for some time. The space is now 50% larger and offers around 25,000 square feet of space, including more than 350 seats, 50 seats across a larger dining room, a second bar, six additional restrooms, private spaces for relaxation or work, and a range of products from Crate & Barrel. This is the first and only airline collaboration for the home retailer.
With the addition of a second bar, there are now more than 25 bar seats with an option to takeaway a drink to another seating area and a menu of top-shelf liquor, premium wines, non-alcoholic beverages, and more. The second bar is a speakeasy-style space with a selection of premium wine and champagne options including Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut and Chicago-inspired cocktails like the Second City Sour (featuring Rittenhouse Rye, Malort, Lemon, Egg White and Lingua Franca Pinot Noir).
The renovated dining area has more than 50 seats (nearly tripling the previous amount). Travelers can order à la carte meals like Prosciutto Parmigiano Crostini, Shrimp, Scallop, and Spring Vegetable Risotto, and Aperol Spritz cake for dessert.
The hot buffet offers additional breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. A mezze station has lemon honey whipped ricotta, flatbreads, and more. Snacks are served at both bars with premium nuts, mediterranean olives, and a charcuterie board as options.
The design is inspired by the local region and celebrates the city’s architecture and unique geography. United worked with Johalla Projects to showcase artwork from nine Chicago-based artists on a range of pieces. Crate & Barrel provided additional decor. United worked with the retailer’s in-house design team to curate timeless pieces that elevate the travel experience.
The United Polaris® Lounge is located in Terminal 1 near Gate C18. It’s open 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM CT daily. International customers traveling in United Polaris® and premium Star Alliance cabins can access the United Polaris® Lounges here and in Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). Denver International Airport (DEN) will see a location in the future.
Aaron McMillan, United’s Managing Director of Hospitality Programs, said:
Our vast international network is one of United’s unique strengths, and our United Polaris® Lounges help set the tone for business class travelers before or after their long-haul flights. Customers are going to love our new Chicago lounge because it gives them more of all of the things they want most—more space, more amenities, and more dining options—and we’ll carry this new elevated design into future lounge openings and renovations across our United Polaris® Lounge portfolio.”
Anthony’s Take: The photos of the renovation look gorgeous and I can’t wait to check it out this summer. The space was getting a bit worn and overcrowded. I’m happy to see United make the investment.
(Image Credits: United Airlines.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
1 comment
Munoz really knocked it out of the ballpark with this lounge. Nice to see it expanded as it’s been wonderful every time I’ve visited.