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During a recent layover in Atlanta, we spent two hours at The Club at ATL using my Priority Pass membership (this is a benefit of my Chase Sapphire Reserve card).  ATL is one of the busiest airports in the country so this lounge gets lots of traffic.  The Minute Suites options in Atlanta (or anywhere for that matter) are generally not that appealing, so most Priority Pass members head here instead.  The Club at ATL was the first lounge I ever visited (It was Dan’s too!) and I have been here multiple times, but after my most recent visit I’ve had a change of heart about it.

The Basics

Access to the lounge is available to Priority Pass, Diners Club International, Lounge Club, LoungeKey and First Class, Business Class and Designated Guests flying on British Airways, Lufthansa, Qatar and Turkish Airlines.  Several credit cards offer lounge benefits to cardholders.  Day passes are available for $40 per person as well.  Children 12 and under are admitted free….for now.  As as I mentioned last week, The Club Lounges are rolling out a few devaluations;  Starting September 1, only children age 2 and under will be admitted free and any children older will count towards the two guest limit.  Also, travelers will be limited to accessing the lounge three hours or less before their departure time.  The lounge is open daily from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm EST.

a glass doors with a sign on the wall

The Club at ATL is easily accessible regardless of the airline you fly.  It is located in the International Terminal/ Concourse F on the mezzanine level by the chapel.  You can get to Concourse F from any concourse by taking the “Plane Train” or by walking on the underground walkway after you have passed through security.  The entrance is standard for The Club Lounges with an automatic sliding glass door at the entrance and a check-in desk.  This is where it looks the best…

General space

Check in at The Club at ATL was quick and easy.  We showed our boarding passes and Priority Pass card and entered within a minute.

As you enter there is a roped off section to the left for travelers flying on British Airways, Lufthansa, Qatar and Turkish Airlines.  This area was fairly empty while we were there.  The main section of the lounge is essentially an open room with large windows and seating that overlooks the roadways and runways.

a group of people sitting at tables in a room with windows

General Seating Area

people sitting at a bar

Bar Area

a sign in a room

Business Class Area was nearly empty

We instantly noted that the main section was fairly crowded and very loud.  The seats we took were dingy and worn.  The power outlets on our seats had food all over them and the floor was a mess.  Carpet was missing by our seats and there were stains and crumbs everywhere.  The lounge looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in weeks.

a close up of an outlet

This hasn’t been cleaned in a long time.

a close up of a carpet

Are those blood stains?

 

There is also a tiny room with 2 desktop computers that is considered the “Business Center”.  There are bathrooms and a shower as well which is nice if you have a long layover or international flight.

Food at The Club at ATL

It seems that many domestic lounges offer a fairly basic set of food options, and the choices at The Club at ATL followed suit. We arrived during the hot breakfast window which runs from 6:30 am-10 am EST and consists of bacon, eggs and breakfast potatoes.  My daughter Junebug was very happy about the bacon and would have eaten 15 pieces if we hadn’t stopped her.  There were other food options including bagels, pastries, English muffins, peanut butter and jelly roll-ups, fruit, yogurt, granola and cereal.

a table with plates of food

 

 

 

 

 

 

a menu on a glass stand

Beverage options included coffee, tea, Coke products, and infused, still and sparkling water.  The self-serve coffee machine offered numerous choices but some of the supposedly clean coffee cups were filthy (I asked an attendant and was assured I pulled my mug from the “clean” pile”).  I found a usable cup on my third try but still cleaned it out for good measure.   There is also a nice full size bar that includes a decent selection of beers, wine and some lounge specific cocktails.  My wife had a mimosa and the service was quick.

a white mug with a brown stain

The dirtiness at The Club at ATL continues…

WiFi?

The WiFi offered at The Club at ATL was easy to access with signs offering login details placed in multiple spots around the lounge.  The speed didn’t seem to be that fast and wasn’t noticeable better than the LTE that our phones provided.

Conclusion

Overall The Club at ATL needs a cleaning at worst and a major overhaul at best.  It is too small considering the volume of travelers moving through the airport and it is pretty filthy.  We tend to overlook less than ideal conditions when traveling (a year of backpacking will teach you to deal with all types of conditions) but The Club at ATL was noticeably tired looking and honestly pretty disappointing.  It’s worth a stop for a drink at the bar and a quick bite to eat, but temper your expectations unless they make some changes.  I’d love to see some improvement in the space (or even a cleaning) next time we connect through ATL to bring it more in line with the very nice The Club Jax lounge that we recently visited.

Have you been to The Club in ATL recently?  What are your thoughts on the lounge and would you say another is worse?


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