NETHERLANDS. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has officially revealed its renovated and much enlarged non-Schengen Crown Lounge – nicknamed the KLM House – at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
The hub is the world’s fourth busiest for international traffic, carrying 71 million passengers in 2018.
The new 6,800sq m lounge – almost double the size of its predecessor – was officially launched on Thursday amid great fanfare with about 300 guests present. Among them were around 70 media, including social media influencers featuring a strong Asia Pacific contingent.
Located between the E and F piers, the two-level lounge has added some standout features such as the first Heineken lounge bar (more on this coming in a separate story); three pop-up showcase spaces from which brands can communicate with the lounge’s high-end travelling consumers; sleep pods; an outdoor terrace overlooking the runways; and two virtual reality pods for relaxing their users.
Fred Galstaun, the CEO of Dutch company Sensiks, which creates the sensory pods, told The Moodie Davitt Report that this was the first time the pods have entered the airport market.
The three promotional areas were described to us as “brand experience areas” that were new to the lounge. A KLM spokesperson told us: “The pop-ups should change every couple of months. Currently we are showcasing Heineken 0.0 beer (the company’s no-alcohol product); a KLM store offering branded goods; and an art exhibition.”
“A high-quality rest stop for our best customers”
The airline hopes the spaces will prove popular because of the passenger profile and nationalities visiting the non-Schengen Crown Lounge. The two-level space is expected to host about one million passengers every year.
KLM Customer Experience Executive Vice President Boet Kreiken said: “The KLM Crown lounge is a high-quality rest stop for our best customers, whether departing, arriving, or transferring flights. It is a combination of the human touch and digital comfort. In our opinion, we have created the most attractive lounge in the world – a customer experience on an unprecedented level.”
Those customers will include KLM’s business class passengers; Elite Plus members of the SkyTeam alliance which includes KLM’s strategic partner Air France [Air France and KLM, the leading Skyteam members, merged in 2004 into a Franco-Dutch airline holding company-Ed]; and Platinum and Gold members of KLM’s Flying Blue loyalty scheme.
KLM customers and those of partner airlines who do not have automatic Crown Lounge access can buy it via the airline’s app, online or at the entrance to the lounge.
A seven-year process
KLM, which is celebrating its centenary in 2019, has taken about seven years to create the flagship lounge in partnership with Dutch architecture and design house concrete. This was partially due to a long research stage, the complexity of the build, and the large expansion which required space that had been used by other facilities, including retail.
KLM Ground Service Senior Vice President Eelco van Asch said: “By doubling the capacity, KLM is taking our expected growth in visitor numbers into account.”
The bigger size means the KLM House has more than 1,000 free-service seats and another 200 ‘exclusive seats’ in the Blue Bar and Restaurant on the ‘Sky’ level of the lounge. Here customers can pay for a number of services.
The entrance to the lounge is via an escalator with illuminated glass walls adorned with some 5,000 Delft Blue miniature houses. Digital support such as self-service access, an online Lounge Guide that offers visitors a constant digital assistant to way-find, book services, check flight details, or request dedicated lounge assistants, all ensure a more personal experience.
Concrete designed five Dutch-inspired spaces: the Polder; the Dutch Mountain; the City; the Sea; and the Sky. They allow users to work, relax/sleep, refresh, eat, drink, entertain themselves, or engage in fine dining.
In the Polder landscape, passengers can work or relax, helped by a carpet in varying shades of green reminiscent of the Netherlands’ pasturelands. A 110-metre LED light wall simulates the Dutch sky with lighting adapted to the time of day.
The City landscape offers ‘live’ cooking at an F&B food concept focused on fresh seasonal products from KLM’s partner Vermaat, complimentary drinks from the Heineken Bar, or a coffee from the barista-manned coffee bar. Nearby the Dutch Mountain zone offers a variety of options for working and also having fun, from a TV room with virtual reality pods, to a DJ stand for special events.
To recharge, customers can head to the Sea space. The area has 20 free showers; luxury sleeping cabins (three hours costs €49.50). Both are bookable at the lounge but in future the showers and sleeping cabins will be allocated using QR codes.
On the second level Sky takes the KLM House to new heights– and should be a revenue generator for the carrier. At the explicit request of the airline’s customers, the upscale Sky Bar has an outdoor terrace with a view of the airport. The pay-for restaurant Blue by KLM has a menu compiled by Joris Bijdendijk of Rijks, the Michelin-starred restaurant in Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, with adjacent meeting rooms nearby.
