If you ask Delta, this will be the lounge they will direct you to visit in Houston. As a Sky Club member, if you are flying Delta that day, you may use the lounge. Also, if you are Gold Medallion or higher and flying internationally you may also enter free of charge. You may not want to as I have also reviewed the Air France lounge just a few gates away that you also have access to under the same circumstances. This is also a Priority Pass lounge so if you have the non-Delta AMEX Platinum card (personal or business) you will also get in free of charge.
If you have ever visited any of the KLM Crown Lounges in Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport you will strangely feel like you are in a mini version of those locations with many of the perks but also many of the drawbacks.
The lounge is basically a long box and while slightly larger than the Air France lounge I am told it is often much more crowded.
Right of entrance is the main seating area with the exact same red chairs and brown chair combo units you will see at AMS.
Not much privacy in this lounge. Do notice they have a spot to hang up your coat but I see this as a way of walking away from your belongings so think twice.
Just left of the entrance is a central food and beverage self service area as well as small tables for enjoying the complimentary snacks provided.
Here is where the larger lounges in AMS and this mini KLM lounge differ. Your food choices are much more limited. Food really is a stretch, let’s call them simple snacks.
Adult beverage choices are respectable including a number of white and red wine choices.
A Starbucks coffee machine and TAZO tea bags. I am not a coffee drinker, but maybe others can comment on if this machine impressed or not.
On the way past the food service area you have a choice of a number of international papers and a bit of seating.
Then you reach the end of the lounge with more of the classic brown chair seating.
Also at the very end is a PC for public use as well as a few work stations for laptop use. While the area was fine as well as the wifi speed, having to crawl under the desk area to plug in was a real pain. How hard is it to put power ports at desk level?
Another downside of this club is the location. If you are flying Delta you will likely have to block off about 15 to 20 minutes to take the tram over to the other terminal to catch your flight since there is not a Sky Club currently at IAH.
Overall this is on par with a number of domestic lounges I have visited and comparable to most Sky Clubs (not counting the upgraded ones like in SEA or Atlanta B club etc.). Personally I would keep walking past this lounge to the Air France lounge between the two. That is, unless you have access to the Centurion Lounge nearby as it is a much better experience. More on that soon! – René
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This lounge definitely has a deja vu look. That is puzzling since I have not seen other KLM lounges furnished exactly like the AMS lounges. I think the IAH lounge has better food (sandwiches, hearty soups, and packaged snacks) than the Crown Lounges at AMS unless the food there has been substantially upgraded in the last year or so. Those large AMS lounges can be annoyingly crowded and chaotic. At AMS there is often a line to get in and then if you want assistance from a rep take a number and cool your jets for 10 minutes or more while waiting for service.