REVIEW: Inside the Gorgeous Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club at New York-LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

The newest location Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club opened this morning at New York-LaGuardia Airport (LGA). Eye of the Flyer attended a special, invite-only sneak preview last week.

And, wow, this place is gorgeous. In fact, more than a couple of people made remarks along of the lines of, Look out, Amex Centurion Lounges. So, here’s what we saw and experienced.

(Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer was invited to this event. Like other attendees, I was able to sample various food and beverage items at no cost. Eye of the Flyer assumed all transportation, lodging, and outside food, and beverage costs. All information about the J.P. Morgan Reserve and The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card was independently collected by Eye of the Flyer.)

Who Can Access the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club?

Chase Sapphire Reserve®, J.P. Morgan Reserve, and The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card primary cardmembers and paid authorized users who have activated their complimentary Priority Pass membership may enter the Chase Sapphire Lounge.

The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card members can bring as many guests as they want — for no charge.

Meanwhile, Chase Sapphire Reserve® and J.P. Morgan Reserve members are limited to two complimentary guests per Priority Pass membership card, per visit. They can bring in additional guests for $27 a person.

Children under two are complimentary with an eligible member.

What if you have a Priority Pass membership not obtained from a Chase credit card? Maybe you got it from, say, The Platinum Card® from American Express,  The Business Platinum Card® from American Express,  the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, or another product? Perhaps you bought a Priority Pass membership. You will be able to visit the lounge for free once per calendar year. After you use that up, you can still enter — for $75 a pop.

A friend of mine visited the Boston Chase Sapphire Lounge and had a bad experience because of overcrowding. He loved the food and thought the club’s design was great. But the guest volume ruined it for him. Consider that American Express and Delta have faced considerable overcrowding with Centurion Lounges and Sky Clubs. Those aren’t accessible with Priority Pass memberships.

I get that the Priority Pass membership is to get Amex and Capital One people to become Chase Sapphire Reserve® card members. So, I’m curious to see how this lounge — which is bigger than the Boston location — handles crowds.

Where Is LaGuardia’s Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club?

You’ll find LaGuardia’s Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club on the fourth floor of Terminal B. It’s entrance is left of the American Express Centurion Lounge on the B-C Concourse area.

The lounge was still top secret when I visited last week. But you’ll be able to figure out where it is.

You walk down the hallway and then hang a slight left to these elevators.

Take the elevator down to the ground level.

Take a right and enter the frosted glass doors.

Because LaGuardia’s terminals are far between and not physically connected, you sort of need to make plans if you’re flying out of a different terminal. For example, Delta’s Terminal C is about a 10-ish minute ride each way. Keep in mind you’ll have to clear security at each terminal, too.

When Is the Chase Sapphire Lounge at LGA Open?

It’s open from 4:30 AM to 9:00 PM, seven days a week.

Inside the Chase Sapphire Lounge at LGA

There were plenty of “ooh”s and “aah”s when we entered the lounge. The place is beautiful.

It’s over 21,000 square feet, has two floors, three private suites you can rent, and has a capacity of 269 people.

After you enter — perhaps you’ll chat with one of these friendly and helpful concierges — the gorgeous center bar will probably catch your eye. It gives off sort of an art deco vibe. (We’ll belly up and sample a couple of cocktails in a few minutes.)

The place feels pretty grand and classy.

There are all sorts of seating options and areas. Here’s what you’ll find downstairs.

This is the “productivity area.”

There are a pair of phone rooms for normal people: you know, the ones who don’t enjoy sharing their conference calls on speaker phones or understand no one else in the lounge doesn’t want to hear their Zoom or FaceTime call.

And here is the upstairs general seating area.

It took me a while to realize this — and it’s a compliment to the club’s designers: there are no outside-facing windows. Not one. It’s basically a super-fancy basement. But never did I feel closed-in or claustrophobic.

That’s different from the American Express Centurion Lounge at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). That is also sort of an “interior” lounge — but it has one giant window offering a limited glance into the Tom Bradley International Terminal concourse. The LAX Centurion Lounge does make my hands sweat if I’m not seated in that area offering that slight peak into the world.

But the LGA Sapphire Lounge feels like a secret, grand hideaway.

It’s an interesting contrast to the Boston Sapphire Lounge: the entire length of one side has massive windows looking out to the apron.

The Arcade Room

There’s a small game room with a pinball machine and shuffleboard game.

There’s even a jukebox! (Kids, feel free to ask in the Comments section what that is. We olds will tell you what that is.)

You’ll also find a photo booth next to the “OH SNAP!” sign. (Pictures are sent digitally to you.)

Wellness Area

Like its Boston predecessor, the LaGuardia Sapphire Club features a spa-like wellness center. All treatments are complimentary.

There’s a quiet area where guests can reserve and take a nap.

They also offer on-site estheticians who provide different treatments — including a hydration face mask.

To make appointments, guests can scan one of the (many, many, many) QR codes displayed in the lounge and go from there.

Family Touches

Trigger warning: if you’re a “Kids Shouldn’t Be Allowed in Airport Lounges!” person, scroll down to the next section.

You’ll find a kids’ room (I hope it gets a few more toys — it’s a bit avant garde right now).

And a nursing room for mothers and their little ones.

Champagne Suites — and Caviar Dreams?

The upstairs features three different luxury suites club guests can rent — for quite a pretty penny. The going rate is $2,200-$3,000 for up to three hours. You can enjoy video games, stream television shows and movies, deejay your own playlists, and more.

Two of the suites are separated by a movable wall — and can be combined to form one giant suite. Plus, each suite has its own, dedicated attendant. You can order food and drinks from a special menu.

And while you’re at it, why not enjoy some caviar, seafood, and other deliciousness?

Each suite features a spacious bathroom and shower.

Do you want to check in with the peasants and poors downstairs? See what slop and swill they’re choking down?

Food and Beverage at the Chase Sapphire Lounge

Here’s the part many of us value in an airport lounge: stuff to eat and drink.

How’s the grub and hooch at the LGA Chase Sapphire Lounge?

The drinks are tasty. But the food is very, well, busy.

Let’s start with the drinks. You’ll find several hydration stations throughout the lounge.

The Joe Coffee Company offers an array of coffees — including a fantastic cold brew available from these self-serve taps. (You’ll probably need to add a little ice if you like yours especially cold.) My friend Matthew Klint will probably send me hate mail for this — but I added a little bit of creamer and stevia to mine. Goodness gracious, it was delicious.

Adult beverage-wise, here’s what the LaGuardia Chase lounge offers:

The bar staff was friendly and worked hard making picturesque ingredient-intense cocktails for the guests. That said: I envision lines getting long and thirsty customers getting cranky if the cocktail prep isn’t speedy. I understand that the media preview was designed to wow all of us with the cocktail presentation and flavor. But that should be the same for all guests.

I first tried The Blackburn’s Sour.

What a wonderful summertime drink! was my immediate reaction. There’s a definite tang to it — as one would expect from a drink with the word “sour” in its title. But it didn’t make my cheeks pucker and it wasn’t overly sweet. I enjoyed it.

Later on, I tried the Sapphire. Drinker beware: it is very smooth and tasty.

Guests have a couple of choices when it comes to food. There are several plated dishes available on a buffet. Plus, they can order off the menu for no charge.

First, each table has a QR code. Scan that and you can enjoy made-to-order food delivered to your table. (Each QR code is unique to its table so staff knows where to deliver the food.) Some of the items were available for us to try.

The Sapphire burger is good, as is the roast beef sandwich.

But the grilled cheese melt is downright sinful.

Overall, I wasn’t knocked out by the food. The presentation was wonderful and the dishes looked pretty. But I felt there was too much emphasis put on trying to make “exclusive” offerings with all sorts of ingredients just to be different. I don’t want an art show — I want something delicious. (Then again, I am a known blandie.)

That said, some of the dishes we sampled were meant to be prepared fresh and ordered off the menu — not sliced, diced, and put on a buffet. I look forward to a future visit and trying them again.

Don’t get me wrong: the food was good. It’s far better than cold-cut sandwiches, trail mix, and suspicious carrots and celery you find at some other airport lounges.

But I found the Boston Chase Sapphire Lounge’s fare to be noticeably better than the LaGuardia Club’s. I said as much to a Chase executive who was also at the Boston opening. (He said, “If I recall, you did love that meatball sandwich.” He was correct!) Chef Douglass Williams — who designed the Boston lounge’s local menu — offered slight twists on fairly simple things. And they were amazing.

Finally, I failed you — and didn’t have any desserts. But they looked wonderful. I heard guests tell others, “You have to try this!” or “Oh, this so good!”

Restrooms

Here’s the men’s room.

A big thing I noticed — seeing as how  : there was no hands-free exit from the restroom.

The Chase Sapphire Lounge Staff

I encountered, observed, and chatted with several lounge staff members: table attendants, suite hosts, a wellness esthetician, bartenders, and front desk concierges.

They were friendly, proactive, and knowledgeable. That was great. But something extra really stood out: so many of them are genuinely proud of the lounge and excited to show it off. This is one of the first — or maybe the first — lounge preview I attended where no employees had a deer-in-the-headlights look. Many employees acted like they owned the place — but in a very positive way. They were relaxed but attentive. Smiles all around.

I hope they retain those qualities when the lounge is open for a while and they face hordes of tense travelers (as opposed to airport lounge nerds like me). I’ve been to lounge previews when the staff treated me like their best friend. I returned a week or two later during normal operating hours — and they were indifferent or clearly didn’t enjoy their jobs.

The vibe felt different with this staff. I hope they succeed.

Final Approach

The new Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club is now open at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The design and amenities really are first-rate. The beverages c— cocktails and cold brew — are worth a visit. The food is good — but didn’t really win me over. The staff is fantastic.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the lounge when you’ve had a chance to visit!