Dublin Airport has opened a new premier lounge for Business and First-Class passengers travelling to eastern destinations.
East Lounge is located beyond the passenger security screening area between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 and will cater for passengers travelling with Emirates, Etihad Airways and Turkish Airlines.
“We are very excited to open this dedicated lounge for Business and First-Class passengers travelling eastwards,” said Dublin Airport Managing Director Vincent Harrison.
“East Lounge is an oasis of calm offering customers the space to relax, to dine or to work before boarding their flight. The concept and design of the lounge has a uniquely Irish feel which is warm and welcoming with fantastic views of the airfield and Dublin mountains.”
The interior design and feel of the East Lounge is underpinned by the concept of east meeting west. The logo for the lounge was inspired by the Ogham alphabet, which was used to write the Irish language in the medieval period, and means the point where east meets west.
The Irish landscape and craftsmanship are featured in the lounge showcasing the very best of contemporary Irish food and drink, hospitality and design.
“The lounge design and ethos fits in beautifully with our Sense of Place Project, which provides passengers flying to Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai, Hong Kong and Istanbul a last opportunity to enjoy Irish art, culture, design, food and beverage at
the airport before they depart,” Harrison said.
The base colours chosen for the lounge are warm greys and rich greens from Kilkenny limestone and Connemara marble. The grain in the Irish oak wood tables and panels have angles between 45 and 135 degrees, all pointing towards the east.
The furniture was handcrafted in Dublin by a family-owned business, Delaney’s Bespoke Furniture. Every strand of yarn used in the seating fabrics was individually handpicked, dyed and woven in Ireland. The custom-made wall hanging, cushions and sofa coverings were created by leading textile designers, Frances Duff and Sonia Reynolds, from STABLE of Ireland, and pay homage to the work of Irish artist, Patrick Scott.
The lounge is divided into work, relaxation, bar and dining areas and can accommodate up to 86 guests. As well as premium food and drink facilities, it offers a concierge service, luxury shower rooms, a quiet prayer room, an entertainment area, charging outlets for multiple devices and high speed unlimited WiFi.
Executive Chefs from catering company KSG have created a food and beverage menu showcasing the very best of Irish produce. All products are sourced locally and nationally with beef coming from Dawn Meats from Co Meath, chicken from Co Cork, sausage and puddings from Co Galway and Irish bacon from Co Tipperary. Seafood dishes are sourced from firms in Dublin and Kilkenny, cheeses from Cork and Wicklow. A signature noodle style dish is also available.
Guests will have a choice of over 150 blends and flavours of tea from Dublin firm Wall & Keogh and four different roasts of barista style coffee.
More than 22.4 million passengers have travelled through Dublin Airport between January and August, which is a 7% increase on the same period last year.
Dublin Airport has welcomed an additional 1.2 million passengers in the first eight months of the year.
The airport has flights to almost 200 destinations in 43 countries, operated by 53 airlines and is the 11th busiest airport in the European Union.
