Quick Review: ITA International Business Class Lounge Rome (FCO)
Intro
Following a terrific night in Rome filled with good food and a visit to the Colosseum, it was time to head back off to the USA. Having flown in the day before on the ITA A321neo, I was extremely excited to check out the long-haul product of ITA, as well as their new international lounge in Rome.
Well, in some ways, I was very impressed by this lounge's excellent food, amazing cocktails, and friendly staff. However, the lounge is relatively small, and the seats already seem somewhat tired. ITA certainly could have done a better job on the finishings of this lounge.
Location+Access
The ITA Piazza di Spagna Lounge is pretty hard to miss, as it is only accessible through the Schengen side of the terminal. Once you head towards E gates, the lounge will be located right by gate E11.
In terms of access, there are a number of ways to be let in. The rules are as follows:
Passengers flying ITA or a Skyteam member in Business Class (no guests allowed)
Skyteam elite plus passengers (1 guest allowed)
Day pass for 35 Euros when purchased before
Day pass for 45 Euros when purchased at the door
Seating
Considering this is supposed to be a Flagship Lounge for ITA, as an airline that is looking to rebrand itself into something a lot better than Alitalia, the hard product of the lounge wasn't great. The square footage comes out to 11,000 feet, which, for a Flagship lounge, is quite small.
During off-peak hours (basically whenever the US flights aren't departing), the lounge is pretty much on the empty side. However, a lot of the Skyteam flights depart to the US at a similar time in the mid-morning, meaning that the lounge was a good 75% full.
Food+Drink
I had heard so much about the incredible food that ITA offers in their signature lounges. Well, it certainly didn't disappoint. Unfortunately, I had a plane to catch, so this meant only getting to test out the breakfast. However, later on during the day, they have some amazingly fresh pizza and delicious pasta as well.
Not that pancakes were the end of the world, as they were yummy nonetheless.🤗
In terms of drinks, passengers have an amplitude of different options, with a bartender ready to make you delicious cocktails such as an Aperol Spritz or perhaps enjoy a lovely coffee. When in Rome, am I right😉?
Bathrooms
This was the other aspect that really let me down about this lounge. Located towards the back of the lounge are bathrooms for males and females, but they were never kept clean, with urine and paper towels all over the floor in the stalls. It's a big shame, as even writing this from Dulles airport means the common bathrooms are in better shape.
Oh, and don't get your hopes up with showers either, as they were "out of service" during my time there. Quite a big letdown on that front, as I have heard other people talk about the same issue.
Final Thoughts
This is a business-class lounge made for people who like to eat Italian food and enjoy fast and free wifi. This isn't an elegant flagship lounge like AA's in Miami, but it does have some of the best food I have experienced in a business-class lounge without a sit-down restaurant.
The cons: the seating feels extremely dated and almost depressing. Combined with the lack of showers, it disappoints me as there is potential. My advice would be to come early enough to enjoy a good meal but don't come early enough to the lounge that you are going to be sitting around.
Kommentarer