British Airways Galleries First, London Heathrow Terminal 5
BACKGROUND British Airways’ Heathrow lounges were closed from midMarch until early July. It started to reopen them on July 4 – Galleries First, followed by Galleries South and North, all at Terminal 5 – with the promise of adding more over the summer. When they reopened, they were oering a very dierent service. As you would expect, you have to wear a face mask at all times, removing it only when eating or drinking.
CHECK IN I visited the Galleries First lounge three days after it reopened, arriving at the airport at 1500 for my 1845 departure on IB3167 to Madrid. I used the First Wing to check in but since I was flying with BA’s Oneworld partner, Iberia, had to backtrack to Zone E to Iberia’s check-in. I dropped o my bag and then returned to the First Wing, went through security and walked down the corridor to Galleries First. I was given a welcome card, one side of which indicates that you are still using your seat, and the other that you have left and it can be cleaned.
THE LOUNGE There weren’t many flights departing from T5 that afternoon and the lounge had only about 30 people in it. Seats are spaced out more than before, with clear plastic screens placed between some of them. There are fewer of the lower tables, and some sections are completely closed o. Chief of those is where the main buet area used to be. This is now a food preparation area, although at the moment is fairly empty. The washrooms now have a one-way system, and the little-used business area beyond the toilets was closed. At the time of my visit the terrace had been repurposed into the “Concorde Terrace”, because the Concorde Room, a separate lounge for First flyers and Gold Guest List BA Executive Club members, was closed. On the terrace, the range of wines had been upgraded (Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle champagne, for instance).
FOOD AND DRINK All of the buet options, including self-service drinks and the coee and tea stations, have been closed. Instead, all food and drink is provided by table service, so the first thing to do is to find a seat and then use your phone or tablet to scan in the QR code on the table. This contains the menu – you will need a password to use it, which is dierent from the one for the wifi. I had a little trouble getting this to work (it was to do with upper and lower case on the password), but the sta were very helpful.
Dishes on the menu are healthy and included traditional garden salad, wheatberry and cranberry salad, or Mediterranean couscous salad, which could all be topped with dill marinated prawns, flaked ham hock or crumbled Stilton. I had a couple of these, a glass of champagne and a glass of the BA-branded Speedbird 100 IPA, and did some work.
VERDICT Opening the lounges in this manner is a good first step, and you can see both sta and passengers quietly finding their way. In the coming weeks and months, assuming there are no fresh outbreaks, the number of flights will gradually increase, these lounges will fill and new ones will open. Only then will we see how scalable this new service oering is. It’s pleasant to order at your table and have food and drink brought to you, but the list of items available is much reduced, and inevitably there is a delay between placing and receiving your order, because it’s quicker to help yourself. Passengers have complained in the past about the buet oering in the lounges but I think most will miss it now it has gone.
There are those who think it crazy to travel while the number of cases is still considerable, of course, but there are others who, for very good reasons, want to visit friends or relatives or simply have a break after a miserable six months. It will take a while to get used to these new “protocols”, and whether they are eective or not only time will tell. Meanwhile, BA is taking its first steps with these lounges, and I’m sure the experience will improve further as passengers return.
It’s pleasant to order food and drink at the table but the menu is much reduced
BACKGROUND The European footprint of Rocco Forte Hotels’ luxury five-star hotels is especially prominent in the renowned boot of Italy, with seven properties dotted from storied Sicily to the Hotel Savoy in romantic Florence. Mostly located in iconic city centres, all these hotels feature exquisite design and unparalleled service.
WHAT’S IT LIKE? The Hotel Savoy dates back to 1893 and in its day was considered a modern marvel. In 2018 the historic building was renovated under the guiding hand of Olga Polizzi, the group’s director of design. Polizzi’s interiors are always intriguing, often surprising and wholly delightful. Hotel Savoy welcomes guests into an elegant lobby that nonetheless somehow manages a sense of warmth, thanks to splashes of colour in chic accent pieces and artwork. Service at reception and throughout my stay was, as you might expect, understated, prompt and unfailingly courteous.
WHERE IS IT? It doesn’t get much more city centre than this. The Hotel Savoy faces the Piazza della Repubblica overlooking the Column of Abundance, which actually marks the centre of Florence. An easy stroll southward is the River Arno spanned by the ancient Ponte Vecchio Bridge; and a couple of blocks north of the hotel is the Cathedral of Florence with its soaring red-tiled dome, the very emblem of the city.
ROOMS The Hotel Savoy’s 80 rooms and suites are generous by city-centre standards, ranging from about 270 sqft up to the new 1,600-sqft Duomo Presidential Suite. My Classic room was spacious, almost what other hotels might call a suite, with a separate sitting room populated by a couple of comfy overstued chairs and a sofa facing the flat-screen TV on the wall.The furnishings and appointments were an eclectic mix of clean modern and Tuscan vintage, with fabrics in soothing, inviting colours. The star was the dramatic view out my sitting room window, which was taken up almost entirely with Brunelleschi's famous Duomo and bell tower.
The marble-clad bathroom oered a wonderful rainfall shower and a full complement of Forte Organics bath products. A little personal touch that I found particularly memorable; three monogrammed face towels were rolled and placed to form my initials.
FOOD AND DRINK Irene is the name of both the restaurant and bar located on the Savoy’s ground floor. In nice weather, inside seating spills out onto the Piazza della Repubblica, making for a supremely European dining scene. The menu, developed by director of food Michelin-starred Chef Fulvio Pierangelini, features a range of Tuscan dishes, none predictable, all inventive. From the panzanella and bualo mozzarella (unlike any I’d had before) to the mixed seafood grilled cooked on Himalayan salt stone, everything tasted fresh and creatively presented. But by all means, save room for the cherry crumble with spiced ice cream. Really.
MEETINGS For meetings and events, the 800 sqft salon can host up to 50 attendees, and high-speed wifi is available throughout the hotel.
LEISURE
The new state-of-the-art gym is fully equipped and there’s a fitness studio for Pilates and yoga classes.
VERDICT Let’s see – a classic hotel done up in elegant style and served with grace and élan in the very heart of one of the world’s most cherished cities. What’s not to love?
The Hotel Savoy dates back to 1893 and in its day was considered a modern marvel