Aspire the House Sydney Lounge Etihad
The House Sydney Lounge is a great, small lounge, with a good bar, at which you can take a seat and get cocktails mixed on demand.
The fantastic dining has been downgraded, and now there is a basic buffet. Equally the spa, business centre, and other facilities have been closed.
Run by UK operator Aspire, it is now open to all passengers on any airline, in any class, for a fee.
However, it was built as the Etihad Sydney lounge, and as such eligible Etihad passengers get access, as do British Airways.
Sydney The House lounge - Etihad & British Airways Sydney Lounge - review
The Aspire the House Lounge at Sydney airport is a bit of an oddity. It is a perfect example of what happens when a small boutique lounge run for just a few flights a day becomes a basic pay-in lounge, and it's a far cry from when it was the Etihad Airways Sydney Lounge. Although it also still is, as Etihad still use it, despite having sold it.
The House lounge Sydney Lounge still retains some of the aura of when it was a glorious destination of choice. However, it is also a blink and you'll miss it affair as you run through the terminal, because the entrance as it is hidden away located airside in the international terminal, adjacent to Gate 51, close to where the old 'security' desks were, before the entrance was moved. It is now a ten minute walk after security & passport control. Walk through past duty free, right at the Qantas lounge escalator, along the long corridor by MacDonald's, and then sharp left and left again,
opposite the gift store A Little Something and just before you get to WHSmiths.
The Aspire Sydney The House lounge is spilt across two levels with the entrance and reception located on the upper level, plus somewhere to store your luggage, and the main part of the lounge downstairs, occupying just over 600 square meters on the main lounge level. The luggage area has been abandoned, and this large area with great views is just a waste of space now.
The lounge will look very familiar to Etihad travellers around the world, and shares a colour scheme, furnishings and general concept with the airline's generic lounges such as Dublin or Paris.
As you walk down the stairs you'll see the main seating area which dominates the lounge. It can look great if you are the first passenger in the lounge at 6am, less so if you arrive at 8pm when the place can be packed to the rafters, and then some. A major problem in any event is that most of the seats are arranged in groups of four around a table, and many single passengers just dump their bags on three of the seats, and then head off to eat, increasing the problem.
There is a large restaurant area at the most 'inland' part of the lounge, however this area only offers seats for 26 passengers, or 13 if they are on their own. It can be a struggle to get a table if you are last in the door. This is the area for a la carte dining if you are in Business Class on Etihad or British Airways. However, the fantastic food of yore has been downgraded to just a basic laminated card with three basic hot dishes. The whole thing smacks of being rather cheap.
The overspill area is the curved bench with tall orange barstools along the wooden partition. It is a great spot to come to roost with a computer and a drink, but less so if you want a full four course dinner before boarding.
Up the corridor from here there are the usual Etihad lounge features including the small business centre, and then further around there are two bathrooms with showers. There are also separate male and female prayer rooms.
In the middle of The House lounge Sydney lounge is the central rack of large arm chairs. However, the lounge is fairly small, and the prime spots in the lounge will go quickly.
There is a line of comfortable leather armchairs with small wooden tables along with windows, facing Gate 51, which is normally used by Etihad.
There is a small children's play area, with lots of bright primary colours and a large screen TV.
Don't miss some of the nick-nacks on the shelves. For example, there are some really collectable Arabic works of art, and also a British modern art, such as the Queen's portrait.
It is then a fine lounge, however a real curiosity is that Etihad didn't make more of the first floor of the lounge, by for example having a row of seats that admire the view, instead of just putting the left luggage storage in this area. This would also have prevented the overcrowding problems prevalent in the evenings.
Once upon a time, when it opened, this lounge attained a rather 'holy grail' status in the minds of many frequent flyers. Partly, this is because it is so far from Etihad's base, and also because it can't normally be accessed with a Frequent Flyer card. It was also, we do have to say, very good indeed.
Now, it is an OK to middling lounge, which is just about OK. British Airways and Cathay Pacific now use this lounge because the Qantas offering is so poor, but that's not saying much.
Food
The food in the Aspire the House Sydney Lounge Etihad is no longer the top notch affair it once was.All passengers are offered basic buffet catering, with a refectory bench behind the buffet dining area. Here there are a couple of hot dishes, salads, soup, and sandwiches. The wraps are actually quite good. There are also little jars with desserts.
However, for Business and First Class passengers of Etihad, British Airways, and Cathay Pacific, there is marginally uprated catering in the form of a plastic card. This is handed to you by reception, which directs you to take a seat in the 'reserved' section of the dining area, with waiter service and a la carte dining.
This really isn't very good, but it's better than nothing, with cooked to order dishes. The menu changes every two months, and the lounge's dining options centre on a selection of western and Arabian dishes. You can get your steak, but there are also some Tapas-style mezze dishes.
Mind you, If you can't wait - or can't get a seat - there is nothing to stop you from going for the buffet dinning anywhere in the lounge, with the main buffet area in the triangle beside the lounge.
Bar
At the far end of the lounge is the bar, with those orange seats again. Indeed, it is also a 'staffed' bar, with a barman on hand to serve cocktails. However, now it is an Aspire not Etihad lounge there is no formal cocktail list; instead to have to know what you want.
Wine isn't kept at the bar; instead it is at the waiter's position to the left of the bar. Here there is also the Champagne, but a real pain is that you can't serve yourself, and the waiters are so busy they often will delay 10 minutes or so before giving you a glass.
There is also a small coffee machine, which doles out the signature Etihad lounge touches such as Arabian coffee - flavoured with rose water and cardamom - plus Arabic dates.
Beer is in the fridge, with some good Aussie breweries, plus Tiger.
Bathrooms
There are showers in the lounge, and good ones too. Towels are available in the respective ladies and gents area, and there are amenities too if you ask the attendants.
However there is no spa in the Etihad Sydney Lounge.
Business Facilities
There is a small business centre which has three Apple iMac computers plus a printer and photocopier.There is free wifi in the lounge.
There is a small newspaper rack in the lounge, and some magazines.
The lounge has a plentiful supply of mains power (Australian, UK, Hong Kong, and international) and USB power sockets, particularly around the curved wooden divider.
Access
The House Sydney Lounge is just a basic pay in lounge - but it comes at some cost.
Booking some considerable time in advance, you can just about get the price of the Aspire the House Sydney Lounge at $75AUD.
However, closer to departure the price rises to nearer $99AUD.
There is also access to the Etihad Sydney lounge is for First and Business Class passengers on Etihad, plus Etihad Guest Gold and Gold Elite members of the Etihad Guest loyalty program can use it.
Etihad of course have close ties to Virgin Australia, and these Virgin Australia Gold and Platinum members also get admittance on Etihad flights.
However, the lounge is also now the Sydney British Airways lounge, with access to First and Business Class, although on BA if you have access to it I recommend the Qantas First Lounge as a far better alternative.
Book online with No1 Lounges to get lounge access for $75AUD, not $99AUD.
Oh, what a radical turn around access to The House Sydney lounge. Access to the Etihad Airways Sydney Lounge used to be restricted to Business and First Class customers on Etihad's evening A380 flight in an aim to reduce over-crowding. Economy class Passengers with Gold status or above with Virgin Australia or Etihad Guest were being directed elsewhere. How things have changed.
Video: Aspire The House Lounge Etihad
Also view: Video 4
View photos of Aspire the House Sydney Lounge EtihadSydney Airport Guide
| Aspire the House Sydney Lounge Etihad | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rating |
Video walkthrough and Image gallery by Loungeindex.com
| |
| Pros | Available to all passengers Bar and Restaurant Delightful when empty |
|
| Cons | Anyone can buy access Good food only for those in Business Class Can get packed |
|
| Location | Airside, International terminal | |
| Terminal | 1 | |
| Opening hours | 1230-1550, 1830-1950 | |
| Cost | $85AUD | |
| Lounge for: | Etihad Airways | |
| Other Airlines: | British Airways Sydney Lounge Cathay Pacific Sydney Lounge | |
| Access | Etihad, British Airways, Cathay Pacifiic, First & Business Class, Etihad Guest Gold and Gold Elite, Virgin Velocity Gold and Platinum, British Airways Gold and Silver | |