Chicago Metropolitan Lounge

[Steve4031]

They are pretty good now. One recognizes me and always smiles.

 

[Sauve850]

When I was going on the CL I had a sore foot and thought maybe Ill try a Red Cap. I waited up by the desk and there were folks way more in need than me. When it was boarding time I just walked down. Although most of the sleeper passengers beat the Red Caps which matters not at all they seemed very organized and helpful for the folks they were transporting.

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

I recently took the CL. Entering the lounge I was asked if this was first time in new lounge. I said yes and was given full information from?? Susie I think. Place was well laid out and not overcrowded. We were called to board. Walked down a hall took a right then a left to whatever gate. Showed my ticket to an Amtrak employee and off to my sleeper. No crowds no lines. We were first to board. Smooth process. Had my dinner res taken when I entered the lounge at 4pm I believe.

Sauve850, when you walked down the hall(hall leading to "to all trains") and took a right then a left, was that the inside concourse where you encounter a roped off area for Amtrak trains or did you pass that concourse and turn left onto the exterior walkway where each of the tracks walkways end and you can see the trains parked waiting for passengers? If not, I think you were still led to a "holding area" for senior adults and others qualifying for priority boarding. If so, that is the area others have said they encountered resistance from some of the Amtrak customer service reps that control the holding area and releasing of passengers to the train for boarding. I will be passing through on business and sleeper cars couple times in October and again in December and April so would like a like more specific information on boarding from the lounge.

 

[Sauve850]

The hall (by the front desks) I walked down was inside the Met Lounge and passed by their bathrooms on way to an exit door with an employee pointing "go that way" (right). A short walk later you are at the gates and had to turn left to get to my gate which I think was 24. I want to say the gate numbers started at 10?. Yes you could see tracks and trains. Midway down was the Amtrak employee and I basically waved my ticket while walking and was waved past. No crowd at all so prob not a holding area. Walked to my gate and down to my car. Easy boarding. The FB post didn't load for me sorry.

Ray

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

Thanks, that helps a lot. I sounds like you did bypass the concourse and ramps that is crowded with Metra Passengers via the inside hallway from the lounge and were just outside of the concourse that is roped off to hold priority boarding passengers such as senior citizens, business class, and sleeper who chose to go through the regular waiting lounge for priority passengers now that general boarding is from the great hall. I'm looking forward to using the Metropolitan Lounge for a couple days(one business class and one sleeper) in early October and give this boarding procedure a try. Seems that too many are using the red caps now and have created a log jam especially for the sleepers so my original plan to use the red caps does not sound so good any more. I usually travel light and can check my larger bag if necessary instead of storing it on the lower level baggage racks. We will see.

 

[penguinflies]

If it is a first class gate, a lot of the flows people are griping about will cease. You can hang out in the met lounge till whatever time you wish or if you bypass the lounge it gets you to a known boarding area instead getting stink-eye coach stares as one cuts in line for business class boarding.

I noticed on the website that the legacy lounge now has a free happy hour?!? How do I get Amtrak to give me lounge passes to that instead of the metropolitan lounge!

 

[Sauve850]

Red Caps seemed very busy for my CL boarding. Lounge was a pleasant change from old one.

 

[neroden]

Lot of elderly & disabled passengers in the sleepers.

 

[Dave Van]

Metro a few weeks ago when I was headed West on SWC

 

[Eric S]

What's the area that's under construction?

I've been in the lounge a few times but I'm not familiar enough yet to figure out what they're doing there.

 

[tricia]

Report from last Saturday, coming into CUS on the Zephyr, leaving on the Cardinal:

The showers in the new lounge are excellent, and "accessible" as well: Spacious enough and with no bumps in the floor, so wheelchairs can be used there. A generous pull-down bench under the shower head, which can easily be moved up or down and detached while in use. A second, long bench well beyond reach of the shower spray, with plenty of room to set down your clothes and whatnot. Only odd things: No wastebasket and no mirror. (Since access is through the restrooms, you can use mirrors over sinks there after you're dressed.)

Boarding procedures weren't completely chaotic, but there's definitely room for improvement. Redcaps loaded their vehicles just outside the Metro Lounge entrance. Those of us boarding ourselves, on foot, walked down a long corridor inside the lounge, past the restrooms, to a door that opens into the corridor that leads directly to platforms. When I did this last Saturday, there was a good bit of confusion among staff in the corridor--one fellow yelled at us to get out of the corridor into the holding pen for coach passengers, two other staff seemed confused about where we should stand, then asked us to stand against a wall so the several redcap vehicles could get past.

Given the reality of crowded space in the boarding areas of the station, it would be a huge help if trains that originiate in Chicago could be ready for boarding somewhat earlier--enough time to allow the redcap carts through first, then send the sleeper passengers through from the Metro Lounge, then everyone else. Is an extra 5-10 minutes of boarding time too much to hope for?

An even huger help would be better communication among staff assigned to facilitate boarding: Why does everyone have hand-held radios, when most don't seem to be getting much useful boarding-related info through them? Ditto the folks in the lounge: boarding-related communication to the lounge seems to be limited to a single, last-minute "OK, send everyone through now." If that--I don't really know whether the lounge staff are just guessing about this.

Note that what I'm describing here was on a Saturday. I'm sure that on weekdays, when the station's more crowded, it's more of a mess.

 

[wwchi]

Report from last Saturday, coming into CUS on the Zephyr, leaving on the Cardinal:

The showers in the new lounge are excellent, and "accessible" as well: Spacious enough and with no bumps in the floor, so wheelchairs can be used there. A generous pull-down bench under the shower head, which can easily be moved up or down and detached while in use. A second, long bench well beyond reach of the shower spray, with plenty of room to set down your clothes and whatnot. Only odd things: No wastebasket and no mirror. (Since access is through the restrooms, you can use mirrors over sinks there after you're dressed.)

Boarding procedures weren't completely chaotic, but there's definitely room for improvement. Redcaps loaded their vehicles just outside the Metro Lounge entrance. Those of us boarding ourselves, on foot, walked down a long corridor inside the lounge, past the restrooms, to a door that opens into the corridor that leads directly to platforms. When I did this last Saturday, there was a good bit of confusion among staff in the corridor--one fellow yelled at us to get out of the corridor into the holding pen for coach passengers, two other staff seemed confused about where we should stand, then asked us to stand against a wall so the several redcap vehicles could get past.

Given the reality of crowded space in the boarding areas of the station, it would be a huge help if trains that originiate in Chicago could be ready for boarding somewhat earlier--enough time to allow the redcap carts through first, then send the sleeper passengers through from the Metro Lounge, then everyone else. Is an extra 5-10 minutes of boarding time too much to hope for?

An even huger help would be better communication among staff assigned to facilitate boarding: Why does everyone have hand-held radios, when most don't seem to be getting much useful boarding-related info through them? Ditto the folks in the lounge: boarding-related communication to the lounge seems to be limited to a single, last-minute "OK, send everyone through now." If that--I don't really know whether the lounge staff are just guessing about this.

Note that what I'm describing here was on a Saturday. I'm sure that on weekdays, when the station's more crowded, it's more of a mess.

it is the same during the week. I usually travel on Thursdays and you are correct that another 5-10 min would help, and it would help if those gate agents communicated better among themselves and with the passengers. They DO yell at you if you are not doing what they want, but it changes all the time, so even regular riders don't know what to expect. It would be simple if they just radio'd that sleeper/bus class were on the way and then the people in the halls EXPECTED them and then pointed to the platform they should go to - not yell at them for being in the way! LOL!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Sounds like the Communication between staff in Chicago is still non-existent, and that the Suits are still MIA when it comes to knowing what's happening downstairs.

This is easy to fix, doesn't cost a dime, but since it's Amtrak and Chicago, guess business as usual will continue to be the norm.

 

[Dave Van]

What's the area that's under construction?

I've been in the lounge a few times but I'm not familiar enough yet to figure out what they're doing there.

We were told it was finish details and carpet for a more family area.......whatever that means.

Note on return trip last Saturday......

I found the staff friendly.......and they kept the snack table filled and stocked very well.

 

[Eric S]

What's the area that's under construction?

I've been in the lounge a few times but I'm not familiar enough yet to figure out what they're doing there.

We were told it was finish details and carpet for a more family area.......whatever that means.

Note on return trip last Saturday......

I found the staff friendly.......and they kept the snake table filled and stocked very well.

Oh, was that the family/kids area? I don't think the glass walls were present when I was in the lounge - perhaps that's what's being added.

And, hmm, a well-stocked "snake" table? That ought to prevent the lounge from ever being over-crowded. :giggle:

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Sounds like the Communication between staff in Chicago is still non-existent, and that the Suits are still MIA when it comes to knowing what's happening downstairs. This is easy to fix, doesn't cost a dime, but since it's Amtrak and Chicago, guess business as usual will continue to be the norm.

Why bother talking to your coworkers when you can simply shout at your customers for not reading your mind? Seems like a sound business strategy to me.

 

[Dave Van]

What's the area that's under construction?

I've been in the lounge a few times but I'm not familiar enough yet to figure out what they're doing there.

We were told it was finish details and carpet for a more family area.......whatever that means.

Note on return trip last Saturday......

I found the staff friendly.......and they kept the snake table filled and stocked very well.

Oh, was that the family/kids area? I don't think the glass walls were present when I was in the lounge - perhaps that's what's being added.

And, hmm, a well-stocked "snake" table? That ought to prevent the lounge from ever being over-crowded. :giggle:

I fat fingered snack and auto correct helped me......much funnier the other way!!!! thx

 

[Montreal Ltd]

LOL I was in a hall with plenty of well stocked snake tables...at a reptile show in Columbus OH.

 

[SarahZ]

I nominate this for the new lounge decor:

 

[Montreal Ltd]

Priceless!

 

[enoreeman]

Was there on the 11th waiting for the CZ after coming in on the CL, used the shower, was very nice, my 86 YO Mom was with me and we asked for redcap service and was on the first cart to the train. Had a very good experience.

 

[SarahZ]

I traveled in BC on Sunday evening. I walked through the Great Hall for a bit and noticed they've organized things quite a bit over the past couple of months. They have ropes and large signs indicating positions for each group to line up.

Everyone was lined up for the Lincoln Service, and the ropes kept them more or less single-file. A staff member held a large sign aloft; it was the Track # on a white placard, done in large, black font that was easy to see from the middle of the line. The sign was on the end of a long pole. The staff member then said, "Okay, follow me," and walked toward the concourse. He kept the sign raised all the way out the door and down toward the concourse.

They had a bundle of the track numbers in the Information booth. You could see that they were pretty easy to slip in and out of the frames on the end of the pole the staff member holds. I didn't stick around to watch them change the signs and board more trains, though, as I knew the lounge would be boarding my train soon.

Once I got to the Lounge, I verified they hadn't started boarding the Wolverine yet. The lounge attendant told me to go ahead and take a seat in the lounge and started telling me about the snacks when another attendant said, "Um... maybe you should check her ticket?" The first attendant gasped, "Oh my gosh!" which made me laugh. I had the Amtrak app open already, so I flashed my ticket, and she gave me a thumbs-up. I didn't get a Super Special Lounge Pass, probably because it was so close to boarding time.

When they called for boarding a few minutes later, they were actually boarding two trains, the Wolverine and... some other train. One of the attendants asked which train I was boarding and then told me, "Walk through those doors and turn right." A young man was right next to me, so we walked out the doors and didn't see anyone poised to walk us down to the tracks. At that point, we figured we weren't being walked to the track, so we made a beeline for the Velvet Rope Attendant.

Once we got to the Velvet Rope, I noticed the attendant was seated at a computer. I told her we'd come from the lounge and were in BC on the Wolverine. I figured she'd check our tickets or something, but she just smiled and said, "Track 24". We walked to the track, and another attendant (near Track 26) asked, "Wolverine? You know where you're going?" We just nodded and kept walking/sprinting, knowing the herd was about to descend.

So, it seems Chicago has gotten their stuff together with the Coach boarding process in the Great Hall, but the lounge still needs work. For people like me and the guy with me (who had obviously done this a million times), it was no big deal to be told, "Okay, go out that door and turn right."

If someone has never been to Union Station, though, "turn right" isn't going to help them. Most people can figure out where the tracks are if they open their eyes, and they'd eventually find the Velvet Rope, but I can't imagine a new (or easily confused) person doing that in the middle of the rush periods.

Perhaps the attendants walk people down there if asked? If so, then I'm okay with this hybrid: those who know the station are free to head to the train, and those who need help can hang back and follow the leader.

As a result of them trusting me to find the train on my own, I didn't have to stand in line to wait for a conductor to tell me which car to walk to, and I snagged a good seat long before the massive herd was released from the Great Hall. With the Kindergarten Walk, we often arrived right in the middle of the herd, which defeated the entire purpose of paying for the priority boarding perk. I really hope this is the new way of doing things.

9/10 stars. Would train again.

 

[Sauve850]

Glad it was a good experience. Mine was too a month ago but I knew where I was going.

 

[user 6862]

Travelled through Chicago on the 15 September, arriving on the LSL and leaving on the EB. Found the new lounge airy and spacious, the lower level pretty packed but the upper level almost empty. Quite liked the old lounge but the new worked very well if a little bland and impersonal.

Boarding instructions were quite clear as to the turn right etc etc and track number, but arriving near to the tracks it was a little chaotic with limited information. 2 queues and no apparent reason if they were the same or for different trains or types of ticket for the same train. .

After a while someone asked for our tickets and asked if we would join a small queue of about 10 people so making a third queue, About 15 minutes later we were told the train was too long for our car to get on the platform and had been parked somewhere else in the station, we had to wait in a side waiting area just the 12 of us until our car could be located and brought to the platform for us to board About 20 - 25 minutes later we were asked to join the train but were surprised to find some passengers already in this sleeping car headed to Portland, a real mix-up or lack of forward planning?

Some of our waiting room fellow passengers were elderly and a little anxious, but it turned out alright in the end although left about 40 minutes late.

Only our second visit to Chicago and expect the staff to be abrupt but not unfriendly which they were, in the main they did their job and appeared to try hard but there is an obvious lack of leadership at Chicago station with different staff pulling in opposite directions and no willpower to create systems that would benefit the customer and the staff.

But most of this is no big deal as it all works in the end.

ps: Talking of lounges it was our first time in Portland, OR. We really liked this lounge, full of character, looks good and comfortable too, The person at the desk knew exactly how everything works and gave information in advance, superb experience.

 

[Bob Dylan]

thanks for the update vv!

I agree that the Portland Lounge, along with Philadelphia, (and LAX close) is the best run Lounge, and allows for a pleasant experience while waiting for your train!