The New Chicago Metropolitan Lounge

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cirdan said:
I was thinking more along the lines of, maybe the increased size also reflects a change or extension of scope. So maybe more people will have access to the lounge (opening speculation as to what the new criterium will be) or something like that. In other words, it won't be a one on one replacement but actually something different.
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"Criterium"? According to Mirriam-Webster that would be "a bicycle race of a specified number of laps on a closed course over public roads closed to normal traffic "

I think you meant to say "criterion" which is "a standard on which a judgment or decision may be based"

Back to the topic at hand....

In some airports for example you have access to the business lounge even if you have an economy class ticket, provided you have the loyalty status or something.
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AFAIK the loyalty status thing works only for international flights. For domestic flights, loyalty or no loyalty, one needs a club membership. Well maybe it still works with those status by invitation only with no specified base requirements kind of loyalty, I don't know. Never got upto those stratospheric levels myself :)

Actually I have seen many a foreigner walk into United Club with a domestic boarding card in hand and waving their Star Gold card, and get very offended when they are turned away since they do not have a United Club card. Such is the way of loyalty status and lounges :)

But coming back to Amtrak, Amtrak does not really sell Club access except for this newfangled thing in Chicago, and not clear that is even Amtrak for sure doing the selling.

In India, the LCC IndiGo will offer to sell you a one time club access with each itinerary they sell, for access to all lounges en-route in the itinerary. Actually their model is neat. They start with a base transport charge and then you can add on things like preassigned seat, pre-purchased extra baggage allowance, pre-purchased ability to change or cancel without further charge, lounge access, on-board catering - vegetarian or non-vegetarian, and on and on. Works really well too, and they are now the most successful and largest domestic airline in India.
 
I've heard disturbing rumors about the NEW planned Metropolitan lounge and wonder if you have any info. Been told the new lounge will no longer have storage for luggage. But maybe worse, toilet seat covers and all, they say there will not be rest rooms in the lounge. Frankly I cannot believe it but... any info? Thanks,
 
mwhealy31 said:
I've heard disturbing rumors about the NEW planned Metropolitan lounge and wonder if you have any info. Been told the new lounge will no longer have storage for luggage. But maybe worse, toilet seat covers and all, they say there will not be rest rooms in the lounge. Frankly I cannot believe it but... any info? Thanks,
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What Troll spread that rumor? Chances of either happening are slim and none and slim has left town!
 
The automatic toliet seat has been gone for a few years now. Also, the bag room folks will be moved to other jobs soon. The new lounge slated to open 6/1/16 will not have attended bag areas... and will be like DC or NY Club Acelas where you store bags on your own and at your own risk.
 
rtabern said:
The automatic toliet seat has been gone for a few years now. Also, the bag room folks will be moved to other jobs soon. The new lounge slated to open 6/1/16 will not have attended bag areas... and will be like DC or NY Club Acelas where you store bags on your own and at your own risk.
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That is somewhat disturbing news about the loss of the baggage room. The one element that separated the Chicago lounge from others was the guarded baggage room. Hoping the new room will be at least like DC where there is a bit of security beside the main desk? And sorry for the redcaps who will now lose some valuable tips by taking care of our stored luggage.
 
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Somewhere, I guess in one of the other CHI Metropolitan Lounge topics, there is a diagram showing the new lounge - and it has an area labeled "unattended baggage storage" or something like that.
 
Eric S said:
Somewhere, I guess in one of the other CHI Metropolitan Lounge topics, there is a diagram showing the new lounge - and it has an area labeled "unattended baggage storage" or something like that.
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Thanks. The recent posts were made to a 2+ year old thread and have been moved to a more recent thread pertaining to the "new" Chicago Metropolitan lounge.
 
And the luggage storage room is right behind the receptionist desk - with a door. That's good enough for me.
 
I have been traveling sleeper cars from and through Chicago for many years. I definitely remember being able to store my bag "unattended" in room right behind the current reception desk. The room was small and could not hold the luggage now checked and held by the red cap in recent years. Maybe the new lounge will have a much larger "unattended" baggage room. I always felt secure leaving my bags in the "unattended" room behind the reception desk. Not really much different than Metro lounge in Los Angeles or Portland.
 
I much preferred the Washington setup - not only can you leave your bags without having to pay someone, but the process of dropping them off and retrieving them is a whole lot faster. It also allows you to get into your bags more easily if you take multiple trips through the lounge (which we frequently do on a layover of several hours). I'm really looking forward to this change - I hope it's open this summer!
 
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It'll save money to make the baggage room unattended, and they are unattended at almost all airline club lounges, so I know the procedure. I lock my suitcases anyway, which prevents people from rifling through your luggage. It's very rare for thieves to just walk off with entire bags, but just in case I keep the only one with vital things (prescription medicine etc) on my person.
 
Railroad Bill said:
That is somewhat disturbing news about the loss of the baggage room. The one element that separated the Chicago lounge from others was the guarded baggage room.
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Count me as a contrarian. I found the guarded baggage room to be a pain in the ... and a symptom of CUS paranoia. I much preferred the older system with the unguarded room to the right of the desk. What is good enough for DC, etc. should be good enough for Chicago.
 
PaulM said:
Railroad Bill said:
That is somewhat disturbing news about the loss of the baggage room. The one element that separated the Chicago lounge from others was the guarded baggage room.
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Count me as a contrarian. I found the guarded baggage room to be a pain in the ... and a symptom of CUS paranoia. I much preferred the older system with the unguarded room to the right of the desk. What is good enough for DC, etc. should be good enough for Chicago.
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Me, too. I never had a problem while it was just that room behind the desk, and never had a problem in airline lounges. I am not going to worry about it and am certainly not going to start schlepping my bags to Lou Mitchell's.
 
The unattended Baggage Room will reduce the mile long line to get your bags once your train has been called. Common sense says put a lock on your bags, so I think the unattended room is good. I have used the rooms in DC,BOS, and CHI.
 
The new Metro Lounge should immediately save money for Amtrak and increase ridership. It provides an amenity to advertise and win back customers who disappeared over the last few years of disruptions at Chicago. It's annoying that I'm going to be travelling the month BEFORE it opens...

I don't know how long it'll take to decommission the old Metro Lounge and add coach waiting space; that seems to be unfunded as of yet.
 
Looks like I will have 3 more times in the existing Metropolitan Lounge, departing on Hoosier State Business Class in December on an IND-CHI-IND joyride during my family trip to Indy, departing on the Builder in December and changing between the Capitol Limited and the Southwest Chief in March.

The new one looks a lot better, and a whole lot bigger, but I will kind of miss the current one. When I think about it, I have spent a surprising amount of time in there, probably more than I've spent waiting in my local airport (Sea-Tac). Certainly more than I've spent in the Everett station or King Street.
 
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Having a larger Met Lounge in CHI will be great for those traveling Sleepers on the TE, SWC, CZ, and EB which all depart within a 90 minute period. Right now the lines are long and seating limited. Cant wait to have it open.
 
On the luggage storage, last time we used the ML that room to the right of the desk as you enter was used for overflow from the attended room across from the desk. Somehow one of the 4 bags we dropped off at the attended room was missing when we went to get them. It was found in the room to the right of the desk after several minutes search by the Red Cap. I still think those ladys at the desk need some serious customer relation training or to be gone from that position.
 
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Lonestar648 said:
Having a larger Met Lounge in CHI will be great for those traveling Sleepers on the TE, SWC, CZ, and EB which all depart within a 90 minute period. Right now the lines are long and seating limited. Cant wait to have it open.
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Not only that, all those trains are *arriving* around the same time. So there are crowds entering from the western trains (connecting to the trains to the east coast) while the crowds are departing on the western trains. The lounge gets very crowded from about noon to 4 PM.
It's actually not good scheduling practice, but the schedules on the western trains are extraordinarily constrained.
 
Count me in as a fan of not having to wait in line for my bag. Also, this will free up 1-2 redcaps for boarding purposes, provided Chicago has enough extra carts.
 
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