Plaza Premium has recently upgraded its latest lounge at YVR’s new A-B Connector on Level 3 Domestic departures, joining three other spaces in the airport for a total of 16,500 square feet for travellers to relax while in transit. The 6,390-square foot space is part of the company’s goal to offer travellers a first-class experience regardless of their chosen airline or ticket class.
We recently experienced the lounge, designed by Kinney Chan of renowned Hong Kong design firm Kinney Chan & Associates. After checking in at the front desk, either walk up the spiral staircase or take the elevator to get to the lounge level.
At this point, you can either relax at the bar with a glass of wine, beer or coffee drink or walk over to the buffet and dining area for a full meal or snack.
We arrived in time for the end of breakfast service (served from 6 am to 11 am). Lunch and dinner offerings include fresh pastas, paninis (grilled veggie and smoked chicken on the day of our visit), salads, a range of cheeses, pastries, and hot and cold drinks.
There’s plenty of variety and healthy options to keep you going while you’re headed between cities or countries. A chef prepares the pastas and paninis to order (we noticed a friendly Air Canada pilot ordering his go-to smoked chicken panini while we were there).
Hot dishes rotate on a weekly basis; two daily soups (vegetarian and meat options) and pasta (plus two different sauces) are always on offer.
The lounge is modern and offers lots of comfortable seating for guests to take a load off. Airport wifi works just fine in here and there’s a row of computer terminals off to the side of the dining area as well.
Large screen TVs, newspapers, and international magazines help keep you entertained but we found a spot near the glass walls with a great view of the shops below, and off to the distance, the airfield and Strait of Georgia — just the perfect spot for a steamy cappuccino and quiet conversing.
The open air plan contains lots of wood accents, modern light fixtures, brown leather chairs with cream piping, marble and steel accents and floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
Showers, towels, and changing areas are all in the back for longer hauls. Consider this a home away from home: the front desk will stow your coat and bags so that you can really relax between flights. Or flight delays.
A single visit to Plaza Premium Lounge starts at CAD $40 per person for two hours, and includes use of the lounge facilities, showers, and all food and beverages. For an additional fee, semi-private resting areas with recliners are available. The Plaza Premium Lounge is open from Monday to Saturday, 6 am to 9 pm, and on Sundays from 6 am to 8 pm.
The new Plaza Premium Lounge is located past security near Gate B15. Additional YVR Plaza Premium Lounges are located after security in the International Terminal (Gate D53) and after security in the Transborder Departure Terminal (Gate E86).
Plaza Premium Lounge also operates a Distinguished Visitors Lounge on Level 2 of the International Arrivals Hall. This space is available by reservation only.
With headquarters in Hong Kong, Plaza Premium Lounge Management Limited now operates in more than 120 locations in 31 international airports throughout the world, including Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver, New Delhi, Johor, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow.
Look for a Plaza Premium lounge to open inside Winnipeg International Airport this fall.
We were invited to experience Plaza Premium at YVR for the purpose of this feature. Unwatermarked photos courtesy of Plaza Premium.