London: Collinson Group, owners of Priority Pass, today signed a joint venture with Swissport, the world's largest aviation services provider, to launch the first shared use lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5. 'Aspire, the Lounge and Spa at LHR T5' opens to the public this Summer.Located near Gate 18, the lounge will be the first in Terminal 5 open to all travelers and is designed to meet independent customer demand for a place to relax and refresh in one of the world's leading airport terminals.
The lounge represents the first foray in a new joint venture partnership between two of the most experienced global companies operating airport lounges today. Collinson Group has deep insight into the needs of frequent travelers, having served millions of customers worldwide for over 23 years. In addition, the Group is the largest operator of independent lounges in the US, with its 'The Club At' brand. This experience is complemented by the operational expertise of Swissport, the leading operator of independent lounges in Europe and largest operator in the UK.
'Aspire, the Lounge and Spa at LHR T5', has a modern and innovative design focused around meeting the unique needs of Terminal 5 customers. With a high volume of passengers in the terminal connecting onto another flight, a range of dedicated areas and services will ensure that passengers have a quiet place to rest and relax, whilst also giving them access to a blend of refreshing spa facilities.
Errol McGlothan, General Manager EMEA at Collinson Group said: "We are delighted to have the opportunity to open an independent lounge at Terminal 5, one of the most important terminals in the world, which our Priority Pass members can enjoy. Insight from both Priority Pass and Heathrow indicates that travelers are very keen for us to offer this exciting new facility and meet their desire for somewhere to rest and recharge. Heathrow has worked with us to create this innovative new space, and in partnership with Swissport we are confident that 'Aspire, the Lounge and Spa at LHR T5' will deliver an exciting range of services that add to the experience of one of the world's leading hubs."
Shaun Weston, Travel Services Director, Swissport commented: "Since launching in 2012, the Aspire brand of airport lounges has grown in popularity and now covers many global destinations. The opening of 'Aspire, the Lounge and Spa at LHR T5' is a significant step for Swissport and our Aspire brand of lounges, giving us a presence in one of the world's leading airport terminals, whilst allowing us to partner with global lifestyle benefits experts, the Collinson Group. We look forward to bringing our operational expertise together with the Collinson Group's insight and customer reach, to create a world class facility."
Stephen Wilkinson, Heathrow's Property Director, said: "We're incredibly proud to welcome the Aspire lounge and spa to Terminal 5, which has been consistently awarded 'Best Airport Terminal in the World'. Our team works tirelessly to ensure our customers receive the very best service when they fly and we are delighted with this latest enhancement to the Terminal 5 experience with the opening of the terminal's very first independent lounge."'Aspire the Lounge and Spa at LHR T5' will be jointly owned and operated by Swissport and Airport Lounge Development (ALD), Collinson Group's lounge operating arm.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
About Priority Pass
Priority Pass (www.prioritypass.com) is part of the Collinson Group, specialising in the international travel clubs and services sector. Priority Pass was launched in 1992 with the objective of providing frequent travelers with airport lounge access, irrespective of their class of travel, airline flown or existing membership in an airline loyalty program.
In just 20 years Priority Pass has become the world's largest independent airport lounge access program. Now in 2015, Priority Pass works with over 1,500+ lounges in 600 cities in over 145 countries in every continent of the world and our network of lounges continues to grow. Millions of travellers throughout the world carry a Priority Pass card whenever they travel, and every year many more enjoy the benefits that Priority Pass membership brings. With offices located in Dallas, Hong Kong and London, Priority Pass employs over 1,000 people to serve our membership and each office provides a professional, multi-lingual service to members.
About ALD
As part of the Collinson Group, Airport Lounge Development (ALD) (www.airportloungedev.com) brings expertise and insight from the travel industry to offer deeper, forward thinking solutions for the benefit of airport and airline clients in the form of shared airport lounge concepts.
About Collinson Group
Collinson Group (www.collinsongroup.com) is a global leader in influencing customer behaviour to drive revenue and value for clients. The Group offers a unique blend of industry and sector specialists who together provide market-leading experience in delivering products and services across four core capabilities: Loyalty, Lifestyle Benefits, Insurance and Assistance.
About Heathrow Airport
Heathrow is the UK's hub airport, home to more than 80 airlines connecting to more than 180 destinations. Every year Heathrow welcomes over 70 million passengers with a commitment to 'making every journey better'. Following an investment of more than £11 billion over the past 10 years, passengers have voted Heathrow the 'Best Airport in Western Europe', 'Best Airport Terminal' for Terminal 5 and 'Best Airport for Shopping' 7 years in a row.
For further information please contact:
Robin Grainger/Guy Corbet
Brands2Life
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