A few months ago, I had the opportunity to visit the LATAM VIP Lounge in Bogota after a wonderful stay in the Colombian capital. El Dorado International Airport is not a significant hub for LATAM, so I had lower expectations. However, the lounge was a nice place to relax before a flight.
Access to the lounge
I received access to this lounge because I was flying in Delta One back to Atlanta. Delta One is part of the airline’s business class offering.
After clearing security and immigration, I first made my way to my departure gate to check it out. I was pleasantly surprised to see the lounge just across from Gate 34, where a 767 would fly me to the US.
The lounge is also accessible for Priority Pass members. Or, you can purchase an access pass. The full list of accessible passengers is available on LATAM’s website. In general, business and first class passengers and some elites can access the lounge. This includes people traveling on LATAM’s partner airlines.
Check-in
The lounge is accessible via both stairs and elevator. Once upstairs, there was a service agent at a desk who checked me in. This is around the corner from the elevators and directly in front of the staircase.
The lounge
The size of the club was impressive, with plenty of seating possibilities. There was the main seating area with various couches and small chairs with tables directly opposite the check-in desk.
Next to the check-in desk was a magazine and newspaper section. I noticed some English and Spanish options.
For views of the terminal, passengers can sit in rocking chairs surrounded by glass walls. Depending on the airport’s operations, you could be treated to some excellent views of departing aircraft while sitting here. Next to these rocking chairs, there were a few computers set up for passengers to use. These three areas were a little more open.
For more privacy, there was also a dining section and some closed off seating areas.
Essentially, the seating areas in the lounge were divided by openness. There were areas with plenty of natural light as well as cozier, more isolated sections for seating. When I arrived in the morning, the lounge was fairly quiet.
However, by the time I left (after about two hours), there were still only a few people in the lounge. If you choose to sit in more open areas, you will be able to hear some of the activity in the terminal below, since the glass walls surrounding the lounge do not extend to the ceiling.
Food and beverage
All food options were self-serve buffet-style. I visited the lounge while they were serving breakfast. There was a central island that contained some cereal, water, fruit, muffins, and small pastries.
Near the island, facing the main, open seating area was a self-serve bar with wine, champagne, and other alcoholic beverages.
Next to this, along the wall, were some refrigerators with additional non-alcoholic beverage options and some juices. Here, employees had also set up a toast section.
In the back corner of the buffet area, employees had set up some chilled sandwiches and a coffeemaker.
Impressions
I spent all of my time at the rocking chairs looking over the terminal with excellent views of the tarmac. There were plenty of Avianca aircraft moving across.
For a non-hub lounge, this was pretty nice. It was not packed like other Priority Pass lounges and offered plenty of seating. The staff was friendly, although I only had a few interactions with them.
In terms of food, the buffet breakfast was pretty standard. It was nowhere near a Lufthansa First Lounge (First Class passengers on a LATAM partner airline would receive access to this lounge). In my humble opinion, I would compare this to a smaller Delta Sky Club.
I did not come in expecting a lavish lounge. As LATAM does not have a significant presence in Bogota, it would not make sense for LATAM to invest in a flagship lounge there. However, it still was a comfortable and relaxing experience.
Have you visited the LATAM VIP Lounge in Bogota? What did you think? Let us know in the comments!