Interior designers will tell you that red can be a claustrophic colour.
Not so in the Virgin Lounge. The stairs lead up to an open space, full of light and with carefully chosen branding.
A large bookcase holds a small library behind a grand piano. A smiling....well, brand ambassador? customer service person? - a smiling member of staff, in understated black and red takes details and chats about how the system is slow and she's hoping that feedback about this will result in changes to the process, as she's very sorry it's taking a while to find the correct details. She offers that she will give us a tour and explain how the Lounge works but that, if we'd like to have a look around first, she'll have the card ready if we'd like to come back.
Unfortuanely, the large model that echoes Virgin's current advertising has had an incident....not good timing for the front carriage of the tiny train to be in the fake water when that day's headlines were that Network Rail were to be sued over the Virgin Rail crash!
Looking past this, however, the model is in the middle of a large room with cafe tables, and self-service counter, where members of the Lounge can help themselves to coffee, teas, soft drinks, pastries, biscuits etc. This room is similarly light and airy, perfect for reading the paper, having a business meeting, or finding a space out of the madding crowd for lunch.
The main room, with its grand piano, selection of reading material and iMac terminals, also introduces large-backed, oversized armchairs where you can sit and read either one of the books, or one of the free newspapers, or any of the other reading material...I chose to browse through a Hip Hotel/Holiday book and, after I'd exhausted a flip-through, moved on to a Richard Branson business book.
The next room is a social room - more of the over-sized armchairs, a large TV, free iPads....the cosiest room but still filled with light and still carrying through the sublte branding and feeling of space and a hint of egalitarian, inclusive gentleman's club.
The customer service was excellent, friendly and observant without being intrusive; as I was leaving, the customer service person mentioned that not only could I take my copy of the Richard Branson book with me, but there would also be an updated version of the Holiday guide coming out, if I'd like to check for it next time I was in.
Overall, it was a very solid first impression, suggestive of understated wealth, space and a certain level of comfort. It is a great space - one that opens your ideas, rather than being at all claustrophic. read more