When I visited London with my husband recently, we traveled back on a direct flight with Delta from London Heathrow to Seattle.
To make the long transatlantic journey more relaxing, I decided to book the VIP departure service at Heathrow Airport, known as the Windsor Suite. We’d already tried out the VIP departure service at London Gatwick, so I was interested to see how the two would compare.
A private airport lounge is an excellent option if you want to avoid all the noise and queues in a regular departure terminal. But is the experience worth the premium price?
Read on to find out how we got on when we used London Heathrow’s VIP airport service for the first time.
The Windsor Suite at London Heathrow
The Windsor Suite at London’s Heathrow Airport is a unique service offering. It’s available to all First Class and Business Class travelers flying on any airline, not just British Airways.
The service can be used before departing from Heathrow or when you’re arriving at the airport. You can also use it for connecting flights with a layover of up to 3 hours at Heathrow.
The Heathrow VIP terminal has 8 private lounges, and you’ll receive access to your own exclusive lounge and the services of your own personal butler. You can relax in comfort for up to 2 hours before a departing flight and up to 1 hour after arriving at Heathrow. If you need more time, you can request a longer stay in the suite when booking.
Children are welcome in the private lounges, but under-18s must be accompanied by an adult. You can also invite up to 2 non-traveling guests to join you in your private lounge, but they must leave when you head to the plane.
Arriving at London Heathrow Airport
The Windsor Suite private terminal at London Heathrow has a private entrance on the side of Terminal 5. Finding it can be a bit confusing if you’re not familiar with the area.
You could park your car at Heathrow if you’re returning there, but we booked an Uber to take us to the airport. Heathrow VIP also offers a complimentary chauffeur service for distances up to 25 miles.
However, we’d been given step-by-step directions instead of an address for the private terminal, which made dealing with our Uber driver difficult. Eventually, we figured out that you can route to The Windsor Suite at Heathrow, which will take you to the right place.
The VIP terminal is on a private access road, and once you arrive, a security guard will check that your name is on the list of passengers for the day. Once you’ve passed that step, attendants will collect your bags and whisk you away into the terminal.
Heathrow’s Windsor Suite is clearly set up to maintain privacy for its high-profile airport guests, including world leaders, A-list celebrities, and members of the royal family like Prince William, Prince Harry, and Kate Middleton. There’s no shared space, and everyone is taken straight into their private luxury suite.
I still have no idea how many of the suites were occupied when we were there!
Checking in for our flight
London Heathrow is by far England’s busiest airport with over 19 million passengers per year. One of the benefits of booking a private suite was that we’d escape the queues at the main terminals, as all the formalities for checking in are handled in your exclusive suite.
Soon after we arrived, two personal flight liaison agents from Delta came to greet us and introduce themselves. They took our passports to check us in on the flight and print our boarding passes. If the UK Border Force needs to talk to you about anything, that will also take place in your suite.
We were only traveling with carry-on luggage, but the Delta agents would have taken any checked luggage to be weighed, tagged, and passed through airport security.
If you book a lounge for flights arriving at Heathrow Airport, you’ll be met at the aircraft and driven in a luxury vehicle to your private lounge. Your passport, documents, and baggage will be taken through the immigration process while you relax in the suite, and you can take advantage of the suite’s unique offering of a private immigration desk.
After checking in, our suite attendant came to talk us through the suite’s features and services.
The Windsor Suite
The suite was quite large, with beautiful decor and modern furnishings. It had a large, curvy couch and some armchairs, a large formal dining table with four seats, a modern-looking coffee table with some cool books, and a TV. The walls had interesting artwork on them, and overall, it looked modern and luxurious.
There was also a charging station with several different cables for charging phones and mobile devices, which I thought was a nice touch. Guests are free to enjoy the space for the full duration of their time there, and you can easily call for service using the call button.
We had asked in advance if my husband could smoke a cigar during our time in the lounge. Smoking indoors at UK airports is banned, so there’s a small terrace area where you could smoke a cigarette, but there’s nowhere to relax with a cigar.
Refreshments
When we’d settled into our VIP lounge, a waiter came through to bring menus and take our orders.
The rental fee for the Windsor Suite covers unlimited refreshments from an all-inclusive menu. The bespoke menu is designed by Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton, featuring a range of British produce and drawing inspiration from his restaurants in locations like London, Dubai, and St. Moritz.
The entire menu looks fantastic. You could start your day with a full English breakfast, choose a light snack, or indulge in decadent pastries or a full three-course menu, all served by your private butler.
The menu has vegan and vegetarian options, and they can accommodate special dietary requirements.
There’s also an extensive wine list, specialty teas and coffees, premium spirits, and a good selection of soft drinks. Food is available from 5.30am until 10.00pm, and they offer a drinks service outside those hours.
Unfortunately, we’d eaten not long before traveling to the airport so we weren’t all that hungry. A tea trolley was brought into the lounge and I tried some slices of cake, but I was basically forcing myself to eat them just to see what they were like.
I wanted to order a single glass of wine, but the butler ended up bringing us a bottle and two glasses. We didn’t have much time left in the lounge, so most of the wine was wasted – what a tragedy!
With hindsight, I wish we had waited to eat because the refreshments were a highlight of the experience, and we couldn’t take full advantage of them.
So, even if you wouldn’t usually get to the airport early, it’s worth making an exception and thoroughly enjoying the full 2 hours of your Windsor Suite experience.
Private Bathrooms
Another benefit of booking a private airport lounge is the access to private bathroom facilities. However, although our lounge at the Windsor Suite was spacious and beautifully decorated, the bathroom wasn’t quite at the same level.
It was certainly clean, almost sterile, but it had an industrial feel about it. It really wasn’t in keeping with the decor in the main lounge area, and almost looked like they spent all the budget in the lounge and ran out of money when they got to the bathroom.
Still, it was better than queuing to use the restrooms in the main airport terminal!
Personal Shopping Service
You can also take advantage of a personal shopper service during your time in the VIP lounge.
Your own personal shopper can take you to shop in one of the airport terminals, where they’ll be able to help you find the perfect gift or offer you style tips. Alternatively, you can relax and enjoy the comforts of your lounge while your personal assistant goes to shop for you.
Boarding the Aircraft
When your flight is ready to board, you’ll be taken through security before boarding your plane. You’ll also have the option to board first or last instead of joining the general queue for the airplane.
When we used the private lounge at Gatwick Airport, we opted to board first and that ended up being a mistake. We felt rushed out of our suite and like we were holding up all the passengers who had to wait for us to board before they could head out to the plane.
This time, we decided to board last, which was definitely the right move. We still had plenty of time to get settled into our seats before the plane was ready to leave, and it meant we could spend more time in the suite. So, I’d definitely recommend opting to board last.
The suite has its own security lane, and you’ll be taken through the security check in private. We had a slight delay when we were asked to wait in our lounge a little longer, which I think was probably because another group was using the security lane. They really take your privacy very seriously at VIP Heathrow!
After we’d been through security, we were taken to a private car, our carry-on bags were loaded on, and we were driven over to the plane. I was freaking out a bit because I still didn’t have my passport and boarding pass, but they were waiting for me when we got to the aircraft.
A second car followed us to the plane, which had the two Delta agents and the suite attendant who had been with us since our arrival at Heathrow. They took us to the boarding area, did the final checks, and escorted us to the steps of the plane.
We were the last to board, and the whole process was pretty straightforward.
Problems with the service
Our overall experience with VIP Heathrow was smooth, but we did have a few problems along the way.
The gluten-free burger my husband ordered was really good, but ordering gluten-free food was more complicated than it needed to be. I phoned VIP Heathrow and was looking at the menu on the website while I spoke to them about it. I only wanted to order a gluten-free burger, but they insisted on emailing over a menu so we could email back our choices.
It would have been so much easier just to order the burger over the phone, but they wouldn’t take the order. It felt so inefficient!
Our second problem happened when we went through security before boarding our flight. One of the main reasons I wanted to book the VIP lounge is that I find security at Heathrow pretty awful. I thought private security would be quicker and a more stress-free experience, but I was wrong.
We’d been warned that security at Heathrow is incredibly strict about liquids. Anything considered a liquid must be presented in clear plastic bags, even little things like a lip gloss. We’d put our liquids in the plastic bags, but my husband forgot to take the bag out of his backpack, which meant it was flagged when it went through the scanner.
The security guy made my husband open his bag and swabbed everything in there. He was really quite rude and abrasive, and when my husband tried to step out of the way and come closer to me, he was even a little bit aggressive.
The suite attendant who came with us to the plane was very apologetic about the treatment we received in security. She seemed genuinely embarrassed and said there was no call for that kind of treatment.
The security agent was employed by Heathrow Airport rather than the Windsor Suite, but it did put a sour note on our Windsor Suite experience.
Is Booking the Windsor Suite Heathrow Worth It?
My husband and I have different opinions about whether the Heathrow VIP Suite was worth the money.
On the positive side, the lounge really feels like you’re in a hotel suite rather than an airport. You can make the most of your time in the suite by getting there 2 hours before your flight, arriving hungry, and enjoying the all-inclusive Michelin-starred menu.
You don’t have to go through the process of queuing up to check in or go through security, and when your flight is called, you’re just taken straight to your plane. It’s very private and, overall, very relaxed.
That’s why my husband thinks booking the suite was worth it. He hates the hustle and bustle of airports and gets distracted by everything going on around him. Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports, so he really valued the quiet and privacy of the private lounge, and having his own space where he wouldn’t be interrupted.
On the other hand, the suite is really expensive, starting at £3025 plus VAT for up to 3 people.
Honestly, I’m not sure it’s worth that much, especially if you consider the problems with communication and the issues we had with security. I certainly wouldn’t have been willing to pay the fee for 4 people if we’d been traveling with our sons.
Wrap Up
Booking the Windsor Suite at Heathrow is almost as good as getting the private jet experience.
Apart from the basic bathroom, the suite is beautifully decorated, and the Michelin-star menus are amazing. Booking the suite is cheaper than a private flight, and you get personal end-to-end service and great pre-flight benefits like your own butler and private security screening.
It’s a pleasant travel experience so, if you’ve got the budget and want to relax in your own oasis of tranquility, I’d say go ahead.
Is it worth the price? I don’t think so, but my husband would disagree!
