Inside Eurostar's business lounge at London's St.

5.12.2018

Inside Eurostar's business lounge at London's St.

The Eurostar is the high-speed train that links London to European cities including Paris and Amsterdam.
On a recent weekend trip to Paris, I checked out Eurostar's newly revamped lounge for Business Premier passengers at London's St. Pancras International.
It was pretty luxurious — and even had a free cocktail bar with its own brand of gin.

The Eurostar, the high-speed train that links London to European cities such as Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Marseille, France, is arguably one of the best ways to travel — especially in business class.

Passengers traveling in this cabin, called Business Premier, are treated to express check-in and complimentary drinks and fine dining on board and given access to a lounge that was recently given a shiny new cocktail bar.

Before a recent weekend trip to Paris, I checked out the new business lounge at London's St. Pancras International.

Here's what it's like inside.

The Eurostar, the high-speed train that links London to European cities including Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Marseille, is arguably one of the best ways to travel — especially in business class, where the experience starts before you even get on board.

After getting through security and passport control, Business Premier passengers can turn right for the brick-exterior entrance to the two-floor business lounge.

The first floor is sleek and stylish, with glass, exposed brick, and blues and grays.

There are subtle gold accents everywhere.

Turn left, and you'll find a more basic area to eat and work (there's complimentary Wi-Fi throughout).

Here's what was on offer in terms of food and drink on the main floor.

On both floors, there's a wide selection of complimentary newspapers ...

... and magazines. There was also a fridge full of cold water bottles.

This impressive spiral staircase leads you to the second floor — but there's also a lift.

Upstairs, things were quieter than the first floor, which was a bit buzzy for 11 a.m. on a Friday.

This is the perfect place to catch up on some work or get some reading done.

There's even a printer on hand.

The seats — which look a bit as if you're already on the train — are really comfy.

There's also an impressive-looking chandelier at the end of the hallway above another staircase.

The highlight, however, is the newly opened fully serviced cocktail bar, which was unfortunately closed since it was still morning when we visited. It comes with a circular black-and-gold design with pretty plush-looking velvet chairs.

Here's how it looks when it's fully stocked.

It offers passengers complimentary cocktails — and a gin-and-tonic menu featuring booze from across the continent — designed by the London Cocktail Club, including a bespoke drink designed by the Michelin-starred chef Raymond Blanc.

Eurostar even has its own gin, Toujours 21, which fuses French botanicals and honey from the Kent countryside.

Even though there was no cocktail bar in the morning, a fully stocked drinks fridge upstairs had juice, other soft drinks, and beer.

There was also a selection of wine and spirits available.

Since it was time for a late breakfast, we browsed the selection of crackers and savory snacks ...

... and sweet treats ...

... before settling on some pastries, fruit, yogurt, toast, and jam. We were headed to Paris, after all.

The machine-made coffee was pretty good, too.

Before boarding, I loaded up on complimentary magazines like Vogue and Cereal, which are usually pretty expensive to buy in the store before you travel.

We even managed to get the friendly staff to bring us a glass of Champagne before our train arrived. Bon voyage!