Trip Report/Review: ClubAcela Lounge at Washington Union Station

[jmgriffin]

If anyone is interested, the full post with all images, proper formatting etc. can be found here: Weekend Blitz -- Amtrak Acela First Class: ClubAcela Lounge at Union Station Washington, D.C.

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I took my first train trip on Amtrak's Acela a few weeks ago from Washington, DC Union Station (WAS) to New York Penn Station (NYP). Because I had a First class ticket (Acela only has either Business Class & First Class), I was able to check out the ClubAcela lounge in Washington while I was waiting for my train.



You'll need to present some credentials to make it past the doors to the luxury that lies beyond. Here are the ways to get into the Lounge:

• Access included with First Class tickets on the "high-speed" Acela train or those traveling in sleeper cars

• Those with Select Plus/Executive status (top level Amtrak Guest Rewards status)

• Members of United Club

• Use a ClubAcela single day pass (you can redeem 5k points to get a 5-pack of passes)

You'll notice that ClubAcela passes cannot be purchased. If you don't have any of the credentials listed above, your best bet at getting in is to find a way to redeem points for the 5 pack of passes (ex: transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Amtrak).

Front desk and entrance area​

My first impression was that the lounge is very dated feeling. Apart from the 2-3 flat panel TVs that were slapped on the wall, it looks like nothing has changed in this place in the past 2 decades. In fact, I felt as if I were transported the set of a taping of Boy Meets World in the 1990s.

Looking for the sensation of time travel? Amtrak will take you there!​

Just like most airline lounges, no outside food or drinks are allowed in because "light snacks" are provided. Those "light snacks," you ask? It'll be your choice of either mini-packs of Goldfish or mini-packs of pretzels.

Amtrak seems to have a Costco membership, too​

If you're looking for the bar with complimentary drinks, you'll be looking for a while. On par with the awesome food spread is a beverage corner that couldn't even compete with the worst of office building break rooms. There's a choice of serve-yourself fountain drinks, water or coffee. The one plus is that the coffee machine made espresso drinks and wasn't half bad. So far, that's one point for Amtrak.

What do you guys have on draft...?​

OK, enough ranting about the Amtrak lounge. The good: it's a quiet place to sit and relax while waiting for your train. The outside terminal really is loud and full of hustle and bustle (moreso than an airport), so it's nice to be able to retreat to a semi-private area.

But really, how can this compete with the airlines' lounges? Amtrak makes most of its money in the Northeast corridor and specifically on the Acela routes (Washington-New York-Boston) by catering to high-margin business travelers. The competing form of travel is air travel. While there are a range of pros and cons to each form of travel (train claims to be quicker door-to-door, no pesky TSA to deal with etc...), how can Amtrak think it's competing if its lounge, which all of its best customers have access to on every trip, is so much worse than a Delta SkyClub or United Club? I would think they could make just a few changes to the overall travel experience and have people choosing train travel over air more and more.

BOTTOM LINE: ClubAcela is kind of depressing and rather pathetic. The food and beverage options are extremely limited. While it's a decent place to wait for your train in peace and quiet, there's a reason it's empty--it's not a place you'd want to hang out for too long.

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If anyone is interested, the full post with all images, proper formatting etc. can be found here: Weekend Blitz -- Amtrak Acela First Class: ClubAcela Lounge at Union Station Washington, D.C.

 

[pennyk]

I tend to disagree with your opinion that Washington Club Acela is depressing and pathetic. I have spent many hours in the lounge relaxing or waiting for trains and have enjoyed every minute of it. There are times when every seat is taken, so I would not call it empty. The only time I noticed it was empty was when I was waiting for train 66, which boards about the time that the lounge closes.

Maybe I do not expect much more than a clean restroom, an electrical outlet, a few pretzels and a comfortable seat. I have found that the attendants are very friendly - and some of them even remember me from the last time I traveled.

 

[amtkstn]

You can also use the lounge on a same day sleeper ticket from one of LD trains.

 

[jmgriffin]

I tend to disagree with your opinion that Washington Club Acela is depressing and pathetic. I have spent many hours in the lounge relaxing or waiting for trains and have enjoyed every minute of it. There are times when every seat is taken, so I would not call it empty. The only time I noticed it was empty was when I was waiting for train 66, which boards about the time that the lounge closes.

Maybe I do not expect much more than a clean restroom, an electrical outlet, a few pretzels and a comfortable seat. I have found that the attendants are very friendly - and some of them even remember me from the last time I traveled.

I agree that it is a good place to get out of the hustle and bustle of Union Station but my biggest point is that for those, like me, who have never been to a train's "First Class lounge" and can only compare it to an airline's first class lounge--you're in for a disappointment. The Acela First Class hard/soft product (which is coming in a future post) is really top notch, though. It's just a shame that the lounge isn't up to the same quality.

It was just much lower than my expectations, but, if I were traveling out of WAS frequently, I'm sure I'd grow to appreciate it.

 

[Bob Dylan]

:hi: Nice Pictures! I get your Points about the Decor but I'd Ratherr that Amtrak spend it's Very Limited Resources on Trains than on Decorating and Snacks! The Lounges in Philly(MY Favorite), New York (Small and Very Crowded!)and Boston are Similar but as you said they provide "Shelter from the Storm" I'm not a Big Fan of "The Mall" in Union Station but it makes it Possible for Union Station to Continue to Exist as a Working Rail Station! (@ One Time there was Serious Discussion of Tearing It Down like they Did Penn Station in New York! ) One of the Major Advantages of the Lounges is Early Boarding ,not to Mention Clean Restrooms and Having a Safe Place to Keep your Luggage and Personal Effects! There are Plenty of Eating Places in the Stations and in New york and Chicago, you can even bring Outside Food and Drink into the Lounge!

As you said, the Lounges are a Nice Perk and they Grow on You as You Continue to Use Them!

 

[printman2000]

I have never been in an airline's first class lounge but been in many of Amtrak's lounges multiple times. I have found them all to be nice, comfortable and the snacks/beverages a nice extra touch.

Perhaps one of the reasons this lounge is not as nice as an airlines is the fact that entrance to the Amtrak lounge via a ticket is much cheaper. I could never afford a first class ticket on an airline, but I can afford sleeper tickets on Amtrak. An airline can take a lot of that extra money to add to their lounges where Amtrak cannot.

Where you found things disappointing, I found them quite nice. But as you said, that comes from your experience with airlines and mine comes from the lack of experience with airlines.

 

[the_traveler]

I also have to disagree with your assessment. And even some airline "lounges" can be worse than this CA.

For example, the former America West "lounge" at the Las Vegas (NV) airport in the early 1990's was basically a quiet waiting room. It may have had "snacks", but that was about all!

I consider the Washington Club Acela one of the better ones. It is a much better place to wait for your next train than the noisy waiting area with the hard chairs. And if you wanted other food or a drink, all you have to go out of the CA into the station and to the food court on the entire lower level of Union Station. And you don't have to go thru "Security" to get there.

 

[Anderson]

As someone who has spent their share of days in the WAS lounge, I can at least see where you're coming from. With that said, the food/drink options are about on par with the lounges in CHI, NYP, and IIRC PHL as well. The decor is also about on par with them, too. From what I recall, PDX is a bit better on the decor front (though that's down to the station as much as anything). I can't speak to BOS (I've only been up that far once, and I was scrambling to board SB so I couldn't check the lounge), LAX (haven't been out there since the remodel), or RGH (never been in there).

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I have never had reason to complain about the "lightness" of the snacks in the Club Acelas or Metropolitan Lounges I have been in simply because a wide variety of good Food Court offerings or Cafes are always just a short walk away. As long as I can pour down a couple Pepsis or Mt. Dews I'm satisfied.

 

[rickycourtney]

Having been to an airline lounge over the weekend (the United Club at SEA) I can say that Amtrak's ClubAcela is a definitely a more "basic" experience.

The main difference is that like most airline VIP lounges, the United Club has a bar where well drinks, domestic beer, and house wines are all free (and "upgraded" drinks are much cheaper than at any airport bar). They also provide breakfast in the morning and snacks in the afternoon that are much better than what's provided at the ClubAcela (including cheese and crackers, carrots and ranch, apples, a bar snack mix, Cheez-It type crackers, cookies, and chocolate covered raisins.)

While the Acela (and it's ClubAcela) is competing with the airlines in the Northeast Corridor... they also have to answer to the taxpayers, who don't look fondly on the appearance that Amtrak giving away free booze or spending exorbitant amounts of money upgrading lounges only used only by first class passengers.

Remember, in the last month Amtrak has already taken flack for providing wine tastings and free champagne to first class passengers booked into sleepers (although I think it's a service that adds value and should be done on all routes.)

Also remember that airlines charge a pretty penny to use these lounges for passengers who aren't traveling in First or Business. United charges $50 for a day pass and $500 per year for a membership. If Amtrak started charging prices like that they could fund improvements to it's ClubAcela lounges (but they'd have to start providing free drinks and better snacks, which would likely come under scrutiny.)

 

[oregon pioneer]

I was just in the WAS Club Acela two days ago. We had arrived on the Cap Ltd in a sleeper, and were leaving coach class on the NE Regional, so they let us in. I didn't see any signs forbidding outside food, and no one gave us any grief for pulling out our dried fruit and nuts to have a snack. I liked the beverage area because that coffee machine has a tap on the side for boiling water, and I'm a tea drinker that likes my tea hot, fresh, and tasting like tea (not coffee, which I also love, but not combined with tea). Hubby, who is a coffee aficionado, said the coffee was very good for a machine. I also liked being able to stash our bags and take a walk without any formalities. As long as the seats are clean and comfortable, I don't care what they look like.