Kenya Airways’ New Lounges

Kenya Airways is proud to have a state of the art lounges at terminal 1A second floor. The two lounges have a total capacity of 315 guests. The lounges designed with African landscapes in mind, promises to provide comfort and exclusivity in a serene ambiance. The spacious lounge designed with the various guest needs in mind, was conceptualized after a customer research done to establish the exact customer needs. As you enter the lounges, the journey begins with the rainforest: with a caption of one of Kenya’s very own forest: Kakamega forest located in Western Kenya.

Kenya Airways commissioned two photographers to capture these pictures. As one walks through the business experience center one encounters the lushness of the rainforest with green tones of the leaves and grey tones of the earth.  The experience center is not just aesthetically pleasing but also functional to cater for the business traveler with counter fitted with the latest Samsung tabs, and an alcove seating fitted with universal sockets, fully complimented with high speed Wi-Fi.

The journey continues through the formal lounge with a transition from the rainforest to the coastal landscape with the introduction of purple and blue tones. This is exemplified in the fabrics on the Giada lounger seat, a designer seat, from Italy’s La Palma. In the dining area, we find the more formal seating arrangement and also some playful banquette seating for those travelling in groups interested in seating together. In the coastal area, you encounter the sand, which is brought out in the textured walls, the table tops and the choice of floor tiles. The most amazing feature of this area is the honey comb ceiling which introduces a touch of contemporary with geometric shapes.

The family area introduces the guest to the savannah area. This area functionally designed to accommodate groups and families, has some more informal ottomans and three seater sofa seats with shades of grey and brown reminiscent of the grassy savannah area. The informal seating area, continuation of the savannah theme, is designed for the passenger who wants some quiet. This is the one area that does not have a TV screen. Complete with its own snack bar, it offers serenity for those who probably just want to read a book and relax with a drink.

The napping area introduces us to the desert theme with the dune shapes on the carpet and the earth shades of the sleeper beds. The partitioning will remind you of the swaying grass of the savannah and the textured walls will remind you of the sand, a characteristic feature of the desert. The smoking room with an iconic “mvule” bench is a continuation of the desert theme. It offers high stool seating and entertainment for our guests who would like to catch a game over a drink and a smoke.

Simba Lounge on the other end of the terminal is a celebration of the Africa heritage. The most prominent feature in this lounge being the “melting pot”, or the “manyatta” reminiscent of the maasai hut. This iconic feature speaks of the African spirit of sharing and caring where people would at the end of the day, seat around a fire and tell stories.