What we liked
- Table service from an a la carte menu, with no buffet queue
- Calmest place airside at quiet times
- Fast Track security normally included
- Adults only
- Best value with Priority Pass
What we didn't
- Kitchen can be slow and the menu narrow
- Smallest lounge in the terminal, with the better seats taken early
- Power sockets are scarce
- Needs 90 minutes to be worthwhile
- Costs more than No1 Lounge or My Lounge
Clubrooms Gatwick South, the premium tier of the No1 Lounges portfolio, takes a different approach from every other lounge in the terminal. There is no buffet and no queue of passengers balancing plates. Entry is adults only, seating is at tables and food is brought by a waiter from an a la carte menu.
For UK business travellers, the appeal is easy to state. It is somewhere to eat a proper meal, get some work done and avoid the main security queue before a flight. The aim is a restaurant, not a waiting room, and on a good day Travelling for Business found it delivers exactly that.
A calmer Gatwick South Terminal lounge, with limits
The room is the smallest of the South Terminal lounges, and that cuts both ways. Its design is considerably more considered than its neighbours, with soft lighting, darker tones and a bar that anchors the space. At quiet times it is the calmest place airside.
When it fills, the compact footprint tells. The better seats go early and, on our visit, power sockets were scarce. The most practical spots for working are those nearest the bar and the door, which are also the least peaceful. Anyone planning to clear emails or finish a presentation should arrive early enough to choose a table and charge devices beforehand. How the lounge fits into the rest of the terminal is covered in our Gatwick airport guide.
Service is the variable. At its best it is attentive and unhurried, and being served at the table is a real pleasure for anyone who has spent years queueing at a hot plate. At its worst the kitchen is slow and the menu narrow.
That matters far more here than in a buffet lounge. If the food takes 40 minutes and the gate is called, the proposition collapses. Allow 90 minutes, not 60. For business travel on a tight schedule, that extra half hour has to be built into the journey to the airport.
How much does Clubrooms Gatwick South cost?
Walk-in rates start from around £44 and commonly reach £50 to £55 close to departure. Priority Pass is accepted with a supplement of roughly £10 to £15, which is where the pricing makes most sense. The lounge appears in the Priority Pass directory as an additional-fee location, and our analysis of whether Priority Pass membership is worth the cost sets out the wider sums.
Access normally includes Fast Track security. That is a meaningful part of the value at a terminal where the main queue can be unpredictable, and it changes the calculation for anyone claiming the visit on expenses. The charge buys time as well as a meal, which is easier to justify under a travel policy than a lounge pass alone.
Premium airport space is in demand elsewhere too, with a second Heathrow Centurion Lounge planned for Terminal 5 in 2028.
Who should book and who should look elsewhere
For a solo business traveller who wants to eat properly, work quietly and skip the security queue, Clubrooms Gatwick South is the strongest option in the terminal. It is comfortably better than the alternatives for a premium occasion.
It suits others less well. Groups, anyone on a tight connection and travellers who simply want volume of food for the money will be better served by No1 Lounge or My Lounge, and will pay less.
The advice for those who do choose it is practical. Book ahead. There is a waitlist, but the safer plan is to reserve, arrive early and order promptly, because the format only works when there is time to enjoy it.
For business travellers
How we review
Travelling for Business pays for the rooms, flights and products we review unless we explicitly say otherwise. We never accept paid reviews or gifted stays in exchange for coverage.
