United Polaris Lounge in Chicago Units the ‘New Customary’

The United Polaris lounge at Chicago O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD) has a brand new look, and it’s not like any of the prevailing Polaris lounges. Whereas a lot of the core structure is similar, an up to date shade palette and new facilities assist breathe new life into the house that first opened in 2016.

The lounge, which reopened April 29, 2025, after roughly 4 months of renovations, is sort of 50% bigger at nearly 25,000 sq. ft. New options embrace a second full-service bar, a row of semi-private leisure areas for these wanting extra privateness, six extra all-gender restrooms and an entire rework of the sit-down eating room.

“That is the brand new commonplace going ahead,” says Aaron McMillan, United Airways’ managing director of hospitality packages. “We’ll proceed to switch and regulate as time strikes on, however this has grow to be the brand new benchmark.”

The airline’s Polaris lounges are solely for United Polaris enterprise class passengers, in addition to these touring on a primary or enterprise class long-haul flight on a Star Alliance associate. The Chicago lounge is situated by Gate C18 and is open each day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

United invited NerdWallet to a press preview occasion earlier than the lounge’s official opening to the general public. Here is what you may anticipate from the Polaris lounge at Chicago O’Hare.

The United Polaris lounge in Chicago has a contemporary design and displays the airline’s up to date branding for Polaris.

United partnered with Crate & Barrel — the primary airline partnership for the Chicago-based dwelling retailer — for the lounge’s dinnerware and decor, outfitting the house in a approach that embraces extra colours past the blues and grays sometimes present in Polaris lounges.

You received’t discover the Crate & Barrel partnership at different Polaris lounges; nevertheless, McMillan says there’s a possible it may broaden to different areas.

The modern palette options reds, blues and greens, bringing it according to the design on the airline’s newer lounge areas, such because the close by United Membership at Gate C16.

The United Polaris lounge has 359 seats that may accomodate solo vacationers, {couples} and bigger teams. Home windows wrap round the primary seating areas of the lounge, bringing in a whole lot of gentle and making it an excellent place for plane-spotters to hang around.

As a part of the refresh, United added a hallway with 9 semi-private leisure areas. These are first come, first serve, they usually’re an excellent place to get some peace and quiet. Every space additionally comes with a pillow and blanket.

Like different Polaris lounges, you’ll discover a buffet with cold and hot choices, in addition to a eating room for a sit-down restaurant expertise.

The buffet, which is close to the lounge entrance, is open for all-day eating, with dishes like miso-glazed salmon, a charcuterie board and desserts.

There, you’ll additionally discover a mezze station, with flatbreads and a wide range of dips and add-ons.

You can even head to the eating room, which presents elevated eating and has seating for as much as 50 friends, practically thrice the earlier capability. The additional seating on this space ought to assist with overcrowding throughout peak hours.

United’s Polaris eating rooms can really feel a bit cookie-cutter with their commonplace white marble partitions, however the brand new Scandinavian design touches on the O’Hare location are something however. The putting wood-paneled partitions assist give the house an id of its personal, making it really feel as if you happen to’ve stepped out of the lounge and right into a restaurant.

Dishes on the a la carte menu embrace prosciutto parmigiano crostini, spring vegetable risotto and Aperol Spritz cake.

With the renovation, the lounge now has a second full-service bar, designed to have a speakeasy vibe. It’s a darkish and moody house, positive to be common amongst friends.

​​Right here, you will discover premium wine and champagne, together with Laurent-Perrier La Cuvee Brut, which United serves onboard for Polaris passengers. You can even pattern specialty cocktails impressed by Chicago, such because the Second Metropolis Bitter, which options Malort, a preferred Chicago liqueur. The lounge additionally pays tribute to Chicago via its assortment of artworks from Chicago-based artists.

The second bar is open from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., when the lounge is busiest. Exterior of these hours, you may nonetheless order drinks from the primary bar. The design of that bar is extra according to what you’d discover at different Polaris lounges, with tender white marble and navy blue bar seats.

Moreover the brand new semi-private leisure areas, the lounge’s facilities are largely the identical as they have been earlier than. Subsequent to the buffet, friends can discover one other leisure space, which has bathe suites and quiet areas with Therabody loungers.

The loungers, which recline right into a zero-gravity place to simulate the sensation of weightlessness, are a step up from the uncomfortably laborious daybeds that was once there. United has been rolling out the loungers throughout the Polaris lounge community, equivalent to in San Francisco.

If it’s good to take a name, you need to use one of many lounge’s 5 telephone cubicles, that are new to the house.

As a part of the growth, United added six personal restrooms, bringing the lounge’s complete to 18. There’s additionally a wellness room for folks needing to feed or change their youngsters in personal.

The brand new Polaris lounge at ORD is definitely price a go to with facilities like bathe suites, leisure areas and sit-down a la carte eating. Nonetheless, be sure you meet the strict admission necessities. You should be flying in United Polaris enterprise class or departing from ORD on a long-haul enterprise or top quality flight on a Star Alliance associate. There isn’t any different technique to get in.