What facilities are there in the Thalys Lounge at Brussels Midi station?

Question

In about a month, I'll be travelling from London to Amsterdam by train, taking a Eurostar and then a Thalys. As seems to often be the case (from looking at the timetable), I'll have a bit of time to kill in Brussels station between the trains (though probably not enough to warrant going anywhere outside)

I've signed up for a free Thalys TheCard, at the Silver level. According to the website, that gets me access to the Thalys Lounge in Brussels Midi station (along with the SNCF Grand Voyageur Lounge in Paris Gare du Nord) when travelling on a Thalys.

What I haven't been able to figure out is what the lounge is like, what facilities it offers etc. I'm guessing it'll be a noticable drop down from the Eurostar Business Premier Lounge, as that's only available to people on the very expensive Business Premier tickets, or very frequent Eurostar travellers with Carte Blanche status. Just not sure if it'll actually be any more than just a few seats...

Does anyone know what the lounge is like, what facilities it offers (tea, coffee, wifi, snacks, nice seats etc)? Also of use would be where in the station it actually is - there's no Thalys Lounge listed on the station map!

Answer 1

I can only quote another travellers review from Qype, but I think the most imporant information is there:

The Thalys lounge is open to 1st class passengers and to Cybelis members as well as to members of the German bahn.comfort program. If you have such a bahn.comfort card, you can bring a collegue, that neither needs a train ticket himself or be a member of any of the programs.

It offers armchairs, a small selection of hot and cold drinks (that you have to buy!), newspapers and magazines, fax and photocopying machines (also charged), a free Wi-Fi connection, Sony computers provided free. There is a charging station for different mobile phones (nice!)

You can rent a meeting room for up to 5 people.

The lounge itself is very hidden on the backside of the main hall of midi station. It is next to tracks 3 & 4 (see photo for a plan) which is convenient if you travel via ICE/THALYS to Cologne/Frankfurt as these trains leave midi on track no. 3. There is a TGV leaving from track 4 - but I do not know where it goes.

I find the lounge nice, but not overwhelming. The chairs are large but unfortunately not too comfortable. Unless handled in other lounges, you have to buy your drinks.

The selection of newspapers is rather small.

Overall, it is nice to have a quiet spot to wait for the trains (instead of any of the meeting rooms or public areas), but it is far from the level that airlines usually offer to their frequent travelers!

Answer 2

I'm in the lounge now, so I can confirm that the Qype review is largely correct.

The lounge is at the other side of the station from the main cross-concourse, so you either need to take the lift down from the south end of the Thalys platform, or walk down the westerly corridor and round the corner. If you take the southerly exit from the Eurostar platforms (rather than the normal one at the far north end of the train), they'll drop you out near the lounge too.

The lounge itself is quite long and thin, with sets of 4 low comfy chairs set around low tables. At the very back of the lounge are some big tables with normal chairs, and also a massage chair.

Facilities wise, there is free wifi in the lounge, but you'll need to ask at the desk. They'll then give you a card with a login valid for 2 hours. There are a small number of newspapers available, but none to take away with you. There's a handful of magazines here, which you can take with you.

Otherwise, there's a free coffee machine, hot and cold water, tea bags, but that's about it. No sign of any food (whether to buy or not), and no soft drinks.

Not nearly as good as your typical airport lounge, not a patch on the Eurostar Business Premier lounge in Brussels, but with the coffee machine and free wifi it does beat sitting out in the main part of the station!

Oh, and don't forget to buy a sandwich or a snack before entering, and be aware that most of the food places are at the very other end of the station...