Skyteam Lounge at YVR Vancouver International airport

The skyteam lounge in YVR vancouver international airport recently opened. It's located in the international departure section, if you are travelling to USA or Canada domestic, you would not be able to reach the lounge near D54. You can access the lounge if you have status on any Skyteam member or if you have priority pass. The other priority pass lounge is the Plaza premium which I heard is pretty good as well.

The sign in is at the bottom floor and then you take an elevator up to the 3rd floor.

The design of the Skyteam lounge is very west coast, with warm oak panelling mixed in with bright furniture. The selection of magazines are catered towards the Asia pacific audience as Korean Air and China Eastern all have heavy presence in YVR. There are a wide selection of reading materials and lots of lounge seats.

Lots of lounge chairs and comfortable seating

Working space

Once you enter the lounge and towards the right, there is a business center set up with work stations, a printer/fax. A convenient setup for road warriors.

Food and drinks

Walking past the work station, there is a very nice bar area where interaction is encouraged. The space is set up as a circle and you can gather around here for a drinks and snacks before your flight. A very nice touch here is the selection of local wineries from British Columbia(BC) BC has very limited production in the Okanagan valley ( similar longitude as the Washington Wenatchee valley ) and wineries from BC are usually small and considered to be boutique. With the very hot and dry summers and cool nights right beside the Okanagan lake, it's a great place to plant the grapes and stress the vines. The result - many fruit forward wines. Come try them as apertif or digestif or grab some bubbles and mix your mimosa at the central food place.

Wine dispensing machines to ensure the freshness of the wine from the bottle

Selection of local reds, there are also local whites and bubbles as well

Once you walk towards the walkway, there is a central kitchen area with hot foods selection. I was here before 11am thus there are only breakfast item but according to the blog here, there are hot items on the menu such as hot soup noodles as well as dimsum.

walkway towards the hot foods section, quite dramatic with the glass sides allowing you to see the departure gates below

There are the normal hot breakfast options and also a cold plates section. The two coffee machines provides brewed coffee, espresso, caps and lattes. Gets the job done but the Plaza premium lounge has semi automatic espresso machines, if you're really into coffee like me.

There are fridges under the counter with all the soft beverages and beer. There is also a mixing counter after 9am where you can mix your own drinks. Looking forward to trying the hot made to order food next time I visit this lounge.

Shower and bathrooms

Other than food and drinks, one of the important features that i look for in a lounge is a shower. Nothing like a hot shower to freshen up after a 16 hour flight. The bathroom is beautifully renovated with full floor to ceiling tiles and all the amenities.

Fresh towels, hair drier, soap and shampoo are all present.

There are only two shower rooms on a first come first served basis. If you use one right after a guest then you may need to ask for fresh towels. The beautiful Asiana Lounge in Incheon airport has a buzzer system where they buzz you after the shower room is prepped is a nice touch, making sure you always get a clean and prepped shower room.

Finally to relax before the flight, pick up some reading material and chill at a corner lounge chair.