When I checked in with Emirates, I knew that they had recently switched their Chicago business and first class lounge from the mostly hated Swissport Lounge to the brand new LOT Polish Lounge. The lounge opened last December and just in the last few months, Emirates started sending their premium passengers to this lounge.

At check-in, I received my boarding passes for both Emirates flights plus a transit visa (which I really didn’t need) and a hotel voucher for the JW Marriott Dubai. Emirates would also provide transportation to and from the hotel in Dubai.

Thanks to Clear and Pre-Check, security took only a few minutes. The lines at T5 for non Pre-Check passengers were very long, which makes sense as there are a lot of non-US residents flying out of this terminal.

The lounge was not far after security, near Gate M18. When I arrived just before 5pm, it was busy, but not super crowded. I first asked about the shower availability as they only have one and was told that it was in use, but I could have it next. The lounge had two sides of windows overlooking the gates and taxiways.

I started by grabbing a light snack as I hadn’t eaten since the Atlanta Admirals Club and just walked about eight miles in total (including the airports). The food was laid out on a buffet to the left as you enter the main part of the lounge.

After a quick bite, I checked on the shower again and was told that an elderly person with mobility issues needed the bathroom so please could I wait a little longer. They knew my flight wasn’t until 8:35pm so I couldn’t really complain.

I moved over to the bar area and checked out the bar menu.

The bartender was super friendly and was having fun making mocktails for some kids who were clearly enjoying the ability to order at the bar. I decided to try the Polish Sunset cocktail for “research purposes” and it was OK. I think if you are a vodka drinker (which I am not), you will especially enjoy the bar at this lounge.

There were restrooms back near the entrance of the lounge which were well-maintained. Finally, the shower was free and I was able to enter. The room was large and looked brand new. It was cleaned between every use.

While I was in there, someone knocked. I’m not really sure why as the door was locked and it’s not a room for more than one person. Anyway, I felt refreshed after the shower and went back into the lounge to grab a seat and relax for the last hour or so before heading to the gate. Unfortunately, the lounge was absolutely mobbed by this point (6pm). I did find a spot to sit after circling the seating area a couple of times. I grabbed a Coke Zero and watched something on my iPad.

It started to clear out around 6:45pm and I was able to grab a picture of the recliner area which is in the far corner of the lounge, but had been previously occupied.

I decided to walk in the terminal before my flight so I left around 7:15pm and walked through T5 to stretch my legs a bit. The far end of T5, where Southwest flights depart, is much nicer, but a long walk from security. I saw my plane being towed to the gate while I was walking back to the older part of T5. Now it was time to get excited.

Overall, the LOT Business Lounge was a solid business class lounge. It had decent hot and cold food, a serviced bar, a shower, and the staff were friendly and helpful. It does get really crowded from around 5:30-6:30pm, so keep that in mind if you are flying out of O’Hare T5 and have access to this lounge.

Up Next: Emirates 777 Gamechanger ORD-DXB Review

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