I simply do not understand why so many people seem to hate the KLM Crown Lounge 52 in Amsterdam (AMS), often with such vehemence. On the contrary, I always enjoy visiting this lounge and appreciate the layout, decor, and amenities.

KLM Crown Lounge 52 Amsterdam Review (AMS)

The lounge is open daily from 4:45 am to 10:00 pm and serves as the KLM and SkyTeam lounge for non-Schengen flights from Amsterdam Schiphol, including KLM’s network of intercontinental flights. While the lounge numbering system at AMS never made much sense to me, it’s easy enough to follow the signs to lounge 52.

I showed up at 7:00 am and the lounge was not at all crowded. I realize it gets very crowded, and in that sense, I understand why people might not like it. But I make a beeline directly for “Blue” on he top level, and over many visits, I’ve never felt crowded up there.

As you take the elevator from the departures level up to the first level of the lounge, you pass a permanent display of iconic Delt Blue Houses…some of my most earthly treasured possessions.

On the landing level, you can self-scan into the lounge or see an agent who will verify your credentials for access (SkyTeam Elite Plus and SkyTeam Business Class passengers have access to this lounge).

As I said, I go right up to the top level, home of the “Blue” restaurant and a nice bar and outdoor terrace. While the lounge has a wide selection of complimentary food and drinks, Blue has an upgraded menu of food and beverages you can pay extra for. It also has free barista-made coffee with a much better La Marzocco machine than the machine one level down.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s not like downstairs is so bad either…the “mountain” seating area connecting the upper and lower level is a cute feature.

The lower level is vast…there are over 800 seats and (not to repeat myself…) but even when the lounge is crowded, I’ve always found an available seat.

Showers are available on the first level: reserve your shower by using the kiosk (there likely will be a waitlist).Once your shower is available, you will be assigned a QR code that can be used to open the door. Restrooms are also nearby.

Lockers and help with your flight are available in the center of the lounge. You can even trade Delt Blue Houses on a 1:1 basis for ones you don’t have, though I think that takes away the fun of collecting them onboard.

As for food and drinks, the ground floor had a huge breakfast spread (mostly European, British, and American foods) and another barista coffee station and a full-service bar. I didn’t eat anything this visit (just my coffee).

CONCLUSION

I guess I’m in the minority, but I quite like this lounge…and look forward to returning. Remember, if crowded, head to Blue on the top level for a more quiet place and great coffee.

My original (also positive) review from 2022 is below.

The KLM Crown Lounge 52 in Amsterdam, located in the Non-Schengen area of Schiphol Airport, is a superlative lounge with excellent food and drink and unique features that make it one of my favorite lounges in Europe.

KLM Crown Lounge 52 Amsterdam Review

If you’d prefer a brief summary of this lounge, check out my first impressions post I wrote after visiting this lounge. It instantly became one of my favorite business class lounges in the world, which is saying a lot.

> Read More: KLM Crown Lounge In Amsterdam Is Spectacular

You might also start by watching this video KLM prepared to showcase its premiere lounge:

Location + Hours + Access Requirements

The lounge is open daily from 6:00AM to 10:00PM and located past security in Non-Schengen area of the Main Terminal. Follow the clearly marked signs for “Lounge 52” and you’ll find the lounge in Concourse F near the food court. Proceed upstairs for check-in.

You can access this lounge as a SkyTeam business class passenger, Flying Blue Platinum or Gold member, or as a SkyTeam Elite Plus passenger. You can also purchase a pass to this lounge for 65EUR, which I consider a very good value if you have a long layover. If you are Flying Blue member, even without status, you can enjoy 10% off entry. Flying Blue Silver members get 25% off, as do Gold and Platinum members who wish to bring in more than one guest. If you purchase access online in advance, you can save an additional 10EUR.

KLM Delft Blue Houses

Did you notice something in the pictures above? You’ll find roughly 5,000 KLM Delft Blue Houses on display around the lounge. These cute little houses are given to business class passengers on longhaul flights and contain Dutch gin inside. Not only are these collectibles, but they are classy and you’ll be greeted by thousands of them as you make your way through the lounge.

Seating

This is a huge two-level lounge (6,800 square metres / 73,000 square feet) with seating for up to 1,000 passengers, plus 200 more seats in the Blue Restaurant and Bar.

The lounge is divided into five areas and I’ll simply borrow the verbiage from KLM to describe them:

In the Polder landscape, customers can work ideally and relax at the same time. The carpet, decorated in varying shades of green, is reminiscent of the Netherlands’ vast pastureland. And a 110-metre LED light wall simulates the Dutch sky. The lighting adapts to the time of day and includes a beautiful sunset.

In the lively City landscape, customers can enjoy “live” cooking, a Heineken Bar, specially designed by Heineken, and a coffee bar with a barista. The new food and beverage concept – characterised by stylish, high-quality, and fresh seasonal products – comes from KLM’s partner Vermaat. Reducing waste is an important pillar for both companies to lounge catering.

The Sea offers everything customers need to recharge their batteries during their journey. The area has twenty free showers, which customers can reserve in advance at the lounge’s self-service kiosks.

The striking Dutch Mountain zone offers visitors a variety of options for working and having fun, from a TV room to a DJ stand for special events. It devotes attention to Dutch design and offers historical attributes from KLM’s heritage.

Sky is an exclusive and original area on the second floor. At the explicit request of KLM customers, Sky’s high-end setting offers a terrace with a beautiful view of Schiphol Airport.

The Podler area was the most crowded part of the lounge, and thus I avoided it beyond a few pictures. Here, there are hundreds of seats and also couches in which you can stretch out on.

On the other side of the lounge, more seating was available, including some chairs with great tarmac views.

In between these two areas was a vast dining area, which was also fairly crowded during my morning visit.

Quiet Room

If you’re looking for a quiet area to sit in relax, proceed to the rear of the lounge, near the shower, area and through an unmarked door with a sticker indicating silence is required.

Despite the crowding in the lounge, there I found a very empty area that was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

Sleep Cabins

If you’re really tired you can rent a sleeping cabin for a period of 2-5 hours (35EUR – 75EUR). You can use Flying Blue miles (at a very poor rate) if you prefer – I don’t recommend it.

Dutch Mountain

Perhaps the coolest design feature of this lounge is the “mountain” which features seating gradually connecting the first and second floors with vintage KLM artwork.

Another cool feature here: take a close look at the tiles on the wall and you’ll see they are taken from the safety video (or perhaps the safety video is taken from these…).

Terrace

On the second floor, a terrace with room for at least 30 people offers fresh air and tarmac views.

Dutch law now prohibits smoking areas in lounges, so not only is an indoor smoking room not available, but smoking is also prohibited on the balcony.

Showers

20 shower suites are available. In theory, you can reserve your shower using a kiosk at the entrance to the shower area, but it did not work for me (or several other passengers around me): despite scanning my boarding pass, I could not join the shower queue.

Instead, an agent at the service desk set me up. When the shower was available, I received an email.

If you need to rent anything, you can also do that here (they will be happy to print corona tests).

The shower suites were clean, water pressure strong, and I was soon clean and ready to eat.

Restrooms

There are a few restrooms in the lounge, but the best ones are upstairs outside Blue Restaurant. These were private, quiet, and there were even real towels (versus paper towels).

Blue Restaurant + Bar

Sadly, Blue Restaurant closed during the pandemic and still has not reopened (and the restaurants Instagram page suggested it will not reopen). The restaurant featured a menu curated by Joris Bijdendijk of RIJKS, the Rijksmuseum’s Michelin-starred restaurant. The beautiful space is still present, though it was closed even for sitting.

However, across from Blue Restaurant is Blue Bar, which has re-opened and offers cocktails and premium liquor for purchase between 7:00AM and 1:00PM.

Here’s the drink menu:

Even more important to me, barista-made coffee is available using top-of-the-line La Marzocco machines. The flat whites (and I did have three…) were excellent.

There were also lovely fresh-baked goods like scones.

It was this coffee set-up that truly endeared me to this lounge. Nice coffee is such an important feature of a lounge.

Food + Drink

A large buffet was available on the ground level with cold cuts, meat, bread, pastries, fruit, scrambled eggs, potatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, and yogurt.

I enjoyed some eggs for breakfast.

At 11:00am, breakfast transitioned to lunch, with some overlap, but also fresh sandwiches, salads, and hot dishes like beef stew and pasta arrabiata.

Around the corner from the buffet, a bar offers beer, wine, and spirits, with Heineken being the point of interest (and sponsor).

Note barista-made coffee is also available on the ground floor too.

Finally, there was another food area on the other side of the lounge with coffee machines and a “restaurant,” but no food was being served there during my visit.

CONCLUSION

Bigger is not always better, but KLM thoughtfully has arranged its massive lounge space into beautiful areas that create a welcoming experience for passengers. The delicious food, exquisite coffee, and cool features like the “Dutch Mountain” and outdoor terrace make this one of my favorite business class lounges in the world.

Have you been to KLM Lounge 52 in AMS? How did you like it?