Review: LATAM Lounge Santiago Airport (SCL)

For the next portion of my two times to Latin America trip, it was time to fly Delta’s A350 business class from Santiago to Atlanta. Prior to that flight, I was able to check out the LATAM Lounge Santiago (separately, I reviewed the SkyTeam Lounge Santiago).

I was looking forward to this, as this refreshed lounge only opened a couple of years ago, and is the largest in Latin America. Not only that, but I’ve heard great things about the lounge.

I’ve gotta say, this lounge really impressed me, and I think it might be the best in Latin America. It has beautiful design, an impressive food and drink selection, a nice nap area, and solid bathrooms and showers. If you have the chance to visit, you’re in for a treat.

LATAM Lounge Santiago location

The LATAM Lounge Santiago is easy to find. If you’re departing on an international flight from Terminal 2, simply clear security, and then turn left once inside the main part of the terminal, in the direction of the D and F gates.

Just walk a very short distance, and then you’ll see the entrance to the lounge on the left, behind some frosted glass doors.

The lounge is located one level up from the terminal, so you can reach it by stairs, escalator, or elevator.

Even once on the upper level, there’s still a long hallway you have to walk through before you’ll find yourself in the reception area of the lounge.

LATAM Lounge Santiago hours

The LATAM Lounge Santiago is broken up into three zones. Two parts of the lounge are open daily from 5AM until 1AM, while one part of the lounge is open 24/7. So you can enjoy the lounge any hour of the day or night, the question is just which section will be open.

LATAM Lounge Santiago entry requirements

The LATAM Lounge Santiago has three distinct zones, with three different entry requirements.

The most premium part of the lounge is the LATAM Signature Lounge, and that’s open to the following passengers:

• LATAM business class passengers
• LATAM Pass Black Signature and Black members
• Delta One business class passengers
• Delta SkyMiles Diamond and Platinum Medallion members

Then there’s the LATAM Premium Lounge, which is open to the following passengers:

• LATAM premium economy passengers (the forward cabin on regional flights)
• LATAM Pass Platinum members
• Delta SkyMiles Gold Medallion members
• Passengers flying business class on other partner airlines
• oneworld Emerald and oneworld Sapphire members with Qantas, Japan Airlines, and Iberia, when flying LATAM

Lastly there’s the LATAM WorldMember Lounge, which is open to WorldMember and WorldMember Limited Santander card holders on LATAM flights and partner airline flights purchased through LATAM.

During my visit, I used the Signature Lounge, which I was entitled to access based on my Delta business class boarding pass. As you can see, lounge access policies with LATAM can be a bit complicated, given that the airline doesn’t belong to one of the major global alliances, and the airline instead has individual agreements with other carriers.

LATAM Lounge Santiago seating & layout

The LATAM Lounge Santiago is roughly 4,000 square meters (~43,000 square feet), though that includes the three different sections of the lounge. I’ll be focusing specifically on the LATAM Signature Lounge, which is the most premium lounge. It’s pretty large, but I’d estimate it makes up significantly less than half of the total lounge space.

The lounge features several distinct areas, with elegant decor. Even though the main part of the lounge is all in one room, LATAM did a good job breaking up the space, to make it feel a bit more intimate.

For one, the lounge has quite a bit of seating designed for relaxing, with rows of chairs facing one another. There are partitions between various seating areas, to add a bit of privacy.

There are also some dining tables, which can seat anywhere from two to four people.

Then there are several smaller zones along the perimeter of the lounge, with a variety of seating, ranging from chairs (some with ottomans), to couches, to dining tables. I’ll let the pictures speak mostly for themselves.

The lounge also has a communal workstation area of sorts. My favorite part of this section were the little semi-private seats next to that main table, each with a desk and power outlets.

The centerpiece of the lounge is an oval bar area, with high-top seating.

Next up, near the entrance to the lounge is a media room, with a couple of dozen seats facing a large TV.

There’s also a play room, which is great for families traveling with little ones.

Wi-Fi in the lounge was fast and free, and I thought it was an all-around very nice space.

LATAM Lounge Santiago food & drinks

The LATAM lounge Santiago has an impressive selection of food and drinks. The lounge has one main buffet area, which is quite large, so it doesn’t get too congested.

I thought the food selection was solid, in terms of variety and quality. Cold options included everything from cheese and cold cuts, to mini sandwiches, to a salad bar, to freshly baked bread, to individually plated desserts, to ice cream, to packaged snacks.

There were also several hot options, from pasta, to chicken, to veggies.

The drink selection was also quite good. There were coffee machines, soft drinks, bottled juice, a fresh orange juice machine, beer, and a selection of self-serve wine.

The bar area was also a treat, as there was a larger selection of wine available there. The bartenders could also prepare cocktails, as well as barista coffee.

I ordered a cappuccino, which was smooth and tasty.

This lounge is honestly impressive, as both the food and drinks were excellent.

LATAM Lounge Santiago nap room area

The LATAM Lounge Santiago has among the better business class lounge nap facilities I’ve seen. While there aren’t private bedrooms, there are beds (though the mattresses aren’t well padded) with pillows and substantial blankets. There are partitions between the various beds, so they offer a bit of privacy, though you will hear everything going on in this space.

These beds are available on a first come, first served basis, so this can be a great place to get a bit of rest between flights.

LATAM Lounge Santiago bathrooms & showers

The LATAM Lounge Santiago also has solid bathroom and shower facilities. For one, I love how the bathrooms are all individual rooms, each with a toilet and sink. That’s so much more dignified than some of the other airport lounge bathrooms you’ll find out there, where you have to hear and smell things that you shouldn’t have to witness.

On top of that, the lounge also has several shower suites, each equipped with a sink, toilet, and walk-in shower.

Bottom line

The LATAM Lounge Santiago is a phenomenal lounge, especially by South America standards. From nice decor, to excellent food and drinks (including bartender cocktails and coffee), to shower suites, to individual toilet rooms, to a proper nap area, this really is a solid lounge.

I’m giving this lounge a five star rating, which I don’t often do, because it must be the best lounge in the region. Now, this wouldn’t quite make my global list of the world’s best business class lounges, but Asia and the Middle East are just in a different league than what you’ll find in most of the Americas.

What’s your take on the LATAM Lounge Santiago?