United has officially announced the launch of its newly renovated and expanded United Polaris lounge at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, a lounge which is going to offer travelers more space, a modern design, and elevated amenities.
According to certain reports, the United Polaris lounge in Chicago is now 50% larger; featuring nearly 25,000 sq.-ft. of lounge space, including more than 350 seats for travelers, 50 seats across a larger dining space, a second bar, six extra restrooms, and private spaces for relaxation or work. The lounge will also offer you a range of products curated along with Crate & Barrel, marking the first and only airline collaboration for the whole home retailer.
Markedly enough, the stated renovation builds upon United’s recent investments in its network of clubs and lounges. Since 2022, United has basically opened or renovated a total of nine United ClubSM locations across its system, including the recent opening of United Club Fly in Houston.
Moving forward, in 2025, the airline will open a new dining room in the United Polaris lounge, Newark, and a renovated and expanded United Club in Denver’s B West Terminal, which will complete its plan to redesign every United Club at Denver. During 2026, United will open a new United Club in San Francisco and its largest-ever United Club in Houston.
Taking a deeper view of United’s expanded Polaris lounge in Chicago, we begin from its promise to offer more dining and beverage options. Thanks to a second bar in the newly renovated United Polaris lounge, United becomes the first and only U.S. airline to offer two full-service bars in a business class lounge.
In total, there are now more than 25 bar seats with an option to takeaway a drink to another seating area and a menu of top-shelf liquor, premium wines, non-alcoholic beverages, and more.
More on that would reveal how this second bar is understood to bear a speakeasy-style space with a selection of premium wine and champagne options, such as Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut, and Chicago-inspired cocktails, including the Second City Sour featuring Rittenhouse Rye, Malort, Lemon, Egg White, and Lingua Franca Pinot Noir.
Furthermore, the expanded lounge will also come decked up with a larger dining area with more than 50 seats, nearly tripling the amount of previous dining seats. Here, travelers can order à la carte meals with curated premium food and beverages, including Prosciutto Parmigiano Crostini, Shrimp, Scallop, Spring Vegetable Risotto and Aperol Spritz cake.
On top of it, customers can enjoy a hot buffet with breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, mezze station with lemon honey whipped ricotta, and flatbreads etc. Both the bars, on their part, will serve snacks like premium nuts, mediterranean olives and a charcuterie board.
Next up, we must dig into how the new lounge treads up a long distance to celebrate the city’s architecture and unique geography. You see, United worked with Johalla Projects, an art curatorial collective in Chicago, to showcase artwork from nine Chicago-based artists on a range of pieces, including print photography, paintings, collages and more.
Another detail worth a mention is rooted in how dinnerware and decor is provided by Crate & Barrel. Under the agreed terms of this partnership, United would tap into the retailer’s in-house design and business sales teams, all for curating timeless pieces that elevate the traveler experience.
In essence, the lounge will feature everything from Crate & Barrel’s classic Marin dinnerware and new Tuscan Marble collection, to colors of Le Creuset that are exclusive to the retailer,
“Our vast international network is one of United’s unique strengths, and our United Polaris lounges help set the tone for business class travelers before or after their long-haul flights,” said Aaron McMillan, United’s Managing Director of Hospitality Programs. “Customers are going to love our new Chicago lounge because it gives them more of all of the things they want most—more space, more amenities, and more dining options—and we’ll carry this new elevated design into future lounge openings and renovations across our United Polaris lounge portfolio.”
