Clubrooms

£10 surcharges and BA/QR elites make Clubrooms the top BHX pick

In Terminal 1 airside at Birmingham, Clubrooms sits above the standard BHX lounges as the “premium” option, and frequent flyers on British Airways and Qatar Airways generally rate it the best lounge in the airport. Entry is prebook or paid, with some access via Priority Pass and similar schemes, but a few FlyerTalk reports mention a mandatory £10 top-up on certain third‑party entries, so factor that into your budget.

Clubrooms runs as an adults-only space, matching the “Number 1 Clubrooms is adults only, table service and proper chilled” comments you’ll see in reviews. Staff take orders at the table rather than sending you to a buffet, and food and drinks are included in the entry price, which usually runs higher than the standard No1 Lounge in the same terminal. If you care more about calm than squeezing every pound of value, this is the one to book.

On Qatar Airways itineraries, Business Class passengers and oneworld Sapphire/Emerald status holders typically use Clubrooms rather than the main No1 Lounge, according to multiple FlyerTalk threads. Some BA-coded flights on partner airlines also send eligible passengers here, though check your booking and lounge access rules before you fly from Birmingham Airport’s single Terminal 1, as policies can shift without much notice.

Food quality gets better feedback than the main BHX options, with regulars mentioning proper plated breakfasts, burgers and light mains rather than basic pastries and crisps. Portions aren’t huge, so if you want to cover a full meal before a long-haul Qatar Airways flight, aim to arrive 2–3 hours before departure and order a second round early. Alcohol selection is standard UK bar fare, with house wines and spirits included and some premium brands costing extra pounds per pour.

What regulars actually do: Qatar Airways Business Class flyers and oneworld elites head straight for Clubrooms and treat the lounge as a quiet pre-flight restaurant, not a bar crawl. Travellers using Priority Pass or similar schemes walk in assuming the £10 surcharge will be added at the desk, then decide at that point if the extra cost beats sitting in the main Terminal 1 seating areas near the gates.

Practical tip: Prebook Clubrooms online for your BHX flight, then print or screenshot the confirmation and arrive at Terminal 1 security at least 2 hours before departure so you have time to deal with any access questions and still get a full sit-down meal.