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Priority Pass Names Winners of 2026 Excellence Awards

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Nick Ellis
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Edited by: Ryan Smith
Priority Pass Names Winners of 2026 Excellence Awards
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Priority Pass has unveiled its Excellence Awards winners for 2026, including its global lounge of the year award, regional winners, regional standouts, and emerging all-stars in the “One to Watch” category.

This is the 18th year that Priority Pass has delivered these awards, and winners were selected based on more than 700,000 member reviews.

Let’s dive in and see who the big winners are for this year.

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Lounge of the Year: Escape Lounge, Portland International Airport

The Lounge of the Year award is in a U.S. airport this year: Portland International Airport (PDX). The airport opened a brand-new, state-of-the-art terminal in 2024, and it’s been recognized globally for its strong connection to its natural environment and design-forward aesthetic.

Escape Lounge Portland Entrance
The entrance to the Escape Lounge in Portland. Image Credit: Escape Lounges

The Escape Lounge Portland International embraces the airport’s ethos, weaving in a food and beverage menu featuring local ingredients and inspiration, design elements and artwork from the region, and a versatile space designed for work and relaxation.

The lounge is open from 4:30 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. daily in Concourse D, between gates D8 and D10. It’s highly rated for its physical space, customer service, its chef-led dining program, and more.

Hot Tip:

Learn more about the network of Escape Lounges in the U.S., including how to access them in other ways besides a Priority Pass membership.

Regional Winners

Next up, here’s a look at specific lounges from around the world that took home honors in their part of the world.

North America

Of course, North America is home to this year’s lounge of the year: Escape Lounge Portland. The lounge is the most well-regarded space in Priority Pass’ network this year, both across the continent and around the world, an incredible feat for a North American lounge.

Asia Pacific

Lounge Fukuoka, located in the international terminal at Fukuoka International Airport (FUK), has won lounge of the year in the Asia Pacific region.

Open daily from 7 a.m. to 9:15 p.m., it offers a bar with complimentary alcoholic beverages, conference rooms available for an additional fee, ample seating, and a relaxed, zenlike atmosphere.

Europe

The Vienna Lounge in the Austrian capital has taken home the honors for the Europe region for another year. It offers unique, high-quality amenities, including a cinema space, a dedicated children’s room, a quiet room with day beds, a prayer room, an extensive bar and buffet, and more.

Vienna Lounge Austria
The Vienna Lounge in Austria. Image Credit: Priority Pass

It’s located near the C and D gates in Terminal 1 at Vienna International Airport (VIE). It’s open daily from 4:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Club Kingston on the island of Jamaica reigns supreme in Latin America and the Caribbean this year. Located at Norman Manley International Airport (KIN), this lounge is open daily from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and offers shower suites, a “curated photo gallery,” local dishes, and spa treatments available for an additional charge.

Middle East and Africa

This year’s winner in the Middle East and Africa region is the Bidvest Premier Lounge at O R Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Located in the domestic Terminal B, the lounge is open daily from 4:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and offers extensive food options, a complimentary bar, and spaces designed for both working and relaxing before a flight.

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Highly Commended Regional Lounges

The Priority Pass Excellence Awards recognize lounges from each region that are rated very highly, but not quite as highly as each region’s winner — here’s who took home the highly commended awards for 2026:

Kyra Lounge Hong Kong bar
The bar at the Kyra Lounge in Hong Kong. Image Credit: The Club Airport Lounges

One To Watch Awards

A new award category for 2026, the One to Watch awards highlight lounges that have seen a dramatic uptick in positive reviews and ratings throughout the past year. These lounges have reaffirmed their commitment to improving the passenger experience and can be considered to be in the running for future awards.

Final Thoughts

This year’s Priority Pass Excellence Award for lounge of the year belongs to a U.S. lounge: the Escape Lounge in Portland, Oregon. Priority Pass lounges in the U.S. and North America don’t have a reputation for being particularly great, so it’s refreshing to see one so close to home take the top honors.

Keep an eye on the One To Watch winners, too, as they may make more noise in the years to come. They could be featured soon among the very best lounges in the expansive Priority Pass network.

Featured Image Credit: Priority Pass
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About Nick Ellis

Nick’s passion for points began as a hobby and became a career. He worked for over 5 years at The Points Guy and has contributed to Business Insider and CNN. He has 14 credit cards and continues to leverage the perks of each.

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