Plaza Premium Lounge at São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport [Review]

The best place to wait for a flight is a good airport lounge, and our recent stop at the Plaza Premium Lounge in São Paulo was just that — a good lounge. It had a great layout and multiple amenities, and a few small adjustments could make it even better.

The lounge’s location made it easy to find and equidistant from nearly all domestic departure gates in Terminal 2 at Guarulhos, with the key part of that word being “distant.”

I’ll walk you through my morning visit to the Plaza Premium Lounge at São Paulo-Guarulhos in early November 2024 and evaluate the lounge’s strengths and weaknesses.

Plaza Premium Lounge Location

São Paulo-Guarulhos (GRU) is the busiest airport in South America, and the growing number of lounges at the airport is a testament to this. Until recently, most lounges were concentrated in Terminal 3, which serves the vast majority of the airport’s international departures. These include the Amex Centurion Lounge, LATAM VIP Lounge, and Espaço Banco Safra Lounge, for example.

Until Plaza Premium arrived on the scene, the lounge scene in Terminal 2 typically required elite status with a Brazilian airline or holding a credit card issued in Brazil.

Now, Plaza Premium has 2 separate lounges in Terminal 2: a landside lounge before security and an airside lounge after security. We visited the latter.

Immediately after security in Terminal 2, the entrance to the lounge is on the opposite side of the hallway, a bit to the left. Signs on the elevator, a digital advertisement board, and the steps behind the elevator made it easy to find the lounge’s entry.

Since the lounge is immediately after security, it’s rather far from some of the departure gates. Be sure to ask at the lounge how far your gate is and allow ample time to reach your flight.

Gaining Entry to the Plaza Premium Lounge

The lounge was open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, and desk agents were aware of the entry and guest requirements for various types of access.

Access to the lounge can be purchased, with discounts available for those who book online in advance. Rates start at 130 Brazilian reais (roughly $22.50). However, it’s also possible to gain complimentary access.

Those with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card*×Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One., Capital One Venture X Business Card*×Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One., The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express, and The Platinum Card^® from American Express have unlimited visits to Plaza Premium Lounge locations. We used the Amex Platinum card to get in.

At reception, the desk agents confirmed guest privileges based on how you were accessing the lounge. Using the cards mentioned above, you can bring up to 2 guests into the lounge at no cost.

Hot Tip:

Plaza Premium Lounges aren’t the only airport lounges you can access at no cost with a credit card. Check out our list of the best credit cards for airport lounge access to learn more.

First Impressions

At 16,000 square feet and with an open layout, the lounge felt massive — giving us the impression it boasted a larger size than its actual measurements. And even though the lounge opened 3 years prior to our visit, it still had a very new feel. That may be due to the design choices, choosing surfaces and materials that weren’t prone to showing signs of age.

After passing the check-in area, we saw the lounge spread out before us, starting with a front seating area and extending past the bar into another seating area. It felt like the lounge’s seating was endless.

Seating

The front sitting area, closest to the reception area, had a mix of sofas and armchairs clustered around coffee tables. There also were recliner chairs facing the windows, looking out over the apron for some planespotting action.

Past the bar, a rear sitting area had a nearly endless amount of sofa-style benches along the wall, as well as several couches in the center of the room.

Built into the wall in both seating areas in this part of the lounge were booths with tables that worked equally well for dining or working on a laptop. Unfortunately, the partitions between the benches were very flimsy. While sitting here, the booth shook rather forcefully anytime the people in the next booth got up or sat down.

In the restaurant part of the lounge, accessed by a hallway across from the bar, there was additional seating. Small, round tables sat between pairs of chairs here. There was also a high-top wooden table with barstools that people used for eating and getting work done.

Along the rear wall of the restaurant area were seats with high divisions for privacy and a wooden armrest that reminded me of old-school desks in a classroom. These cubicle-like seats all had individual outlets.

Food and Beverage

The lounge had complimentary food and drinks for all guests, but you had to pay for premium alcohol.

Given that we visited early in the morning, bartenders were still setting up for the day. However, they told us the lounge had a lengthy list of wines, beers, sodas, and cocktails.

There was also a self-serve açaí station near the bar. Unfortunately, bananas and granola weren’t available — just the açaí itself.

In the front side of the lounge were 2 coffee machines that could dispense espressos, cappuccinos, and other coffee drinks. Across from the bar, a hallway led to the restaurant, where we found a deli case and a buffet of hot dishes.

The seating was all on the right side of this rear area. To the left, a refrigerated section built into the wall held cheeses, fruits, and cold cuts.

Next to that was a buffet with hot dishes like pão de queijo (the famous Brazilian cheese bread), eggs, bacon, and more. Items were labeled in Portuguese and English, and signs included allergen warnings.

Along the other wall was a station with several types of bread, bananas, and oranges.

Be warned that the lounge’s breakfast offerings were minimal for those with dairy or gluten allergies or who are vegans, like my wife and me. When we asked about plant-based milk for our coffee, an employee laughed. After consulting the food offerings, we had plain bread and a banana for breakfast. That was a big letdown from the multiple offerings we noticed on arrival.

Amenities

Planespotting

The Plaza Premium Lounge had floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the apron in Terminal 2. This gave visitors views of the runway and multiple gates.

Internet

The lounge had its own Wi-Fi network, and the connection was reliable. We got download speeds above 32 Mbps, while uploads were even faster — above 43 Mbps.

Copius Outlets

The lounge had outlets everywhere we looked. These included next to barstools, in the cubicle seats, on the high-top table in the restaurant area, and even a set of 4 outlets at the booths. These were Type N outlets, which could accept both 2- and 3-prong plugs from Europe.

Departure Boards

Departure boards in the restaurant area and near the reception desk displayed flight information, including flight numbers, departure times, and gate assignments.

Resting Area

Plaza Premium advertised the area between the windows and the rear seating area — separated by wooden slats — as a resting area, including reclining chairs. Given that this area was still open to the rest of the lounge (and its accompanying noise), take this with a grain of salt.

Bathrooms

The lounge had spacious, gendered restrooms. These were accessible from a hallway behind the restaurant area (the wheelchair-accessible bathroom) or up a few steps from the reception area. The restrooms had multiple stalls, sinks, and a bench.

Showers

Showers were available for complimentary use at the lounge. Guests could reserve 20-minute slots at the front desk.

Complimentary amenities included shower gel, shampoo, lotion, a towel, and a hair dryer. Guests could also request a dental kit or razor.

Luggage Storage

Luggage storage was available near the reception desk, and it was complimentary.

Workstations

Past the bar and rear seating area, there was a working area with 4 chairs facing a long wooden table. There were multiple outlets available here.

Paid Amenities

There were 2 additional amenities available at the lounge, but these weren’t free.

To the right of the workstations, there was a meeting room. This could be reserved at the front desk. Information on pricing wasn’t clear when we asked about it.

Additionally, printing and photocopying were available at the front desk. These had a per-page cost.

Staff and Service

Service was strange at this lounge, to be blunt.

The front desk agents were very efficient, but they gave us a bad vibe. When we were waiting to check in, the people in front of us raised their voices at the desk agent. After they left, the employee made sure we were watching while he rolled his eyes and made a disapproving face as those people exited. It smacked of unprofessionalism.

When getting coffee, I asked at the bar if there was any soy milk or something similar in the lounge. A really friendly employee told us there might be some in the kitchen and suggested we ask there. When we inquired at the buffet, the employee actually laughed and walked away. I took that as a “no,” since he didn’t actually say anything.

However, the woman who cleared the dishes from our table was friendly and had a big smile as she asked if we were done with our drinks.

These provided an odd combination of positive and negative interactions with staff.

Final Thoughts

There are 2 Plaza Premium Lounges in Terminal 2 at São Paulo’s Guarulhos airport: 1 before security and the other, which we visited, after security. The lounge had several quality features but could be improved by offering more food for those with dietary restrictions and by providing more consistently pleasant interactions with staff.