Qantas opened its new London lounge at Heathrow Airport last week. The lounge is the result of a 12-month construction process to serve passengers on its existing London routes, as well as future passengers on the upcoming route between London and Perth (PER), starting March 24.

“London is one of our most important destinations,” said Alan Joyce, CEO, Qantas Group. “We have worked with leaders in design, food and service to create a lounge that is modern and comfortable and incorporates the aesthetics of the Qantas lounges that make our customers feel at home … We are reshaping what customers come to expect from international travel with direct flights between Australia and London. It’s a long flight, so we’re taking a holistic approach to passenger wellbeing on and off the aircraft, and the new Heathrow lounge is an important part of that.”

The lounge offers seating for more than 230 passengers across two levels overlooking the airfield. The space is similar to Qantas lounges in Hong Kong, Singapore, Los Angeles and Brisbane, though the local region is taken into consideration when designing the look of the space. For example, the design firm Woods Bagot took inspiration from London at twilight when choosing the color palette, furniture and textures — choosing deep greens and blues, warm wood finishes, stone and brass.

A cocktail bar on the upper level serves mixologist-created cocktails alongside Australian and European wines and beers. A separate gin bar offers Australian and British gins. The dining menu combines British and Australian favorites, such as pot pies, scones and brunch bowls. Qantas’s signature salt-and-pepper squid with green chili sauce is also available. Hot and cold buffets provide self-serve dining and a hydration station offers herbal teas, fruit-infused water and sparkling water.

“We want to help our customers feel great throughout every part of their journey so we have been working with the University of Sydney to create dining options for the lounge that are light and fresh with a focus on hydration and nutrition, while continuing to offer a variety of locally inspired dishes and comfort favorites,” said Neil Perry, creative director of food, beverage and service, Qantas Group.

Other amenities include WiFi, work stations and six shower suites.