For over a week now, Paris Est SNCF station has had a completely refurbished TGV Inoui lounge to cater for the 14,000 passengers who use it every month. Located opposite the tracks, right in the heart of the station, the Salon Grand Voyageur Le Club TGV Inoui has undergone major work to increase its total surface area from 130 to 255 m2. This means that the SNCF can now offer 53 seats, 21 more than before, so that business travellers can work or relax while waiting for the train.
More comfortable and modern with its 1930s-inspired décor, the area offers passengers wifi, electrical and USB sockets, newspapers for direct consultation or on the press portal, not forgetting a selection of hot and cold drinks. The refurbishment was also an opportunity to bring the lounge up to current environmental standards, particularly in terms of waste sorting, durability of materials and energy savings.
The SNCF has 11 Grand Voyageur lounges, which are renovated on average every 4 or 5 years due to their high level of use. Following the relocation and extension of the Lyon Part Dieu lounge in 2024, the company will be extending the ground floor of the Paris Gare de Lyon lounge between 9 February and early April. The one at Montparnasse station, the second busiest in France, will follow. "These new layouts also aim to better identify the different areas within these lounges, to cater for the different types of use: passengers who stay for a few minutes, those who want to relax and those who want to work," explains Jérémie Zeguerman, Customer Experience Marketing Manager at TGV Inouï.
Rebranding to clarify access
The lounge at Gare de l'Est has also been renamed Salon Grand Voyageur Le Club TGV INOUI. The other ten (*) are due to follow shortly, to put an end to the excessive number of customers turned away by reception staff on a daily basis. Access to these areas is exclusively reserved for passengers Optimum (and Optimum+ on Paris-Lyon), passengers with a Flex Première du jour or 1st class ticket purchased with their Liberté card, as well as customers benefiting from a negotiated 1st class fare or with Grand Voyageur Le Club status. " The changeover to the new name is underway, on signage, outdoor advertising and digital media... "says a company spokeswoman.
(*) Paris Nord Régus, Paris Montparnasse, Paris Gare de Lyon, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Marseille, Nantes, Rennes, Lille Flandres and Lyon Part-Dieu.
