Revolut is entering airport hospitality: it is opening its first proprietary lounge in Copenhagen in 2027.
Revolut is entering the physical airport lounge segment for the first time. The first Revolut Lounge will open in 2027 in Copenhagen Airport, and the project with the Plaza Premium Group should serve as a model for expansion to other European airports.
The fintech that built its business almost entirely within a mobile app now wants to be present at one of the key places in the travel experience – at the airport. Revolut has confirmed plans to develop its own network of premium lounges, with the first one opening in Copenhagen during 2027.
Copenhagen Airport as a test for the new model
The CPH Revolut Lounge is set to be the largest common-use lounge in the Schengen area of Copenhagen Airport. The floor area, capacity, details of the offering, and exact opening date are not yet known.
The choice of Copenhagen is no coincidence. The Nordic countries are one of the markets where Revolut is growing rapidly, whilst the airport itself represents a large enough international hub for the new concept to immediately gain serious visibility. Revolut does not present the project as a one-off experiment, but as the beginning of a broader network in priority European markets.
Plaza Premium is taking over the hospitality part of the business
The operational and investment partner will be Plaza Premium Group, one of the most renowned global players in the airport hospitality segment. This means Revolut does not have to build its own organisation from scratch for managing lounges, catering and guest services.
Such a model makes sense. Managing a lounge is a fundamentally different business from developing a financial app, especially when it comes to maintaining service quality during peak airport rushes.
Lounge as a tool for selling premium subscriptions
Revolut already offers access to third-party lounges through the app. Ultra users have unlimited access to the available network included, while Premium and Metal plans offer discounted lounge passes.
However, a proprietary lounge changes the relationship with the passenger. Instead of simply mediating access to someone else's product, Revolut can control the experience, design and customer touchpoint. The company has not yet announced which subscription tiers will grant access to the new Revolut Lounges.
For the travel industry, this exact shift is more interesting. The airport lounge is increasingly becoming a loyalty product that connects finance, travel and hospitality. Revolut is thus approaching the model that American Express and other premium card issuers have spent years building – only this time it is transferring the same concept into the digital subscription economy.
Source: BT
