Italo vs Trenitalia, who has the better lounge at Roma Termini station?
Rome Termini is the beating heart of Italy's railways with about 850 trains and 480 thousand passengers a day, a total [...]
Roma Termini is the beating heart of Italy's railways with about 850 trains and 480 thousand passengers a day, totaling about 175 million travelers a year. Numbers that make it the busiest in our country and fifth busiest in Europe.
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Presiding over the station are Trenitalia, with high-speed, intercity, and regional services, and Italo with only HS services. Such high passenger numbers have led the two companies over the years to open dedicated spaces for their most loyal customers and business clients. In terms of lounges, 2023 has brought a real revolution to the Roman airport, with the opening of new and larger spaces, with more services and more seats. A challenge within a challenge, the one between Italo and Trenitalia, brought - as well as on the plane of on-board services - on hospitality in the station.
Access and services
Keep in mind that Trenitalia and Italo diversify their in-station offerings according to the stations where the halls are located.
Trenitalia
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The national airline offers two types of service, called FrecciaClub and FrecciaLounge. The former available in the stations of Roma Tiburtina, Torino Porta Nuova, Torino Porta Susa, Bari, Salerno, Padua, Venezia Mestre, Venezia Santa Lucia, and Verona Porta Nuova; the latter located in the stations of Roma Termini, Milano Centrale, Bologna Centrale, Firenze Santa Maria Novella, and Napoli Centrale.
In the ArrowClub it is possible to gain access with Silver, Gold or Platinum CartaFRECCIA, or with an Executive or Business Lounge ticket or a carnet 10 trips or 15 trips 1st class/Business, as well as by purchasing single entry at a price of 20€ or an annual or semi-annual subscription at the time of booking. Access allowed in the 4 hours prior to train departure and up to 1 hour after arrival (for status and Executive/Business Lounge ticket holders). Services offered include ticketing, assistance, private restroom, access to PortaleFrecce infotainment with free Wi-fi, self-service counter with sweet and savory snacks, hot and cold beverages, and cafeteria.
In the more presigious ArrowLounge the same FrecciaClub customers can access, except for CartaFRECCIA Argento holders. The services offered are pretty much the same. The real upgrade is on the food, where it is possible to find a real bistro area, with a selection researched according to the time of day (breakfast, aperipranzo, apericena), as well as on the areas dedicated to those who, while waiting for the train, want to work.
Italo
Italo offers its most loyal customers in the Privilege and Platinum levels, as well as passengers with a ticket in the Club Executive environment and holders of Italo American Express Credit Card vouchers, the opportunity to access Italo Club lounges in the stations of Roma Termini, Milano Centrale, Napoli Centrale, Firenze Santa Maria Novella, Venezia Santa Lucia and Torino Porta Susa.
Status holders may also bring a companion with them, as long as they travel on the same train. Access is provided only on departure, not on arrival, and up to 3 hours before departure.
For the past year, however, Italo has also opened access for travelers in Prima and Smart, paying €12 for stations in Rome, Milan and Florence and €8 for others.
The price difference lies in the service offered: in all lounges there is basic service with Wi-fi, power outlets, private bathrooms, sweet and savory snacks, and hot or cold beverages, including alcoholic beverages. In the lounges offering "renewed" service (quoting the company) we find a small served buffet of savory and sweet bakery and pastry products depending on the time of day (breakfast, lunch, and aperitif), a choice of packaged cocktails, white and red wine, prosecco, and soft drinks, accompanied, of course, by the cafeteria.
Location
Both lounges are located in the upper floor of the famous "dinosaur" of Roma Termini, in the ticket office area (Piazza dei Cinquecento entrance) and accessible via two dedicated escalators from the rubberized gallery, leading to the balcony. For both, there is an outdoor area set up with tables and stools, exclusive to Trenitalia, shared for Italo with the adjacent Eataly.
As the new spaces opened, however, others were closed: Trenitalia left the historic FrecciaClub on platform 1 and the new-old FrecciaLounge located on two levels near Gate E; Italo closed the now too-small lounge on the second floor of the Terrazza Termini food area. In the new lounge, Trenitalia did not skimp on floor space, with 500sqm available, almost doubling Italo's competition, which stops at "only" 300sqm.
Trenitalia
The decor chosen by Trenitalia is a mixture of business and comfort, a choice that makes the environment almost too cold and aseptic, except for the mossy walls, which give that little touch of color. They range from huge armchairs into which one would gladly sink for hours, to stools and upholstered chairs dedicated to those who want to watch from the large window overlooking the track level gallery and illuminating the room, entrance side, with natural light and beautiful amber beams at sunset. Exclusive gem is the meeting area-furnished like a real private office with TV and everything you need to work-which can be booked at the entrance desk and used for about an hour. Much appreciated is the presence of numerous bathrooms, with baby changing facilities for both men and women. Slow Wi-fi for free browsing, better for browsing the PortalFrecce.
Italo
Italo has focused on its corporate colors, with amaranth red and creamy white dominating the backlit walls and all the seating, both chairs and armchairs, with a modern cut and reminiscent of those on board the AGV train in the Living Room environment. This makes the environment to the eye warm, cozy and very spacious. Special feature, and strong point, is the ubiquity of the information screens, characterized by magic mirrors, which allow the rear projection of high-resolution LEDs. Much appreciated is the availability of newspapers and magazines. Very nice marble floors, less practical, however, the small tables, a bit too small. The only flaw already present in the old lounge, and you will notice it at the busiest times, is the presence of only two bathrooms (one men's and one women's). Good Wi-fi, especially useful when the mobile line at the station fails to provide navigation. Having the outdoor terrace shared with Eataly involves a wide passage of people who, intrigued by the environment and the large windows, create the so-called "fish in the aquarium" effect.
Food & Beverage
Trenitalia offers travelers a food service, managed by the company Itinere (which also provides the same service on board) differentiated according to time slot (breakfast, aperitif and apericena), with a large black counter that recalls the FS Group logo in its shapes. Present, always, are sweet and savory snacks in glass jars, a self dispenser (refill style in fast food) for drinks, and a water dispenser. Also available is a showcase with gourmet finger food products. In the lunchtime range, express dishes are cooked with also ham boards and a small selection of cheeses, while in the apericena range, hot margherita pizza is served. The selection of alcoholic beverages is excellent, with prosecco, wines and interesting labels (e.g., Feudi di San Gregorio). Not present, however, are cocktails.
The food proposal of Italo is, too, based on the different time slots and is served with a small buffet, manned by an operator. At breakfast you can find a selection of baked and pastry desserts, accompanied by freshly squeezed orange juice, hot chocolate and coffee; at lunch and apericena space is given to bubbles, white and red wine, lemon and orange flavored waters, freshly finished NIO-branded cocktails in pouches, and savory offerings with pizzas, rustics and puff pastry. The sweet and savory offerings are prepared in partnership with Rome's historic Pasticceria Cantiani (in the Milan lounge, it is provided by Rossopomodoro), unlike the on-board catering, which, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, is provided by Vyta.
In conclusion
Both lounges are brand new: Trenitalia's is just over six months old at the time of writing this article, while Italo's is about fifteen days old (as soon as you enter it, you can still smell the so-called "new smell" of the furniture and plaster).
On the one hand, the national airline has decided to focus on exclusivity of its environments, dedicated especially to VIP and business passengers, and on a wide food proposal; on the other hand, the Amaranth cordate has decided to combine elegance and practicality, but without skimping on food quality. Trenitalia is aiming at a clientele that often also inhabits the palaces of politics or large corporations (charging much more for admission), while Italo is aimed at a dynamic, young and always-on-the-move business clientele, with an eye also on the communication and entertainment sectors.
Italo, for the record, is the company that has most expanded its services with the opening of this new lounge, significantly increasing the number of seats and refining its proposal (always expandable in variety of choices). Trenitalia, on the other hand, seems to have wanted to focus heavily on the food proposal-more akin to the airport proposal-but at the same time wanting to reduce costs, closing the two previous halls, one of which was only five years old and had a lot of money invested in fittings and work.
In rail, market liberalization, and thus competition, has done nothing but good for the traveler for the umpteenth time.
