Encalm Privé and Xenia: India’s Most Exclusive Airport Lounges
Updated as of 7 Oct 2026. Prices from Delhi Airport’s Encalm page and encalm.com, including tax.
For years an Indian airport lounge meant one thing: a crowded buffet you got into by tapping a credit card. Encalm Hospitality changed that at Delhi. It built two lounges your card mostly can’t open: Encalm Privé, a business-class lounge, and Encalm Xenia, a 50-seat first-class lounge with table service, a spa and a bedroom. Here’s what each one is, who gets in, and whether paying ₹12,000 for Xenia ever makes sense.
- 🥇 Xenia is Delhi T3 international only. Walk-in is ₹12,000 for 2 hours, or ₹7,000 to upgrade from Privé.
- 🥈 Privé is at Delhi T3 international, Delhi T1 domestic and Hyderabad international. Walk-in is ₹4,000–5,150.
- ✈️ A business-class boarding pass alone doesn’t get you in. Only airlines that have a contract with Encalm send their passengers here.
- 💳 Priority Pass and normal card lounge access don’t work at Privé or Xenia; they get you into the regular Encalm Lounge. The only bank-confirmed card route into Xenia is ICICI’s Times Black, with a spend condition.
Encalm’s three tiers
| Encalm Lounge | Encalm Privé | Encalm Xenia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meant for | Everyone with a card or ticket | Business class | First class |
| Where | Delhi, Hyderabad, Goa Mopa | Delhi T3 international (Level 3), Delhi T1 domestic, Hyderabad international | Delhi T3 international only (Level 4, above Privé) |
| Food | Buffet | Buffet with live counters, bar | À la carte from a tablet menu, champagne bar, tea trolley |
| Extras | Basic | Spa, gym, nap pods, showers, kids’ area, buggy to gate | Massages, private dining room for 8, a guest bedroom, private showers, buggy to gate |
| Walk-in, adult (2 hrs) | ₹2,550 domestic, ₹4,150 international | ₹4,000 (T1), ₹5,150 (T3 and Hyderabad) | ₹12,000 |
| Child 6–11 | ₹1,800 / ₹2,900 | ₹2,800 / ₹3,600 | ₹8,400 |
| Priority Pass / card lounge access | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ❌ No |
How Encalm changed lounges in India
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Encalm opens its first lounge at Delhi T1 and announces a ₹200 crore lounge plan. A spa follows in September; the T3 international lounge opens in December |
| Jul 2023 | Encalm Privé launches at Delhi T3, billed as India’s biggest lounge at about 22,000 sq ft, and it doesn’t take credit card guests |
| Jan 2025 | Privé opens at Hyderabad international |
| Nov 2025 | Encalm Xenia opens above Privé at Delhi T3: a first-class lounge, something India’s airports hadn’t had outside airline-run lounges. Encalm also ends its DreamFolks tie-up and runs card access itself |
| Jan 2026 | A Privé opens at Delhi T1 domestic, run by an all-women team |
The big change is the idea of tiers. Until Encalm, an Indian lounge was a single room that every card, airline and pass shared, so it got crowded. Encalm split the crowd. Card traffic goes to the regular Encalm Lounge, airline business class goes to Privé, and first class gets Xenia, with walk-in prices high enough to keep each tier quiet. That’s how Singapore, Doha and Dubai have worked for years, and it’s new for India.
Inside Encalm Privé, Delhi T3
Privé is on Level 3 of the international pier, after security and immigration, next to the pharmacy and the lift bank. It’s enormous, built for about 400 guests, and modelled on the Emirates lounge in Dubai and British Airways’ Galleries at Heathrow. The look is soft lighting, muted tones, plants, high ceilings and big windows onto the tarmac. Because most cards can’t get you in, it’s usually half empty.
| Zone | What’s there |
|---|---|
| Lounge seating | Solo armchairs, family booths, window chairs, and a kids’ play corner near the entrance |
| Bar | The centrepiece, under a dramatic round ceiling. Spirits, beer, wine, mocktails included; premium bottles cost extra |
| Dining | Buffet with live counters: pasta, chaat, dosa, eggs and parathas, salad, cheese and sandwiches, breads. About ten vegetarian mains plus chicken, meat and seafood, and a big dessert spread |
| Wellness | Juice bar, quiet zone and a spa (some treatments complimentary for premium-cabin guests, others paid) |
| Gym | Treadmills, weights and yoga mats behind frosted glass |
| Rest | Sleeping pods behind glass doors, plus shower suites with fresh towels and good toiletries |
| Play and work | Gaming room with PlayStation and VR, a library-style business centre, workstations and a meeting room on request |
| Cigar lounge | Table service; cigars are paid |
| Private room | A walled-off area for VIPs and large groups |
| Getting to the gate | Complimentary buggy |
Tips: book a shower or a sleeping pod at the desk as soon as you arrive; those go first. The buggy is shared, so ask for it well before boarding.
Privé Hyderabad is smaller, about 9,500 sq ft on the mezzanine of international departures, open 24 hours, with live cooking, a grab-and-go counter and a full bar. Privé Delhi T1 is on Mezzanine Level 5 of domestic departures and is run by an all-women team.
Inside Encalm Xenia, Delhi T3
Xenia is one floor up, on Level 4, and it feels nothing like an Indian airport lounge. Reviewers compare the reception to a five-star hotel lobby and the bar to a smart hotel bar. It’s one long room for about 50 guests, split into zones, and there’s no buffet anywhere.
| Zone | What’s there |
|---|---|
| Seating | Open lounge seating on both sides, dining tables, and semi-private recliner pods, each with its own Nespresso machine and side table |
| Dining | À la carte, ordered from a tablet and cooked to order. Indian and international small plates and meals: prawn croquette with truffle, Chilean sea bass with leek fondue, dim sum, pistachio fudge |
| Bar | Moët champagne, a signature “gin and greens” cocktail, premium whiskies (reported: Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Macallan 15) and wine. Tea comes round on a trolley |
| Private dining room | Seats eight; good for a family or a business group |
| Massages | Complimentary 10–20 minute foot or head-and-shoulder massages in a separate room |
| Guest bedroom | A real hotel-style room with a TV and its own bathroom, first come, first served |
| Bathrooms | Four private bathrooms and shower suites with good toiletries |
| Smoking room | At the back |
| Getting to the gate | Complimentary golf cart |
When to go: late morning to late afternoon is the quiet window; one reviewer had the whole lounge to himself. It’s busiest around the late-night and early-morning long-haul departures. Service is very attentive, with half a dozen staff even when it’s empty. The one complaint every review shares is the 2-hour limit: there isn’t time to eat, shower, have a massage and use the bedroom.
Can a business or first class boarding pass get you in?
Only if your airline has a contract with Encalm. These are contract lounges: the airline pays for its premium passengers, so the boarding pass works only for the airlines Encalm has signed. A business-class ticket on any airline is not a key on its own.
| You’re flying… | Where you go |
|---|---|
| Emirates first class | ✅ Xenia |
| BA, Lufthansa or SWISS first | ⚠️ Reported for Xenia, but some passengers have been sent to Privé. Ask at check-in |
| Air India first | ❌ Not Xenia, per recent reports |
| Business class on a contracted airline (Emirates, Etihad, KLM, Air France and several Star Alliance and oneworld airlines have used it) | ✅ Privé |
| oneworld Emerald or other elite status only, in economy | ❌ Not Privé or Xenia |
Which credit cards get you in?
Your card’s normal lounge access, whether through Priority Pass or the bank’s own programme, gets you into the regular Encalm Lounge, not Privé or Xenia. A few top cards have special arrangements:
| Card | What you get | Status |
|---|---|---|
| ICICI Times Black (₹20,000 + GST) | Xenia for the cardholder + 1 guest, 3 hours. Needs US$5,000 of in-person (face-to-face) spend since 1 Oct 2025. Book online first; you get a QR code to show at the Privé desk. A separate limited-period offer gives Privé access, booked 24 hours ahead | ✅ Confirmed on Times Black’s site |
| Axis Reserve, Burgundy Private, Olympus, Primus | Xenia, as reported by cardholders | ⚠️ Not in Axis’s published terms |
| RBL Lumière, RBL Nova | Xenia, as reported by cardholders | ⚠️ Not in RBL’s published terms |
| HDFC Infinia, Diners Black, Amex Platinum, ICICI Emeralde Private, others | Regular Encalm Lounge only | No Privé or Xenia access we could find |
Encalm’s own membership: the Encalm Members’ Circle costs ₹1.75 lakh (50 services), ₹2 lakh (75) or ₹3 lakh (unlimited) a year. Each covers you plus two guests for its meet-and-assist service with lounge access. Encalm doesn’t say which lounge tier is included, so ask before you buy.
Is Xenia worth ₹12,000?
| You are… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Flying economy with Priority Pass | Use the regular Encalm Lounge. Xenia at ₹12,000 for 2 hours isn’t worth it for a normal departure |
| In business class, already in Privé | The ₹7,000 upgrade to Xenia is the cheapest way in. Worth it once for a special trip or a long dinner |
| A Times Black holder who has met the $5,000 spend | Book Xenia every time you fly international from T3 |
| On a long layover at Delhi | Privé at ₹5,150 is better value; Xenia’s 2-hour limit hurts most here |
| Celebrating (honeymoon, parents’ first international trip) | Xenia for two at ₹24,000 is still cheaper than a business-class upgrade, and it’s one of the best pre-flight meals at any Indian airport |
FAQ
Is there a Xenia at Mumbai, Bengaluru or Hyderabad?
No. Encalm only runs lounges at GMR airports, and Xenia is at Delhi T3 alone. Hyderabad has a Privé.
Can I use Xenia or Privé on arrival?
No. Both are for departing passengers. The T3 lounges are past international security and immigration.
Can I stay longer than 2 hours?
Not on a walk-in ticket. Times Black’s benefit gives 3 hours. Time your arrival around boarding.
DealUni take
Encalm has given India its first proper lounge ladder, and Xenia is the first Indian lounge that feels like Doha or Singapore rather than a food court. For most of us, the smart moves are Privé when flying business on a contracted airline, the ₹7,000 upgrade to Xenia for a special trip, and Times Black if you want it free. Don’t buy a card because a forum says it opens Xenia. Until the bank puts it in writing, carry the walk-in fee.
Lounge wahi, jo shaant ho. (A lounge is only a lounge if it’s quiet.)
Sources: Delhi Airport (DIAL) Encalm page, Encalm Privé, Encalm Members’ Circle and Times Black Xenia benefit, all checked 7 Oct 2026. Airline access and card reports are from published reviews and cardholder reports from 2024–26 and can change without notice. DealUni is not affiliated with Encalm.
