Verizon Center has inked a naming rights deal with Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways for its new VIP club at sports and entertainment arena in Washington DC, US. According to media reports, the newly named Etihad Airways Lounge opened on the event level at Verizon Center on October 10, 2015. The lounge features a state-of-the-art visual technology, first-class menu offerings and a completely new game day experience for VIP season-ticket members.
Announcing the launch a day earlier on October 9, Jim Van Stone, chief revenue officer of venue owners and operators Monumental Sports & Entertainment, told the media: “We’re thrilled to be able to have a global and prestigious partner in Etihad Airways when it comes to the naming of the new VIP club at Verizon Center. Their international brand is known for world-class hospitality and service, and the Etihad Airways Lounge will offer our VIP season-ticket members an unprecedented game day experience.”
At 10,000 square feet, the Etihad Airways Lounge is the largest hospitality space in the arena and will host Capitals and Wizards VIP season-ticket members. State-of-the-art technology will include large video walls and integration of the STRIVR Labs virtual reality technology. All Etihad Airways Lounge staff will sport Etihad-branded uniforms.
“Etihad Airways is proud to introduce the Etihad Airways Lounge at the Verizon Center, which extends our exclusive airline partnership with Monumental Sports & Entertainment and further reinforces our long-term commitment to the Washington, DC, market,” said Peter Baumgartner, chief commercial officer at Etihad Airways. “We look forward to providing our Etihad Airways Lounge guests with a world-class relaxation, dining and entertainment experience – just as we do every day on board our daily non-stop flights between the capital cities of Washington, DC, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).”