We like a good airport lounge, and they keep getting better, with tasty food, proper bars, and sometimes even outdoor terraces. No wonder some have a line out the door. While we’ll still take the extra sleep before a 6 a.m. flight, we’ll go out of our way for lounges with haircuts, afternoon tea, or spa treatments. And as basic business class fares cut back on lounge access, getting in with a credit card or elite status is becoming a bigger perk.

No credit card gets you into Hôtel du Marc, though. Even if money’s no object, you can’t book a room at Veuve Clicquot’s six-room mansion in Reims without an invitation from the Champagne house. Guests who make the list even get to meet Nicole, a stuffed ostrich named after Madame Clicquot herself. If you don’t make the cut, you can still book a tour and tasting in the house’s chalk cellars on an easy day trip from Paris.

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Don’t have lounge access? Walk to the farthest gate in your terminal. It’s usually quieter than the main concourse and gives you a little room to kill time before boarding.

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You could be the richest person in the world and still not get a room at this place in France. The only way in is if a Champagne house invites you.

Welcome back to Departure Digest. Today, the invite-only mansion behind one of the world’s most famous bottles of bubbly, and my take on whether airport lounges are overhyped.

First stop, Champagne.

The place is called Hôtel du Marc, and it belongs to Veuve Clicquot. It’s a mansion in Reims with just six guest rooms.

You have to be invited, and the guest list is usually friends and family of the house, business partners, wine professionals, and writers. Apparently, only about 2,000 people a year get to stay, so if anyone at Veuve Clicquot is listening, I’m free most weekends.

The mansion dates back to 1840, and each room is tied to a country that’s important to the brand, like Italy, Japan, and the U.S. There’s also a Yayoi Kusama sculpture in the entryway, a bar stacked floor to ceiling with bottles of Veuve, and a stuffed ostrich named Nicole, after Madame Clicquot herself.

Dinner is the main event. The house’s chefs cook a multi-course meal, and every course is paired with Veuve, including its top-of-the-line bottles.

What I love is that it’s less like a hotel and more like an invite to your rich friend’s vacation home, if your rich friend also owned a Champagne house.

If you want a taste anyway, you can book a tour and tasting in the house’s chalk cellars down the street. Reims is under an hour by train from Paris, so it works as a day trip.

Most of us aren’t getting that invitation, but a lot of you already carry an invite to somewhere else in your wallet, and that’s airport lounge access.

I’ve been seeing a lot of people online debating whether lounges are overhyped, so here’s where I land.

I like a good lounge, but I like sleep more, so when I have a 6 a.m. flight, I’d rather have the extra half hour in bed.

The rest of the time, it depends on the lounge and how much time I have. If I’ve got an hour and there’s sit-down dining or something unique, like a free facial or massage, I’ll go out of my way for it. But if it’s cheese cubes, boxed wine, and a crowd, I’d rather find a quiet gate.

That’s also why I love the new grab-and-go setups at some lounges. You can pick up a free sandwich or salad and a coffee for the flight, then be on your way.

Now to be fair, U.S. lounges have gotten a lot better, especially the credit card ones, and some now have great food, full bars, and even outdoor terraces. The catch is crowding, and sometimes there’s a line just to get in, so see if the lounge has a waitlist you can join from your phone on the way.

Overseas, though, many lounges are on another level. At Virgin Atlantic’s lounge at Heathrow, you can get a haircut and then sit down for afternoon tea. Air France’s flagship lounge in Paris has spa treatments. And at Cathay Pacific’s biggest lounge in Hong Kong, a chef makes your noodles to order. For lounges like those, I’ve picked a longer layover on purpose, and I’ve seriously considered adding a stop just to visit one.

Your lounge access may also matter more next year, because airlines are rolling out basic business class fares that cut back on it. United’s cheapest one only gets you into a regular United Club, not its fancier Polaris lounges, and Delta’s version will lose lounge access entirely.

So if you get in through a credit card or elite status, that perk is getting more valuable.

And before I let you go, a quick reminder for anyone with a Marriott stay of two nights or more before Nov. 22. Register for its fall promo by this Thursday, Nov. 13. You can earn 1,500 bonus points per stay, or up to 4,500 at a resort. Only stays you finish after registering count, so register first and forget about it.

Okay, that’s all for today, but on lounges, I’d love to hear your take. Whether you’re a lounge loyalist or a show-up-at-boarding person, reply to our email if you’re subscribed to the newsletter, or leave a comment wherever you’re listening. And Veuve Clicquot, if you need someone for a very thorough site inspection, you know where to find me. Chat with you soon.