Review: Plaza Premium Lounge (West Hall), Hong Kong

I’d built in a layover in Hong Kong to catch up with a friend before heading back to India. So, after my Hong Kong Airlines flight to Hong Kong, I stepped into the city for a bit.

If you miss a flight in Hong Kong, you can’t blame the city’s infrastructure. Though the airport is a bit far from downtown Hong Kong, the connectivity is excellent. If you are taking the express train, you can check-in your bags at the station itself.

Though my bags were checked through, I still had to get my lounge invitation as I was flying Jet Airways to Delhi. After my meeting with my friend at Central, home to Tim Ho Wan, I headed to the city check-in desks. The agent there informed me that I’d have to pick up my invite at the airport.

So, I hopped onto a train and was at the airport in 20 minutes. The check-in queues at the counters were long, but I could use the priority counters as a JetPrivilege Platinum. By the time I got my lounge invite, it was 10:35 AM already. I was a bit sceptical about whether or not I’d have enough time to go to the lounge, but I cleared both security and passport control in just five minutes.

Jet Airways uses the Plaza Premium Lounge (West Hall) at Hong Kong. There are at least 3 Plaza Premium lounges at Hong Kong airport, but the West Hall one is near Gate 40. The lounge is on level seven so take the closest elevator or escalator near the gate. At the lounge, I handed over my boarding pass along with the lounge invite and the executive there put two stamps on my card. One of them specifically mentioned that I was invited by the airline.

Next on the agenda was hitting the showers. The lounge itself does not have showers, and you have head to their Shower and Relaxation lounge over at Gate 60. Luckily I got a slot right away, and I hopped into the shower room.

My first impression of the shower room was how big it was! I’ve seen homes in Mumbai which are smaller than this room. I wasted no time and got out in 10 minutes. The water was hot, and the water pressure was good.

I headed back to the main lounge after that. The lounge was massive, with multiple seating zones. Your options ranged from cubicles, couches, cafe style tables and chair and more. While walking around, I saw that a part of the lounge was cordoned off for airline invitees. I entered this area, and immediately a staff member asked for my boarding pass. Now I get the purpose of the stamp.

Plaza Premium Lounge, Invite-Only Area

Outside the invite-only area was a broad spread of food and beverages, with many hot and cold options. There were multiple bars stocked with premium alcohol if you cared for a drink.

I was neither hungry nor up for a drink at this hour, so I headed back to the invite-only area. A couple of minutes later, I glanced through the hot options there and found that they were serving fresh samosas. Ajay tells me that the lounge makes it a point to include Indian options around the time when Jet Airways guests trickle in.

By the time I got done, boarding had already commenced. I stopped by at the restroom which was spotless before heading to my gate.

Bottomline

Hong Kong’s Plaza Premium lounge is a massive lounge with different ambiences to suit different kinds of travellers. The food and beverage spread as expansive and was good enough for a full meal. Too bad I couldn’t spend a lot of time here.

The Lounge can be accessed via Priority Pass or you can buy access via Lounge Buddy as well.

What has been your experience while using the Plaza Premium Lounge West Hall Hong Kong?