After spending some time in Cathay Pacific’s “The Wing” Business Class lounge, I decided to do a little lounge hopping. It just so happened there was a Plaza Premium Lounge next door, making that easy. This was only a short (~30 minute) visit, but this lounge is quite crowded, with a couple of decent food options.
Note: this is part of my trip report series covering my around-the-world trip to Taiwan in January, 2024. Click here for the trip report index and introductory post.
Plaza Premium Lounge Hong Kong Gate 1
Access
Any passenger in any class of service can access the Plaza Premium Lounge. The following passengers receive complimentary access:
- Priority Pass members (2-hour maximum stay)
- Diners Club and Amex Platinum cardholders (3-hour maximum stay)
- Certain Hong Kong-issued credit cards, such as Citibank or HSBC
The Capital One Venture X card previously included complimentary access to most Plaza Premium Lounges. Unfortunately, Capital One discontinued that benefit effective March 1, so you can only access these lounges indirectly via the Priority Pass membership that comes with the card. If you don’t have a mechanism for complimentary access, you can buy a day pass instead. However, pricing is quite steep – HKD 650 ($85) for a two-hour pass, or HKD 875 ($114) for a 5-hour pass. Trust me, this lounge isn’t worth that kind of money.
Location
Important note: there are three Plaza Premium lounges in HKG Terminal 1. These are at Gates 1, 35, and 60. This review covers the lounge near Gate 1. The entrance is on Level 6, next door to The Wing lounge at Gate 2.
If you have a late departure or a short overnight layover, the lounge is open 24 hours a day. However, there aren’t any formal sleeping areas in the lounge, so you’ll just have to spread out at a seat.
Plaza Premium Lounge Hong Kong Gate 1 – Review
Date of visit: January 28, 2024
One thing you may notice in the photo above is the “take a number” kiosk at the entrance. That should give you an idea of the overcrowding issues at this lounge. At the time of my visit, though, you could just walk right in without a wait.
Once inside, the lounge basically consists of one large rectangular room with two distinct seating areas. You’ll notice two things immediately when comparing this lounge to The Wing next door. First, this lounge entirely faces the interior of the terminal. The result is a decidedly dungeon-esque feel, with no natural light. Second, boy is it busy. While I did find an empty seat, they were few and far between.
Anyway, one section is a more traditional lounge area, with a mix of lounge seats and work pods. Plugs are plentiful, both in the chairs and the work pods. WiFi is free in the lounge, and seemed reasonably fast during my short visit.
There is a flight departures board at the back of the lounge if you need departure information.
It’s all nice enough, just very crowded.
Meanwhile, the other half of the lounge features a very large dining area. While I’ve seen dining areas of this size before, in this case, it’s actually considerably larger than the main sitting area. Guests can choose from a variety of communal tables and private booths. Note that the lounge does offer in-seat ordering via QR code. It’s the same food available at the buffet or noodle bar, but a server will bring it straight to your seat.
I did see a smattering of plugs in the dining area, both in the booths and at the communal tables.
The middle of the dining area features kind of a weird looking counter with no seats. It seemed both the lounge and passengers used it as a storage area.
For the food selection, as mentioned earlier, the lounge includes both a buffet and a limited noodle bar. The buffet looked…decidedly unimpressive, with a couple of pasta dishes, along with plain and fried rice.
If you prefer salad, there is also a small salad bar next to the hot items.
Finally, there is a selection of spring rolls. I wasn’t all that hungry after eating in The Wing, but I did try one of these. It actually was pretty decent.
The lounge also features a limited noodle bar. To start, there is a single basket of dim sum, along with a couple of hot soups.
Meanwhile, the noodle bar offers a single selection, Hong Kong-style fish ball soup.
And if you must, you can help yourself to a snack tower of sadness (though not much of a tower in this case).
As far as cold beverages go, you can choose from citrus-and-mint-infused water, orange juice, and a Coke machine. If you prefer plain water, there is a fountain next to the Coke machine.
You can make yourself a coffee from the push-button machine if you want.
But if you want a coffee, you’re better off ordering one from the barista instead. A cappuccino from the Lavazza machine will be FAR better than what you can get pushing a button.
I wasn’t here for very long to try it, but the lounge offers a rudimentary selection of house beer and wine.
Overall, I rate the food and beverage selection as fair. The buffet doesn’t look great, but the fish ball soup is unique at least, and you can get barista-made coffee. Plaza Premium now offers the “Lounge to Go” concept at this lounge, whereby you can order food to take with you. That’s actually not a bad use of this lounge if you have free access.
The lounge offers shower suites, which is a nice feature for a contract lounge. However, expect a significant wait given how crowded the lounge is. Also, if you access the lounge with Priority Pass, there is an additional charge to use the showers.
Final Thoughts
As with too many Priority Pass lounges these days, the Plaza Premium Lounge Hong Kong Gate 1 gets quite congested, and the stuffy, windowless space makes it feel uninviting. If you have free access, the “Lounge to Go” option isn’t so bad, as a way to get a not terrible meal for free to take on the plane. But if you have to pay? No way, not at anything close to the $85 Plaza Premium wants to charge.
