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Review: Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge, Doha

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Qatar Airways operates two Al Mourjan Business Class Lounges at Doha Hamad Airport. The better known is the Al Mourjan Business Lounge South, in the main terminal area. For those departing from the C, D, or E gates, though, there’s actually a more convenient satellite lounge. The Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge was a nice spot to burn a few hours. However, like the Al Safwa First Lounge, I’m not sure that I love the design.

Note: this post is part of my trip report series covering our family’s trip to India and Korea in July, 2025. Click here for the trip report index and introductory post.

Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge

Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge

Location

In the north addition to the Hamad International Airport terminal, near “The Orchard”. To reach this lounge, when coming from the central terminal area, head towards the C/D/E gates. Eventually, after gate C13, you’ll reach the large bead sculpture near the food court.

Bead sculpture at DOH

Keep walking through the duty free area, and you’ll find a flight monitor. Immediately behind that are the elevators to the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge.

Flight departure board - DOH north extension
Entrance to Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge

Beware that it is a loooong walk from the central terminal area. One that can easily take 20-30 minutes depending on how fast you walk. There is an automated people mover that saves a fair amount of time. Nevertheless, make sure you have plenty of time on your layover if you’re planning on lounge hopping here. Otherwise, it’s primarily intended for those flying out of the high C/D/E gates in the north end of the terminal.

Access

The following passengers may access the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge:

  • Qatar Airways First and Business Class passengers, except on Business Lite tickets
  • Oneworld First and Business Class passengers

If you have the misfortune of holding a Business Minus (Business Lite) fare, you can access this lounge, but only for a fee, on the same terms as Qatar Airways Economy Class passengers. Also note that oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members traveling in Economy Class DO NOT receive access to Al Mourjan lounges. Instead, you can use the Platinum & Gold Lounge North nearby.

This lounge is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Review

Date of visit: Sunday, July 6, 2025

Upon entering, the lounge splits into two halves. Turn left, and you enter the main seating area, with a couple of buffet setups. If you turn right, you reach the sit-down dining room. For this review, I’ll start with the right side of the lounge and the dining area.

Before that, though, if you look straight ahead from the entrance, you’ll see a quirky “lounge within a lounge” concept, the Louis Vuitton Lounge.

Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge - Louis Vuitton Lounge

I say “quirky” because it looks like a cross between a high-end lounge and a Tiki Bar. The entrance and bar certainly give off that swanky nightclub feel.

Louis Vuitton Lounge at DOH

But sneaking a peek inside the seating area, well, you get that touristy bar in Tahiti feel instead.

Louis Vuitton Lounge DOH seating

You also have to pay for food and drink in the lounge, and it is decidedly…not cheap.

a menu on a table

I’ll be honest, I don’t really get this concept. Sure, I guess it’s a quiet escape if the lounge is otherwise crowded. But $25 for a chicken Caesar salad? $41 for Japanese chicken curry? Or heck, $12.50 for a raspberry cookie? I don’t understand paying these prices with a “regular” lounge of this caliber.

Anyway, the dining area is fairly large, with a good variety of seating. Small tables generally dominate the side overlooking the garden and terminal. Meanwhile, larger tables are in the middle section, with some high-top seating as well. However, I also found this the one part of the lounge with the most crowding. At around 5:45 on a Sunday, we had to ask a server for help finding a place for three. He did show us to an empty high-top table towards the buffet. Not ideal with a mini-me in tow, but good enough, especially since it provided plenty of outlets.

Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge Doha - dining area

Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge Doha dining room seating

QR Al Mourjan Garden Lounge dining room seating overlooking terminal ceiling

Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge main dining area seating

QR Al Mourjan Garden Lounge dining room

QR Al Mourjan Garden Lounge dining room corridor

QR Al Mourjan Garden Lounge high-top seating

people sitting at tables in a room with people in the background

There are also two bars serving the dining area. The first is in the forward section, closer to the entrance. This is more of a walk-up bar, with seating areas all around, but nothing at the bar itself.
The second, meanwhile, is towards the back, and does have seating around the bar itself.
Also in the back corner is another small seating area, with a few departure screens. You could call this area more family-friendly, what with the extra space between seats. The sliding doors lead to a smoking room; thankfully, none of the smell leaks out into the lounge itself.
As far as food offerings go, you have a choice between a buffet and a full a la carte menu. The main buffet line contained a handful of hot dishes, primarily Indian/Middle Eastern curries, but also pasta, couscous, and soup.
There’s also a handful of bakery items, fresh fruit, and desserts.

QR Al Mourjan Garden Lounge fruit and muffins

QR Al Mourjan Business Lounge dessert tower

QR Al Mourjan Garden Lounge desserts

If you prefer tapas-style eating, there is an ample selection of hummus and tabouleh, along with some cheese and sliced fruit. On the opposite side is a selection of lavash and pita bread.

QR Al Mourjan Garden Lounge hummus, cheese, and fruit

Finally, the lounge offers a couple of self-service drink stations. There is a drinks refrigerator with soft drinks and wine in one corner of the buffet. Then, closer to the middle of the lounge, there’s specifically a water station with bottled water and mint and citrus infused water taps. Seems kind of duplicative to have water in both the refrigerator and a separate station, but at least you’ll stay hydrated.
As mentioned, the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge also offers a full a la carte menu. The menu is identical in both the Garden and regular Al Mourjan lounges. Below was the selection during our visit, but I believe it does change periodically. (You can see, though, why I said the chicken machboos is decidedly overused. Qatar serves it in the air, in the business lounge, and in the Al Safwa first lounge.) The lounge offers breakfast from 5-10:30 am, and an all-day menu from 11 am-4 am. All-day menu offerings include a create your own salad option, along with sushi.
The menu also includes a full complement of soft drinks, tea, coffee, cocktails, mocktails, and beer, wine, and liquor. But there is one highly unfortunate omission – no karak chai?

QR Al Mourjan Garden Lounge cocktails

I decided to stick to hummus and pita (and the regular hummus is incredible). My son wanted pasta, so I ordered him the pappardelle. Pardon the photo – my son started helping himself before I could take one. While he seemed unimpressed at first, he ended up eating most of it.

QR Al Mourjan Garden Lounge hummus and pita bread

QR Al Mourjan Garden Lounge pasta

Now moving back to the actual “lounging” area of the lounge. It’s essentially one large square room with a variety of seating options. Immediately after turning left from the entrance, a large sculpture welcomes you to the main part of the lounge.

Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge Doha sculpture

For most of the front 2/3 of the main seating area, there’s essentially two banks of seats. One set of traditional lounge seats in the center, and another set along the edge. I’ll start with the seats along the edge of the lounge. These are mostly in a 3 x 3 configuration, with some nice views of The Orchard and the terminal. One thing that popped out to me was the remarkable lack of crowding in the main seating area. It appeared maybe 1/3 full at 6:30 pm. Quite a contrast to the somewhat chaotic dining area.
As mentioned, there are pretty nice views of The Orchard and terminal area below from the seats along the side. The location adjacent to The Orchard also makes for very high ceilings, which makes the lounge feel even more spacious than it actually is. (And it already has more than adequate seating.)
Meanwhile, towards the back are a handful of semi-private seats. Seems like these might be more successful if the chairs faced The Orchard instead of the other way around.
Perhaps as a nod to its big brother, the Al Safwa First Lounge, a large water feature dominates the center. Flanking each side of the water feature are single seats. Personally, I’d get paranoid that my clumsy self would launch my phone into the water accidentally. But I imagine the sound of water is especially relaxing, even in the center of the lounge.
To the inside of the water feature are assorted traditional lounge seats. What makes the Al Mourjan lounge a bit different is the ample spacing between seats. The extra personal space makes the lounge feel more private, despite its large footprint. There are also a few couches if you need a bit more space.
The main seating area also features two bars, if you don’t want to head to the dining area. At the front of the seating area, the first bar includes some fresh fruit, sweet/savory snacks to munch on, and a push-button coffee machine. Though if you want coffee, go to the bar in the back and ask for one from the proper machine. Or get one from the barista at the main dining room.
Meanwhile, a second bar is at the back of the lounge. I noticed a few snack items here as well, but didn’t have a chance to look. (My assistant editor Ashok insisted we keep on moving.) It also appears a few common use computer workstations were once here. However, these were no longer in use.
If you want a shower or nap room, the attendant desk is here in the back of the main seating area. I didn’t ask to go back there, but OMAAT’s review from 2003 includes details on both.
At the far back of the seating area is a small work area. There aren’t cubicles as such, but some semi-private seats and work benches.
There are a few nice touches throughout the lounge. At select seats, you’ll find wireless charging pads. And they actually worked! Standard power ports are also readily available throughout the seating area.
There’s also some tasteful art throughout the lounge, including these silver-plated leaves.
My son also took a picture of these barriers along the terminal-side wall, which are rather nice I’ll admit.
Finally, if you’d rather not keep your bags with you, there is a luggage storage room by the entrance.

So I mentioned in the opening paragraph that I liked the lounge, but didn’t necessarily love it. And that has to do with the design, or specifically, the minimalist overtones that bleed through. Like the Al Safwa lounge, there’s just too much coldness interspersed with some genuinely warm notes like the view of The Orchard. The design seems confused, which mars an otherwise very solid experience.

Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge – Final Thoughts

Overall, this is a very good Business Class lounge. There’s plenty of seating, and the view of The Orchard and a la carte dining are plusses. And its proximity to the garden, combined with the tall ceilings, make this lounge feel even more spacious. Like I mentioned, though, the design is the one element I can’t quite wrap my head around. Is it a tribute to minimalism, or is it not? Nevertheless, purely from an amenities perspective, this is a top Business Class lounge and well worth a visit.

 

 

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About Sriram Srinivasan

Sriram is an aficionado of all modes of travel, by land, air, and sea. A recovering frequent business traveler, he shows how to make the most of your vacation time, even without status.