The United Club at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) is located in the northwest concourse of terminal 1, near gate 60. From the Duty Free shopping area of the main departure level (6th floor), take the elevator up to the mezzanine level (7th floor) and follow the signs for the airline lounges. The other airport lounges on this level include the Emirates Lounge, Thai Royal Orchid Lounge, Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse and the two Plaza Premium Lounges (Priority Pass and pay per use). The United Club Hong Kong will be located on your left hand side.
Note: This review was first published in September 2016.
Access to the United Club Hong Kong is open to passengers traveling in First of Business Class on United or Star Alliance partner flights, Star Alliance Gold members and United Club pass holders. If you’re desperate to get in, you can purchase a day pass for $50 USD. The lounge is open from 6:00 AM to 11:59 PM and there is a separate lounge for Global First/First Class passengers.
The balcony style lounge is located on the mezzanine level and overlooks the boarding gates, ramp and runway below. It’s actually an AVGEEK’s dream as you can see planes taxiing, landing and taking off from the comfort of your lounge chair. My favorite part was just seeing all the smaller Asian airlines that you would never see in the States. For a smaller lounge, the lounge is open, airy and actually feels very spacious.
As you enter the lounge, there is a small coat and luggage storage area on the right hand side by the entrance. Your items are not secured but I did see plenty of people storing their bags here. Immediately after the storage room is a small business center with desks, tables and private cell phone booths. There’s also a fax, copier and printer machine but as you can see, were all out of order. Password protected WiFi was provided throughout the lounge and it was decently fast.
As for the main seating and dining areas, there were a variety of seating options from low tables and chairs to leather armchairs and bar tables. Electrical outlets were located throughout the various seating areas but were annoyingly not by any of the tables one would use a laptop at. Additionally, a travel adapter will be needed as electrical outlets were standard Hong Kong outlets and not US standard or universal electrical outlets. There were flight information display boards located throughout the lounge and boarding announcements were made for United flights only.
During my visit to the United Club Hong Kong, the two shower rooms located in the lounge were under renovation but at the time of this post, they have been completed and open for use. The lounge can get packed and there might be a wait for the showers. If you desperately in need of one, you can also try the Thai Royal Silk Lounge nearby or the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge located near gate 15 (requires a train ride). As for snoozing, there were no recliners, day rooms or other places to lie down. It’s sitting room only but I guess if you are tired enough, you can get some peace and quiet in one of the cell phone booths in the business center.
Food-wise, at the time of my visit, 10:30 AM on a Sunday, they were already switching over from breakfast to lunch. Much better than any domestic United Club, the self-serve buffet was pretty good with a selection of cold items such as sandwiches, salads and pastries and hot food items such as soup, pasta, roasted chicken and potatoes. If you’re looking for something more Asian authentic, there are two “make your own noodle” stations. For alcohol, there was a small selection of wines, spirits and beers.
Overall, the United Club Hong Kong was a nice place to kill a few hours before our flight. The people watching below was great and the plane spotting was fantastic. The United Club Hong Kong is not very large, certainly not as large as the United Club Tokyo Narita. But even with several flights leaving around the same time (Newark, Chicago and San Francisco), the noise level was not crazy and there were still plenty of open seats and tables available.
The food selection was very good and was on par with other international lounges. I appreciated the variety of both Asian and western dishes and the quality of the food items was above par as well. However, the United Club Hong Kong was a little messy (not bused frequently) and the lack of readily accessible outlets was a little annoying. But overall, the United Club Hong Kong is one of United’s better lounge options. Compared to the other Star Alliance Lounges at Hong Kong, I would rank the United Club Hong Kong as better than the Thai Royal Orchid Lounge but not as nice as the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge.
The other reviews related to this series include:
- Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge at Hong Kong
- Regal Airport Hotel, Hong Kong
- Thai Royal Orchid Lounge at Hong Kong
- United Club at Hong Kong
- Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge at San Francisco
