Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge – Sneak Peek

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Cathay Pacific has been refurbishing a number of its lounges over the past year and yesterday it offered up a preview of its Pier Business Class lounge at Hong Kong airport to a select group of guests (clearly my invitation was lost in the mail!).

The refurbished lounge has been designed to seat 550 guests comfortably and takes up over 35,500 square feet (3,300 sqm) of space adjacent to Gate 65 in the North West concourse of Hong Kong’s international airport. That almost a third larger than the lounge it has replaced.

Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong

According to Cathay Pacific:

Designed by Studioilse, the London-based design studio led by Ilse Crawford, The Pier Business Class Lounge aims to create an environment that makes passengers feel relaxed and refreshed, engaging the senses and focusing on wellbeing. Aligning with the airline’s brand ethos and reflecting the airline’s commitment to a Life Well Travelled, the overall concept has been designed around imaging the space as a street with a distinctly Hong Kong identity, enabling passengers to enjoy the facilities according to their preferred pace.

The airline definitely means it when it says customers can enjoy the facilities at their preferred pace:

The lounge experience starts from the street which is divided into “fast” and “slow” lanes. Entering the fast lane, passengers will find an array of food and beverage offerings. Among the various dining options are The Food Hall, a fun and vibrant space with self-service kiosks, and The Noodle Bar – an iconic feature of Cathay Pacific’s lounges. The Food Hall features a coffee cart, with a design inspired by street food carts found around Asia, offering freshly brewed coffee prepared by professional baristas. The Noodle Bar provides a variety of signature noodles, including the popular Dan Dan and Wonton noodles, in addition to Asian style noodles and Chinese dim sum and buns throughout the day.

Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong

The slow lane features extensive lounge seating with views out of the big glass windows and glazed timber screens. The space is anchored by Cathay Pacific’s bespoke Solo Chairs, each equipped with a built-in reading lamp and an individual side table for those looking for a quiet space to enjoy the view over the airport runway and beyond, or to catch up on their work.

Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong

I’m assuming that the “slow lane” area is also connected through to the “fast lane” food extravaganza as that’s the lane I’ll be going through when I visit in September….and I have no intention on missing the always excellent Noodle Bar 🙂

As well as all of the above, the lounge also features a “Tea House” which is described by the airline as “a quiet space which marks the transition into the wellbeing area” where “a wide selection of teas is served by a tea specialist, allowing passengers to relax with a soothing drink after a shower or before returning to the buzz of the airport”

The lounge will offer fourteen shower suites (that should cut down on wait times) and a relaxation room featuring “low upholstered loungers and footstools” which will act as a place to escape the madness that can engulf Hong Kong airport.

Accessing The Lounge

The Pier Business Class Lounge is open to the following passengers from 5:30am until the last departure.

• First Class and Business Class passengers with onward travel on a OneWorld airline
• Marco Polo Club members with silver status or higher
• OneWorld Emerald and Sapphire status holders
• Lounge pass holders

Bottom Line

Cathay Pacific are known for having some of the best lounges in the OneWorld system and, from the pictures and commentary provided by the airline, it looks like the new Pier Business Class lounge will be one of the best.

I’m fortunate enough to still have OneWorld Emerald status so, when I visit in September (during one of my trips that I booked pre the AAdvantage devaluation) I’ll get to try out both the First and Business Class lounges at the Pier – I’ll post reviews and photos as soon as I can.

All pictures courtesy of Cathay Pacific