Review: Cathay Pacific’s The Pier business class lounge, Hong Kong
Without doubt, this is one of the world’s best business class lounges...
By David Flynn, April 12 2024
Country
China - Hong Kong
City
Hong Kong
Airport
Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA)
Alliance
oneworld
Airline
Cathay Pacific
Cabin-class
Business
Notes
The Good
- Superb design
- Great food and drink options
- Beautiful shower suites
The Bad
- The daybeds are not nap-friendly
X-Factor
- Cathay's flagship business class lounge
Introduction
Just how good can a business class lounge be? Spend some time in Cathay Pacific's flagship The Pier Business lounge at Hong Kong International Airport and you'll almost certainly have to raise your expectations.
It’s no stretch to say that The Pier Business is good enough to be a first class lounge at many smaller airlines.
Location & Impressions
The Pier business class lounge is perched at the far end of Hong Kong’s Terminal 1, adjacent to Gate 65 and still a stroll from where the spine of the terminal splits into a Y shape, which is also where the Automated People Mover brings passengers from the ‘top’ of the terminal.
And because the APM is a one-way ride, if your flight departs from a gate in the 20s or lower you’ll face a good walk back from The Pier – but this lounge is still worth the visit (and the walk will help burn off some of the calories you’ll undoubtedly consume during your visit).
Like its sibling The Pier First lounge (at gates 61-63) the entrance to The Pier Business lounge is tucked away downstairs and easy to miss if you’re not on the lookout.
Don't miss a visit to Cathay's The Pier Business lounge, Hong Kong.
And it’s a welcome haven from the busy bustle of the airport.
Shaped by top-notch designer Ilse Crawford and her team at London-based StudioIlse, The Pier’s vibe is warm, relaxed and unhurried.
Cathay's The Pier Business lounge boasts a carefully-considered elegant 'residential' design.
Signature elements include high-quality natural materials such as limestone and cherry wood, with greenery, gentle lighting and glazed timber screens creating a gentle contemporary space.
Cathay's The Pier Business lounge boasts a carefully-considered elegant 'residential' design.
Speaking of space, there’s plenty of it, with seating for almost 600 travellers at a riot of chairs, sofa lounges, benches, booths and workstations.
Cathay's The Pier Business lounge boasts a carefully-considered elegant 'residential' design.
On entering The Pier, lighten your load by stowing your carry-on kit in one of the secure luggage lockers just past the front desk, and you’ll find the rest of The Pier is laid out in front of you.
Luggage lockers at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
First up is a dining area dubbed the Food Hall...
The main dining area at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
... while further along is the Noodle Bar, which has become a fixture in Cathay Pacific lounges.
The Noodle Bar at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
Beyond that, a fully tended bar serves spirits, cocktails and wines.
The Bar at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
If you'd rather sip green tea instead of gin & tonic, keep walking until you reach the Teahouse.
The Teahouse at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
And past that, nestled at the very end of this long space, is a relaxation room with low upholstered daybeds in semi-private nooks plus fourteen spacious and well-appointed shower suites.
Daybeds at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
What’s interesting about all this is that you've walked in a straight line from the entrance of the lounge through five quite individual zones, and each of those is carefully positioned so that the busier and noisier areas are towards the front, while things continually step down a gear as you move further away from the entry.
There's also a secondary stretch of seating running parallel to the start of the lounge, primarily given over to a long sitting room with views over the airfield.
There's no shortage of seating at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
The overall effect is that The Pier Business lounge inherits a delightful aspect of ‘discovery’ for first timers, while letting regular travellers find their own preferred space to which they'll return on future visits.
There's no shortage of seating at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
Access
Cathay Pacific’s The Pier Business lounge is open to the following travellers
- business class and first class passengers on Cathay Pacific and other Oneworld airlines
- Diamond, Gold and Silver-tier members of the eponymous Cathay frequent flyer program
- Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald frequent flyers
- business class passengers and Airpoints Gold and Elite members on Air New Zealand flights from Hong Kong to New Zealand
(That said, we’d obviously suggest that first class travellers, Cathay Diamonds and Oneworld Emeralds should visit The Pier First lounge nearby.)
Cathay's The Pier Business lounge is to a go-to for Oneworld business class travellers and frequent flyers.
Cathay’s The Pier Business is one of the go-to business class lounges for most Oneworld airlines flying from Hong Kong – a roster which includes British Airways, Finnair, JAL, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas and Qatar Airways.
Alternatives for business class travellers and frequent flyers include Cathay Pacific’s The Wing Business and The Deck, and the Qantas Hong Kong Lounge (those last two would be our non-Pier picks).
Dining
Spoiler alert: You won’t go hungry at The Pier.
With The Food Hall located directly beyond the lounge’s entry, even travellers on a tight schedule can grab a quick bite to eat.
Sample some pre-flight Italian fare at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
Cathay has themed the Food Hall along Italian lines, with everything from freshly-baked pizza and focaccia to minestrone soup, a charcuterie and cheese selection and antipasto.
Sample some pre-flight Italian fare at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
Off to the left is a self-serve spread of Asian specialties including steamed pork buns, braised E-fu noodles, soups and vegetables.
The Asian buffet section at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
But the star of the show is the Noodle Bar, an iconic element for most Cathay business class lounges.
The Noodle Bar at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
Sit at the counter or one of the booths and get ready for a final taste of Hong Kong with char sui roasted barbecued pork and rice, dim sum such as siu mai and dumplings and buns, and the ever-popular wonton noodles or Shanghaiese-style dan dan mien noodles with a spicy fragrant peanut sauce.
Authentic char sui roasted BBQ pork at the Noodle Bar at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
Work
While many airport lounges are doing away with dedicated business centres, The Pier features a working space dubbed the Bureau with Apple iMacs and printers.
Laptop and tablet-toting travellers can also settle into one of the bespoke Solo chairs: a plushly padded high-walled nook with side table, reading lamp and coat hook plus AC and USB power sockets.
Getting down to work at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
Solo chairs are also dotted elsewhere around The Pier, and as you’d expect the lounge is blanketed by fast and free (password-protected) WiFi.
There’s also no shortage of AC/USB outlets: inside drawers on those elegant sidetables (shown below) as well as under the benches and booths in The Food Hall and The Noodle Bar.
We love these handy AC/USB sockets in the elegant side tables of Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
Nobody’s saying you have to work at The Pier – but it’s sure nice to have the option to do so pretty much anywhere you choose to sit, or to at least charge up your laptop, tablet or smartphone before your flight.
Plentiful AC/USB sockets and fast free WiFi at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
Relax
When you think of ‘relaxing’ in an airport lounge it's usually all about spas, quiet zones, daybeds and the like.
The always-popular bar at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
But there’s something to be said for winding down with a drink or two at the bar, especially in the company of fellow flyers, and indeed the centrally-located bar also seems to serve as a social ‘living room’ hub for the lounge.
The always-popular bar at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
My personal favourite quiet spot in The Pier Business lounge is the Teahouse.
The Teahouse is a hidden gem at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
Choose from the extensive selection of Jing teas, accompanied by delicious local snacks such as egg tarts and black sesame peanut candy.
The Teahouse is a hidden gem at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
The Teahouse is a hidden gem at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
If you’ve got a long layover, the Relaxation Room offers 14 wide daybeds for weary travellers.
The daybeds at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
But in practice, at least for an average-height (5’10”) chap like myself, I find they’re just not very comfortable.
The angled headrest is fixed in place so you end up with your head and neck propped up at an angle, while the daybed+footstool combo are simply not long enough to stretch out. Even lying at an angle or trying to curl up makes no difference.
The daybeds at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
Adjacent to the Relaxation Room are fourteen beautifully designed shower suites with limestone walls, brass fittings and an overhead rainforest outlet, with a bench to plonk down and open up your luggage.
The shower suites at Cathay's The Pier Business lounge.
Summary: The Pier Business Lounge is a business class lounge without equal, and despite the smallest of shortcomings, it’ll probably have you wishing your flight could leave just that little bit later...
QFF
12 Apr 2013
Total posts 1562
The best lounge where I have been. In matter of fact I do prefer it to Pier First where I also been.
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