Last month I finally had the chance to visit the new Cathay Pacific flagship lounge: the “The Pier” First Class Lounge in Hong Kong!
If you’ve read my trip report about “The Wing” First Class Lounge in Hong Kong already, then you know: the HKG airport is a paradise for Cathay’s premium passengers, as there are four business class and two first class lounges waiting for passengers with the right ticket (or status card). Especially the new “The Pier” Lounge is said to be the new premium standard for first class passengers. I had the chance to find out for myself last month.
“The Pier” First Class Lounge: Location
While “The Wing” is located directly after security, “The Pier” lies at the complete other end of the airport near Gate 65. By foot, both lounges are around 15 minutes apart from each other – so you should use the underground train when connecting between them. The entrance to “The Pier” First Class is a bit trickier to find, as it’s just a black sign and an escalator leading downstairs.
“The Pier” First Class Lounge: Trip Report & Review
When entering the First Class Lounge downstairs, you’ll find yourself in the central corridor that connects all parts of the lounge. The first impression is outstanding already: the combination of grey stone walls, designer wood tables in the center and a very solid light concept creates a very consistent, high-quality design experience.
My first destination in the lounge was the bar (no, I don’t have an alcohol problem). The very attentive staff at the bar always fulfilled every order with a smile, and a great attention to detail:
The area around the bar is designed with a couple of different seating areas. The comfortable chairs and couches are set up with lots of space in between them to offer a good amount of privacy. Another thing to notice: the sleek lounge design of “The Pier” also continues here and adds a lot of class and style.
The whole window front offers some great views of the tarmac and the taxiways of Hong Kong airport. Due to the lounge’s location downstairs you can face an A350 “at eye-level” while reading your newspaper.
Talking about newspapers: “The Pier” offers an exceptional choice of global newspapers and magazines for free, accompanied by a glass of champagne.
If you fancy some snacks, the self-service snack buffet should be on your list: in a small room nearby the bar you’ll find a lot of smaller dishes and snacks, as well as fruit and some freshly baked goodies:
Also, there are two huge fridges on the right with additional cold snacks, as well as all the soft drinks you could ask for. There’s also another coffee machine, even though I’d always recommend getting one from the bar:
Walking further along the corridor you’ll spot a small business center on the right called “The Bureau”. It offers a couple of single workspaces with iMacs and printers:
The Pier First Class Lounge: à la Carte Restaurant
If you’re really hungry, a true highlight is waiting for you in The Pier First Class Lounge: at the other end of the corridor you’ll find a à la Carte Restaurant that has been developed in cooperation with the famous Peninsula-Hotel. The restaurant has low ceilings and is pretty large, and the interior decor (wood panels, leather couches) give the impression of an English yacht club.
The service level was ambivalent during my visit: while most of the service staff were really well-trained (e.g. when presenting and pouring the champagne at the table), another waiter just slammed my next glass on the table. The three different Cathay lounge champagnes (Moet Rose, Veuve Clicquot, Peninsula Brut) taste nonetheless:
Speaking of taste: even though the menu card only offers a couple of appetizers, mains and desserts, all of them were excellent. I chose a super tender beef appetizer as a starter:
Followed by the “Wok-fried Beef Tenderloin” as the main course with asparagus, mushrooms and satay sauce:
While the presentation of both dishes didn’t live up to other lounges (e.g. Etihad’s First Class Lounge), it was perfect for the following cheese plate:
“The Retreat”: Relax in “The Pier”
If you’re a victim of serious food coma afterwards, “The Retreat” is waiting for you: Cathay Pacific’s The Pier First Class Lounge offers multiple small cabins with a day bed where travellers can relax for up to 90 minutes. Of course the Cabanas in “The Wing” offer more space and privacy, but “The Retreat” is still a great place to chill out for some time.
Lounge Showers in “The Pier”
One of the best features of premium lounges are lounge showers, where you can refresh between two longhaul flights. Another highlight of the “The Pier” First Class Lounge are the excellent shower rooms that Cathay Pacific offers:
The lounge design is also kept consistent here: the shower rooms are built with grey stone walls, bright wooden elements and golden faucets. High-quality cremes and shower gels as well as a super refreshing rain shower are a class of its own and outshine most other lounge showers I’ve used. One little detail that I also liked: finally a lounge shower with enough space to put your bags and clothes!
After a very refreshing shower and a last “Betsy Beer” it was time to leave “The Pier” and board my plane. What Cathay Pacific offers here in its premium lounge is on par with the best lounges around the world and transforms boring stopovers into a luxurious experience.
“The Pier” First Class Lounge: Access
The following travellers can use “The Pier” in Hong Kong:
- First Class Travellers departing HKG with Cathay Pacific or Cathay Dragon, or a Oneworld partner airline
- Diamond members of Cathay’s own Marco Polo Club
- Emerald Oneworld members
