Lounge Check
Anastasia Hedge visits the Al Mourjan Business Lounge at Hamad International Airport, in Doha
Getting there: Qatar Airways offers lounges of various tiers to guests at Hamad International Airport. The Al Mourjan Lounge is open to Qatar Airways First Class and Business Class passengers and now, according to the airline’s website, has opened up to Economy Class passengers who purchase a pass. The lounge is in the Duty-Free Plaza South, just turn left at the giant teddy bear and head up the escalator. An attendant will check your pass before you head up, to make sure you’re in the right place.
The look: Opulent but warm and friendly. Beyond the welcome desk of smiling faces, an expansive water feature with droplets of water dancing on the surface greets you. After battling temperatures of around 45C outside and a bit of a trek in heels through the huge airport, it’s tempting to throw myself in, but this is ornamental only, so the air conditioning will have to suffice. The sheer size of the lounge is astounding. At 10,000sq m, Al Mourjan feels more like a mini five-star hotel.
Techie stuff: Comfy chairs with accessible screens, plugs and charging ports are on the first floor. For those who must work, there’s a business centre, and an electronic games room to keep the kids or teens occupied next door. Wi-Fi is fast and free.
Food: A sweeping staircase or lift takes you to a mezzanine floor to eat. Buffets are set up on two tables offering Western and Middle Eastern hot and cold dishes, which you can enjoy at tables overlooking the bustling airport. We instantly regret having a big breakfast and such a short window to enjoy lunch, settling for snacks put down on our table, but other diners seem impressed. The upper level is set up for a sit-down meal but those downstairs can have sandwiches and patisserie, fit for any high tea, with a hot or cold drink.
Drinks: Wow. These bartenders look the part and there is an extensive selection of beer, wine and champagne including the Pommery and Taittinger we’ve become accustomed to on the plane. There’s also the top-shelf spirits and the cocktail of the day — a tropical number called a Blue Hurricane — that a smiling barman tries to talk me into. On such a hot day I choose to join the boys in a beer, and later venture downstairs with a cold gin and tonic, to enjoy while I charge my phone and make a few calls home to show off.
Fellow guests: Hamad International can be extremely busy and I’ve heard this lounge can get very full at times, holding up to 1000 people at any one time. Our early afternoon flight is a blessing, with no queues for food, drinks or bathrooms. It is easy to find a spot to sit, with lounge staff exceptionally attentive, coming over to our table to offer a drink when we aren’t quick enough to the bar. Qatar Airways has a very strict dress code for its Business Class travellers, but perhaps not so in this lounge, where a few passengers are in the blacklisted denim jeans, T-shirts and sandals.
Other features: Al Mourjan offers safes for those who want to leave their bags and venture off for a bit of duty-free shopping. The safes are large enough to cope with my very large laptop bag and camera gear. There are private family rooms and a place to nap in the quiet rooms (who would sleep in a place like this) and for those who must, there is a smoking room, at least for now.
The verdict: A few short hours and I feel like I only scratched the surface of what’s on offer in this lounge. After collecting my carry-on from the safe, I get a warm goodbye and leave to board, feeling relaxed. I’ll just have to go back and next time I will try the cocktail.