Thai Royal Orchid Lounge Review Hong Kong Airport
Royal Orchid Lounge at Hong Kong airport is situated at a mezzanine where several other lounges are also situated. Unlike Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge located at Gate 15, the other two Star Alliance lounges at HKG are both located at Gate 40.
It's quiet a walk after you take the escalator up to floor level 7 and after walking past Emirates Lounge and Plaza Premium Lounge, with another long pathway (maybe I took the wrong escalator?) I finally saw the signs lead to the lounge entrance.
Since I mistakenly walked the furthest way to the lounge, feeling frustrated and I started to slouch walking, then all of a sudden, at the end of the hallway, I saw a Thai air hostess smiling at me (as shown picture below), thinking it was a real person and immediately adjusted my posture and put up a smile for several seconds only realising that I've been smiling at a piece of cardboard all along, talking about irony.
When I finally made my way to the counter to check in, with the artificially-boosted politeness by the cardboard lady, the three agents manning the desk were laughing with each other on something on their phones, and ignored me for quiet a moment before scanned my boarding pass, the Royal Orchid Lounge is on the left while a dedicated area for first class passengers is on the right side.
Lounge Admission:
Business or First Class Passengers on Thai Airways or Star Alliance Partner Airlines.
Star Alliance Gold Status Holders travelling on Thai Airways or Star Alliance Partner Airlines regardless of class.
Seating Area:
The lounge is not young, but due to the white marble on the floor, and open ceiling with high roof, those little-dated armchairs with its contrasting bright colour does not look old at all, instead it still kept its stylishness.
There are other seating arrangements as well on the side of the lounge, while the main seating space around the serving counters are all in bright singular colour.
There were plenty of seating space during the time I visited the lounge, which was quiet early in the morning, while the armchairs might not be the most comfortable thing you will find in lounges nowadays.
Drinks & Food:
I would say the Thai lounge has the best food and drinks offerings at all of the Star Alliance lounges at Hong Kong airport, and if you are a big fan of local delicacy offerings at lounges, you will really be fond of this one.
Liquor and Wine offerings, a standard subpar selections.
They also offer instant noodles which is a big thing in Asia, and I like those very much too. Although the lounge is Thai, but those cupped-noodles are local.
I felt like it might be too early in the morning to serve more alcohol options,(comment below if that's accurate) but they also serve many local soft-drink beverages like the soy-milk and canned-tea, both are local classics.
In terms of food, they an automated-pancakes-maker who looks still very cool til this day to me.
Dim Sum offerings, another local food feature.
Breakfast pastries, and packaged sandwiches.
Cold salad bar.
Snacks offerings on the side.
Warm dishes offerings.
Another impressive offering I find exciting is the ice cream which I didn't saw at any other Star Alliance lounges at HKG.
Amenities:
Other amenities in the lounge includes standard wifi and shower rooms, though I didn't get any pictures of the facilities.
You can find the business area with computers right behind the check in area, though I hardly see any people use it nowadays.
You can also find numerous magazines and newspapers both in Chinese and English.
Bottom Line:
I felt like this is my favourite Star Alliance lounge at HKG, mainly because they have food offerings with a local flare that suits my stomach very well and also for the ice cream for breakfast possibility. I do think that the Singapore SilverKris Lounge I've reviewed is also very high standard, and they offer some specialities as well.
I would be affirmative to say that I personally think this is the best Star Alliance lounge at Hong Kong airport, though you would have to see my review of United Club Lounge which is coming up next.
Stay Tuned.
