The Thai Royal Orchid Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) is located airside in the main departure hall of terminal 1, near gate 40. From the Duty Free shopping area of the departure level (6th floor), take the elevator up to the mezzanine level (7th floor) and follow the signs for the airline lounges. The other lounges on this level include the Emirates Lounge, United Club, Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse and the two Plaza Premium Lounges (Priority Pass and pay per use).
Access to the Thai Royal Orchid Lounge is open to passengers traveling in business or first class on Thai Airways/Star Alliance partner airlines and Star Alliance Gold members traveling in any class on Thai Airways/Star Alliance partner airlines. The lounge is open from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM.
The balcony style lounge is located on the mezzanine level and overlooks the boarding gates below, ramp and runway. The Thai Royal Orchid Lounge is a smaller lounge but the open rooftop and high ceiling of the airport make the lounge feel very open, airy and spacious. The large windows of the terminal let in a lot of natural lighting and provide for some great people watching and plane spotting outside.
First class passengers have a dedicated area on the right side of the lounge. It’s nothing special but it does have a private seating area with low leather armchairs and tables and an open, self-serve alcohol station with upgraded beverages. The first class area is spacious, elegantly decorated and covers a significant amount of real estate along the windows of the lounge.
As you enter the lounge, there is a large open business center located in the middle of the lounge. There are several desks with PC computers, a printer/copier and fax machine. The desks are wide enough for you to spread out and get some work done and come with partitions to give you a little bit of privacy. Unfortunately, the business center is located at the entrance of the lounge so you will get a lot of foot traffic going by. Password protected WiFi was provided throughout the lounge.
The dining area and self-serve buffet stations are located behind the business center. Food-wise, there was a good selection of both Asian and western dishes for breakfast from scrambled eggs and sausages to dim sum and noodles. Those with a sweet tooth can indulge in snacks such as pastries, cookies and ice cream. Alcohol is provided in the lounge but there was only a small selection of spirits, wines and beers during my morning visit. The spread was nothing special but good enough to fill your belly.
Beyond the dining area is the main seating area with some hideous armchairs and tables. I don’t know why Thai does this but their selection of colors and design décor can be so tacky. Just like in their other lounges, there were a lot of purple, green and browns cloth chairs that have seen better days. They should have just used the same leather chairs from the dedicated first class area.
Here’s a tip. The electrical outlets are located randomly throughout the main seating area but are hidden underneath metal covers on the floor. Just look for the metal plates on the ground and flip up the cover to reveal a Hong Kong standard electrical outlet. There are no flight information display boards in the lounge so you will have to keep track of your flight on your own.
Unlike in Bangkok, there are no spa services provided here but there are two massage chairs that you can use. Other than here, there were no other places to lie down and kick your feet up.
To the left of the main seating area, there is a TV viewing area and an enclosed TV room with some nice leather chairs. The TV room seemed really nice and might be reserved for their Royal Orchid Plus elite members but at the time of my visit, it was open to everyone.
There are restrooms located within the lounge and there’s a single showers suite located inside the restrooms. I think it’s just on a first come, first served basis but check with the front desk to see if there’s a queue. I didn’t shower during my visit and it was occupied when I peeked my head in so I don’t know what amenities are provided.
Overall, the Thai Air Royal Orchid Lounge at HKG is a decent place to kill a couple of hours before your flight. The lounge itself is not very large but with only a handful of flights departing daily to Thailand, the Royal Orchid Lounge was fairly empty, quiet and clean. The food spread was decent and was on par with their other international lounges. I liked the variety of both Asian and western dishes for breakfast and the lounge was kept clean with employees busing tables and refilling food items. Compared to the other Star Alliance Lounges at Hong Kong, I would rank the Thai Air Royal Orchid Lounge lower than both the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge and the United Club nearby.
The other reviews related to this series include:
- Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge at Hong Kong
- Regal Airport Hotel, Hong Kong
- Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge at Hong Kong
- United Club at Hong Kong
- Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge at San Francisco
