At Doha Hamad International Airport, there are three lounges for Priority Pass cardholders to use. If you want a true lounge experience, then there’s the Al Maha Lounge located in the central transit area, near the the famous bear lamp. But if you want a quiet place to shut your eyes for a bit, then there’s the Sleep N’ Fly Sleep Lounge (also located near the bear lamp), and the Sleep N’ Fly Sleep and Shower Lounge located in the newly expanded north side of the airport. All three lounges are located within the central transit area so you can go back and forth between them without needing to pass through any additional security or immigration checks.
The Al Maha Lounge does have showers and sleep rooms but it’s also A LOT more crowded than the two sleep lounges. So depending on which time you arrive, you may have to wait just to get into the lounge, and once inside, you’re not guaranteed a shower room or a quiet place to lie down. If a shower and a quiet place to lie down are more important to you than food, then I would suggest you visit one of the two sleep lounges instead.
Both sleep lounges are operated by the same company but they offer completely different options and restrictions for Priority Pass cardholders. For example, the Sleep N’ Fly Sleep Lounge in the south node of the airport (next to the bear lamp) has restricted hours for Priority Pass cardholders and it doesn’t offer showers as part of the package. Whereas, the Sleep N’ Fly Sleep and Shower Lounge in the north node (near the new Orchard Garden) offers showers but a less-private sleep experience for Priority Pass cardholders.
Because I was arriving from a 15-hour flight from Los Angeles, a shower was more important to me than sleep so I went with the Sleep N Fly Sleep and Shower Lounge in the north node. To get to the Sleep N’ Fly Sleep and Shower Lounge, make your way to the central transit area and head towards gate C1. From there, take the escalator to the second floor and take the free tram to the C gates. Exit the tram, go downstairs, and follow the signs for gate C30. The Sleep N’ Fly Sleep and Shower Lounge will be located across from gate C30/C31.
The Sleep N’ Fly Sleep and Shower Lounge Doha is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and there are no restricted hours for Priority Pass cardholders. But keep in mind that you do need a Priority Pass membership issued by Chase Bank to use this lounge free of charge. That’s because Priority Pass memberships provided by American Express, Citibank, and Capital One only provide access to actual lounges, such as the Al Maha Lounge, and not non-lounge “experiences” such as the Be Relax Spas, Gameway Lounges, restaurants, and sleep lounges such as the Sleep N’ Fly. Chase is the only bank that still offers this benefit (for now) so let’s hope they don’t follow the trend and get rid of of it any time soon. Update: Thank you to fellow blogger, Rocky, for pointing out that Priority Pass memberships provided by American Express and Chase do provide complimentary access to the Sleep N’ Fly lounges.
When you check in at the front desk, you will be given two options: 1) with a shower or 2) without a shower. If you choose the shower option, you will only get a 2-hour sleep experience included but if you choose to forgo the shower, then you will get a 3-hour sleep experience. I chose the shower option, which is what I really needed after a 15-hour flight. The individual shower rooms weren’t the most spacious but they were private and clean. Inside, there was a sink, a walk-in shower stall, and a little sitting area. Towels, shower caps, and wall-mounted bottles of soap, shampoo, hair conditioner, and body lotion were provided complimentary.
However, dental and shave kits were not provided complimentary. You must pay for those at the front desk for $3 a piece.
Once you’re done with your shower, you walk back to the front desk and they will then assign you a sleep pod in a communal room for two hours. There are 14 sleep pods per room and they are not private by any means but they are quieter than the sleep room in the Al Maha Lounge.
Inside the sleep pods, you will find a pillow, blanket and an electrical outlet to charge your phone. The sleep pods also have a manual cover that can be retracted to give you some privacy but there are holes cut out in the cover, which allow light and noise to enter the pod. Earplugs are provided free of charge and you will need them as you can hear others snoring in the room.
Now, the Sleep N’ Fly Sleep and Shower Lounge does have private sleep rooms but these are not part of the Priority Pass deal. I’m not sure if you can pay an additional upcharge to book them but if you can, I would try to get one of these. They aren’t large but they are way more private than the communal pods.
Sleep N’ Fly Sleep and Shower Lounge Doha Bottom Line
Overall, I can see the Sleep N’ Fly Sleep Lounge Doha being a valuable benefit for some Priority Pass cardholders but for me, I was only able to take advantage of half the deal. The shower was much appreciated but I found the sleep experience to be a little awkward. I’m just too old to be sleeping in a dorm room and I found the lack of privacy to be very uncomfortable. After my shower, I grabbed my belongings and made my way to the Al Maha Lounge to get some food and kill some time before my connecting flight to Male. That being said, transit hotels at Doha Airport are quite pricy so this might be worth it for a few hours.
What are your thoughts? Have you used the Sleep N’ Fly Sleep Lounge at Doha International Airport? If so, please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!
The other posts in this series include:
- American Express Centurion Lounge LAX
- Qatar Airways A350-1000 Economy Class, Los Angeles to Doha
- Al Maha Lounge Doha, a Priority Pass Lounge
- Sleep N’ Fly Sleep Lounge Doha, a Priority Pass Lounge
- Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER Economy Class, Doha to Male
- Fairmont Maldives Overwater Villa
- Fairmont Maldives Grounds, Amenities and Dining
- Leeli Lounge Male
- Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER Business Class, Male to Doha
- Qatar Airways Arrivals Lounge Doha
- Qatar Airways A350-1000 Business Class, Doha to Los Angeles
