Review: Plaza Premium Lounge Techo Airport Phnom Penh (KTI)

For the next part of my Iceland to The Residence via Cambodia trip, I had an extended layover at Techo Airport (KTI), which is the new airport serving Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I was arriving in Singapore Airlines’ 737 MAX business class from Singapore (SIN), and was connecting in Etihad’s A321LR first class to Abu Dhabi (AUH).

During my time at the airport, I checked out two lounges — the Plaza Premium Lounge, and the Plaza Premium First Lounge. In this post, I’d like to review the former, which is the more basic of the two contract lounges at the airport. Ultimately this is a very nice facility in a gorgeous terminal, and I loved how the lounge wasn’t at all crowded during my visit.

Plaza Premium Lounge Techo location

Techo International Airport has quite the terminal — it’s brand new, and the design is simply breathtaking. While my transit experience was bizarre, once in the airside departures area, it was all pretty pleasant.

When you’re past the security and passport control area, you’ll find the Plaza Premium Lounge and Plaza Premium First Lounge right in the center of the concourse, with one on each side (the Plaza Premium Lounge is on the right, and the Plaza Premium First Lounge is on the left). They’re one level above the concourse, so can be accessed by elevator or escalator.

Plaza Premium Lounge Techo hours

The Plaza Premium Lounge Techo is currently open daily from 6AM until 12AM, but you can expect that hours will adjust based on the flight schedules throughout the year. Regardless, the lounge should be open before virtually all departures.

Plaza Premium Lounge Techo entry requirements

When it comes to accessing the Plaza Premium Lounge Techo:

• The lounge can be accessed with a Priority Pass membership, and select credit cards also offer direct access to the lounge
• You can purchase access to the lounge on the Plaza Premium website
• This is a contract lounge, so many airlines send their premium passengers here; interestingly, I found more airlines used the Plaza Premium First Lounge as the contract lounge, rather than the Plaza Premium Lounge

At least during my time at the airport, the Plaza Premium First Lounge was significantly more crowded than the Plaza Premium Lounge, which was a bit surprising.

Plaza Premium Lounge Techo layout & seating

The Plaza Premium Lounge Techo feels modern (given that it’s brand new) and is also quite large, at least relative to how quiet it was during my visit.

As you enter the lounge, you’ll first find yourself in a room with a bunch of dining tables, each with seating for two (mostly chairs, but there are also some banquettes). While there was a drink station during my visit, the food service area was otherwise mostly empty, as the buffet in the back of the lounge was the one being used.

There’s a long hallway that leads to the other main part of the lounge, with features a variety of seating options.

This section of the lounge has the main buffet and bar area, with lots of dining tables.

There’s also a small area intended more for relaxing, with rows of seats facing one another.

The lounge then has an “open air” concept (well, within the terminal, with an indoor terrace overlooking the rest of the terminal).

The terrace area consists of a bunch of single seats facing the terminal and apron, so this area of the lounge boasts the best views.

All-in-all, I’d say it’s a pretty nice lounge setup, in particular thanks to how new and fresh it feels.

Plaza Premium Lounge Techo food & drinks

The Plaza Premium Lounge Techo has a good selection of food and drinks.

In terms of drinks, there were two separate drink stations, and each had an espresso machine, a soda fountain, juice, and beer.

Then there was a modest selection of self-serve liquor and wine.

As far as food goes, this was split up into a few different areas. One display had cold options, including fruit, salad, and finger sandwiches.

Another area had hot options, with an extensive selection.

For one, there was a live cooking station, with the choice of fish ball noodle soup and curry laksa.

Other options included spring rolls, bread pudding, pumpkin soup, mushroom penne, stir-fried vegetables, chicken teriyaki, stir-fried vermicelli, and steamed rice.

Beyond the warm bread pudding, there were several more sweets, plus some snacks, like nuts.

Plaza Premium Lounge Techo bathrooms & showers

The Plaza Premium Lounge Techo has bathrooms and showers, which are back in the direction of the entrance to the lounge. The men’s room had a couple of stalls, urinals, and sinks, and was quite clean.

The lounge also has a couple of showers, which are available at an extra cost. I didn’t have a chance to check them out, though.

Bottom line

The Plaza Premium Lounge Techo is an excellent contract lounge in a beautiful new terminal. The lounge is nicely designed, and at least during my visit, it wasn’t crowded at all. The lounge also had a good selection of food and drinks, at least when you consider that this is accessible with Priority Pass. In the next installment, I’ll review the Plaza Premium First Lounge — how much better is it than the Plaza Premium Lounge?

What’s your take on the Plaza Premium Lounge Techo Airport?