Plaza Premium will be opening an arrivals lounge soon at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). While these facilities are always useful for a shower and breakfast after an overnight flight, it sounds like there might be a bit more planned for this arrivals lounge? I’m certainly intrigued (thanks to Sel_D for flagging this)…
New Hong Kong arrivals lounge opening soon
Plaza Premium is expected to open an arrivals lounge at Hong Kong Airport in late November 2026. The lounge will be located on level three of Terminal 2, in the arrivals portion of the terminal, below the Airport Express platform. That means it’ll be landside.
This actually technically represents the reopening of a lounge, as the global lounge operator had such a facility until 2019. At that point it closed due to an expansion project at the airport. Once open, it will be the only arrivals lounge at the airport. Cathay Pacific used to have an arrivals lounge at its hub, but it closed in 2018, and the airline has no plans to reopen such a facility.
The exact entry requirements of the Plaza Premium arrivals lounge in Hong Kong remain to be seen, but like most Plaza Premium lounges, the expectation is that entry will be possible through select credit cards and Priority Pass, and access can also be purchased directly.
This sounds like an unconventional arrivals lounge
Generally we think of an arrivals lounge in terms of its functional purpose, which is to shower, have breakfast, and get some work done, before heading into the city. Many arrivals lounges are only open in the morning, since that’s when there’s the most value. That’s especially true for people who either plan to head to the office, or who are staying at a hotel, where it’s well before the published check-in time.
While it remains to be seen what exactly Plaza Premium’s facility will be like, it sounds like this will be a rather unconventional arrivals lounge, in a good way. The social media post about the new lounge describes it as “Plaza Premium Lounge – Rhythms.” It will offer a “seamless blend of dining, music, wellness, and refreshment.”
In terms of the range of amenities, we’re being promised live music, wellness experiences, refined dining, and private resting spaces. I’m sorry… live music? Like… someone performing music live? In an arrivals lounge? Fascinatingly, the pictures make it look more like an evening-oriented lounge serving cocktails and wine, for lounging around, rather than your typical arrivals lounge.
Suffice it to say that I am very interested in what they come up with here. From a monetization standpoint, this seems kind of smart, since it could drum up more business in the afternoons and evenings, when people might not otherwise consider visiting such a facility. Then again, are people really thinking “I just got off a 15 hour flight, what I could really use is a cocktail before heading to my hotel?” Maybe they are, I suppose!
Bottom line
In the coming weeks, Hong Kong Airport will once again have an arrivals lounge, thanks to the opening of a facility by Plaza Premium. Arrivals lounges are usually pretty basic, and are about showers and breakfast. While we’ll see how much of this is fluff rather than actual substance, Plaza Premium is promising what sounds more like a bar vibe, with live music and cocktails. Bring it on, Plaza Premium, I can’t wait to learn more!
What do you make of this Plaza Premium concept?
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