- Introduction: The Long Way To Abu Dhabi
- The Unglamorous Reality Of My Review Trips
- Review: EVA Air Business Class Boeing 777 (IAH-TPE)
- Review: EVA Air Infinity Lounge Taipei Airport (TPE)
- Review: EVA Air Business Class Boeing 787 (TPE-HKG)
- Review: Regal Airport Hotel Hong Kong
- Review: Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
- Review: Cathay Pacific The Pier First Class Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
- Review: Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
- Review: Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
- Review: Qantas Lounge Hong Kong Airport (HKG)
- Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class Airbus A350 (HKG-SIN)
- Review: Singapore Airlines The Private Room Singapore Airport (SIN)
- Review: Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge Singapore Airport (SIN)
- Review: Singapore Airlines First Class Boeing 777 (SIN-CGK)
- Review: Garuda Indonesia Lounge Jakarta Airport (CGK)
- Review: Plaza Premium Lounge Jakarta Airport (CGK)
- Review: Garuda Indonesia Business Class Boeing 777 (CGK-JED)
- Review: Aerotel Jeddah Airport, Saudi Arabia
- Review: Etihad Business Class Airbus A321 (JED-AUH)
- Review: Etihad Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)
- Review: Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)
- Review: Pearl Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)
- Review: Etihad First Class Airbus A380 (AUH-LHR)
- Review: British Airways Concorde Room London Heathrow (LHR)
- Review: British Airways Galleries First Lounge London Heathrow (LHR)
- Review: British Airways First Class Airbus A380 (LHR-ORD)
During my long journey to Abu Dhabi, I had the chance to check out several lounges at Hong Kong Airport, including the Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong, which opened in October 2022.
The lounge is run in partnership with Airport Dimensions, which operates existing airport lounge group “The Club.” Chase is still fairly new to the airport lounge game, with the only other lounge location so far being the Chase Sapphire Lounge Boston.
So, how is the Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong? For a Priority Pass lounge, it’s excellent, with a large selection of food and drinks, solid decor, and a large selection of seating options, whether you want to eat, drink, work, or rest.
Admittedly the lounge layout is really strange, with different parts of the lounge being connected by hallways that you’d assume are just emergency escapes. But that can also work in your favor, since some parts of the lounges stay empty.
Here’s the thing, though — Hong Kong Airport has so many phenomenal lounges, and if you have access to Cathay Pacific’s lounges, there’s simply no reason to visit this lounge, as it’s far inferior. So while the Chase Sapphire Lounge Boston shines due to the lack of other decent lounges, the competition is a bit different in Hong Kong.
Let’s get into the review…
In this post:
Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong location
The Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong is located in Terminal 1, near gate 40. For those not familiar, the Hong Kong Airport airside terminal is basically in a “Y” shape. The terminal is first one long hall with gates on both sides, and then you can either go left or right.
To get to the Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong, you’ll need to go all the way down the main part of the terminal (you can walk with the moving sidewalks, or take the train — personally, I just like to walk).
Then when you get to the end, turn left in the direction of gates 40-59.
A very short distance later, you’ll see an escalator, with signage for the Emirates Lounge, and you’ll want to take that escalator. It’s odd that that the escalator doesn’t reflect all the other lounges that can be accessed up there.
At the top of the escalator you’ll see signage for several lounges, with the Chase Sapphire Lounge being right there, and on the right. You can’t miss it.
Be aware that if you’re departing from a low gate number (let’s say 12 or below), visiting this lounge will require quite a bit of backtracking. On the departures level, the train only goes in one direction, so leave extra time to get to your gate.
Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong hours
The Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong is open daily from from 6AM until 12AM. That covers just about all departures at the airport, though some other lounges do open marginally earlier (Cathay Pacific’s lounges currently open at 5:30AM).
Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong entry requirements
The Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong is a Priority Pass lounge, so it can be accessed by all Priority Pass members. This is a perk offered by several premium credit cards.
It’s worth noting that Chase Sapphire Lounges in the United States have additional entry requirements. In the United States, standard Priority Pass members can only visit a Chase Sapphire Lounge once per calendar year at no cost, while those with a Priority Pass membership through the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (review) can visit the lounge an unlimited number of times. That policy doesn’t apply at the Hong Kong location, where all Priority Pass members can visit the lounge an unlimited number of times.
Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong layout & seating
The Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong is roughly 12,000 square feet, so it’s just marginally larger than the Chase Sapphire Lounge Boston. The entire lounge is open-air with the rest of the terminal, so expect to hear ambient noise from there.
When you enter the lounge and turn right, you’ll find yourself in the main dining area, which is consistently the most crowded part of the lounge. This area has several individual and communal dining tables.
If you enter the lounge and turn left, you’ll find yourself in the bar area, as well as the overflow dining area, which consists of some booth-style seating.
While I think some of the lounge’s decor is just “meh,” the bar area is pretty beautiful, in terms of the furniture, wall treatments, etc.
The above are the main parts of the lounge that a vast majority of guests seem to visit. However, there are two other parts to the lounge, but they’re both down long hallways that would almost make you assume that a door was accidentally left open. So these parts of the lounge tend to stay way emptier, both because many people don’t find them, and because all of the food is in the central part of the lounge.
The area in one direction is in a triangular shape, with the most varied seating options.
This area has everything from lounger chairs along the side of the lounge, to communal high-top seating, to semi-private seats, to workstations.
There’s also an area with some colorful glass panels, with chairs and ottomans on one side.
Lastly, this area has a couple of phone booths, so that you can make a phone call in privacy. While that’s well intentioned, instead I had the pleasure of listening to a man make a long call in the dining area on speakerphone. Nice.
In exactly the opposite direction of the lounge is another large sitting area, which has couches, chairs, and some really cool booths that are each in individual enclaves of sorts.
As mentioned above, the entire lounge just looks out over the terminal, so don’t expect much in the way of plane views (other than in the distance).
Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong food & drinks
For a Priority Pass lounge, the Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong has an impressive selection of food and drinks. Everything is available in the dining and bar area, which is right as you enter the lounge and turn either left or right.
At the entrance, there’s a station with self-serve beverages, including a coffee machine, tea, water, juice, and milk.
Then there are a couple of buffets with the cold food selection.
This included croissants, a variety of cereal, toast, cold cuts, cheese, muesli, fresh fruit, and more.
Finally, there’s a buffet in the back of the dining area with hot options, including a variety of noodles, dim sum, and more.
Last but not least, the lounge has a limited a la carte selection as well. There are stickers on all tables in the dining area with QR codes, so that you can directly place your order and have your meal delivered. Keep in mind that you’ll have to stay in the same place, and you can only order in the dining area.
Below is what the selection looked like for breakfast — as you can see, it was pretty limited.
I ordered the eggs florentine, and the dish was pretty tasty.
The bar area wasn’t open during my visit, but the Chase Sapphire Lounge also has a variety of signature cocktails, classic cocktails, beer, wine, soft drinks, and coffee, which are available in the afternoons. While the menu lists espresso-based drinks, I don’t think they’re proper barista-made ones, as I only saw a pretty simple machine behind the bar.
Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong bathrooms
The Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong has bathrooms located behind the bar area. The bathrooms were small but nicely appointed, with the men’s room having a couple of sinks, urinals, and stalls.
The lounge doesn’t have any shower suites, though…
Bottom line
The Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong is a fantastic Priority Pass lounge, with a variety of seating options, and an extensive selection of food and drinks, and even an a la carte selection. It’s rare to find a Priority Pass lounge that’s this high quality, so this is an excellent option.
However, I’d say the lounge isn’t quite as good as the Chase Sapphire Lounge Boston. The additional consideration is that there are so many amazing lounges at Hong Kong Airport, and there’s no reason to visit this lounge if you have access to any of the oneworld lounges, which I’d all consider to be superior.
What’s your take on the Chase Sapphire Lounge Hong Kong?
I'm confused - isn't there a Sapphire Terrace lounge at AUS? This article says Boston is the only other Sapphire lounge.
The name is the key - it's the Sapphire Terrace, not a full-blown Sapphire Lounge. It's 85% outdoors and in the sun (guess how well that works six months out of the year) and the offerings are tiny - some canned drinks, one or two kinds of beer, and cold food out of (free) vending machines that are empty more often than not. My last visit there was at opening and they hadn't filled the...
The name is the key - it's the Sapphire Terrace, not a full-blown Sapphire Lounge. It's 85% outdoors and in the sun (guess how well that works six months out of the year) and the offerings are tiny - some canned drinks, one or two kinds of beer, and cold food out of (free) vending machines that are empty more often than not. My last visit there was at opening and they hadn't filled the vending machines so there was basically nothing of interest.
Oh, and for whatever reason it doesn't open until 10AM which is pretty worthless if you're travelling in the morning.
I visited this lounge last year and was very impressed. There was a good selection of hot and cold food and it was of good quality; there was also a bartender mixing cocktails. There's plenty of space and I particularly liked the balcony area where i felt more private and airy. Of course it's no competition with any of the CX lounges but it is an excellent Priority Pass lounge nonetheless. On the other hand,...
I visited this lounge last year and was very impressed. There was a good selection of hot and cold food and it was of good quality; there was also a bartender mixing cocktails. There's plenty of space and I particularly liked the balcony area where i felt more private and airy. Of course it's no competition with any of the CX lounges but it is an excellent Priority Pass lounge nonetheless. On the other hand, the Plaza Premium Lounge across from it was absolutely dreadful. Horrible atmosphere that resembled a dental office with terrible food and very cheap wines.
Chase Sapphire lounges look great. I just don't understand their lounge strategy. Why HKG before so many other US airports? Chase Sapphire Reserve is a US based card. Sure, this is accessible to all Priority Pass members, but realistically, Chase Sapphire lounges need to compete w/ Capital One and Centurion lounges.
I actually like the strategy of letting Priority Pass get one visit a year, it let's them get a taste of the experience and...
Chase Sapphire lounges look great. I just don't understand their lounge strategy. Why HKG before so many other US airports? Chase Sapphire Reserve is a US based card. Sure, this is accessible to all Priority Pass members, but realistically, Chase Sapphire lounges need to compete w/ Capital One and Centurion lounges.
I actually like the strategy of letting Priority Pass get one visit a year, it let's them get a taste of the experience and will encourage more people to sign up. I just don't see why they aren't prioritizing the major US airports more. BOS makes tons of sense. But then you have airports like CLT, LAX, etc. that are starved for lounges and it would make a ton of sense to focus on those.
I do *not* like Priority Pass members get access, because we pay good money for that card and letting others in dilutes what can be offered to the people who pay for the privilege. Everyone and their dog has Priority Pass.
Had the pleasure of visiting 6 of the lounges there in May.
They were all great. This Sapphire was the best one of the 3 that did not belong to any airline. We visited the Centurion and the Plaza Premium lounge as well. Those were not as good as the Chase lounge.
But I agree, the CX lounges are by far superior. Especially those noodles in there. We went to all 3 of the lounges, and always had a bowl of the noodles at each one.
Ben, how was the air temperature when you were there? I visited this lounge in early October, and it was unbearably hot. I suppose the air conditioning in the terminal is optimized to be comfortable at the main floor level, so as a result an open space closer to the terminal ceiling can get very warm.
I also spent time in the Boston lounge on the same trip, completely agree that HKG lounge is not nearly as good as Boston in almost every aspect except crowding.
FWIW, past visits to The Wing near Gate 4 (also at the top level of the terminal) were hot - especially in the late afternoon.
Seems like a design 'feature' of the terminal.
At the moment, this is my favorite Priority Pass lounge in the world. Certainly, it's better than any Centurion Lounges.
The reason for the lounges on the right hand side of the terminal not to be signposted at the left hand side escalator is that there is an identical escalator at the root of the right terminal arm, which I guess is the official route to the AMEX, United and Chase lounges (no need to cross that bridge over the main concourse).
HKG has historically been an important hub for business travel, but its passenger traffic still still only half of what it was pre-covid (and coincidently, before the CCP extradition law). Seems like an odd place for Chase to open their 2nd lounge.
Agreed though these lounge contracts would be signed years in advance.
Wouldn't the target locations be affluent US airports with no Centurion or Cap One lounges?
Nice review. Looks like you had the place to yourself.