After a few nights in Doha, my dad and I continued our round the world journey by flying Qatar Airways’ Airbus A380 first class to Perth. We spent lots of time at Doha Hamad Airport so that I could review several lounges plus the airport expansion.
In previous posts I reviewed the Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Lounge and Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Business Lounge. In this post I wanted to review the Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North, which is Qatar Airways’ new lounge for elite members, located in the airport’s recent expansion. In a separate post, I’ll review the Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge South.
Qatar Airways doesn’t follow the standard oneworld lounge access policies, which is to say that oneworld Sapphire members don’t get access to the carrier’s business class lounge, and oneworld Emerald members don’t get access to the carrier’s first class lounge. Instead, elite members are sent to a dedicated lounge.
So, how is this lounge? Well, it’s pretty nice overall, with a solid selection of food and drinks, and a spacious layout. However, it’ll probably be a disappointment compared to some of the amazing oneworld Emerald lounges out there. Let’s get into the review…
Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North location & hours
The Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North is located in the airport’s north terminal expansion, in the direction of the airport’s tropical garden.
To find the Platinum & Gold Lounge North, just follow the signage in the direction of the C, D, and E gates. When you’re in the center of the terminal, this is behind the airport’s famous teddy bear.
You’ll have to go quite a ways from there, and you can either take the airport’s train system one stop, or you can walk. If you’re easily able to walk I’d recommend doing that, because it’s probably faster, given the moving sidewalks.
When you’re at the far train station (or just walk far enough in the terminal), you’ll see a large circular area. Just stay to the right, and look for the signage in the direction of the Oryx Garden Hotel.
You’ll then see an escalator leading to both the Oryx Garden Hotel and the Platinum & Gold Lounge North.
At the top of the escalator, you’ll see the entrance to the lounge on the left.
The lounge is open 24/7, as is the case with all of Qatar Airways’ lounges at the airport. As you’d expect, it’s the overnight hours where the lounge gets busiest.
Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North entry requirements
The Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North is a lounge intended specifically for elite members. If you’re a oneworld Emerald or Sapphire member (whether through Qatar Airways Privilege Club or a partner program) and don’t have access to one of the carrier’s more premium lounges (from flying first or business class on an eligible ticket), then you can visit this lounge.
You must be flying any oneworld airline same day to access the lounge, and you can bring one guest with you.
Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North layout & seating
The Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North is one big shared space, meaning oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members have access to the same lounge (meanwhile the Platinum & Gold Lounge South, which I’ll be reviewing next, has dedicated spaces for each elite tier).
This lounge is quite large, though still much smaller than either of the Al Mourjan Lounges at the airport. I’d say the design is fresh and modern, but it does feel decidedly less premium than than the Al Mourjan Lounges, in my opinion.
Anyway, when you enter the lounge, you’ll see a bunch of seats in rows facing one another. The seats aren’t terribly comfortable for longer periods of time, given how low the armrests are.
While a majority of the seats are like what you see above, there are some other seating arrangements as well, ranging from couches, to sets of four chairs facing one another, to little stools.
In the far corner of the lounge are some chairs for relaxing, though don’t expect them to be as quiet or private as what you’d find in Qatar Airways’ other lounges.
Each end of the lounge then has a dining area, with a buffet, and plenty of dining seating options, including individual tables and communal tables.
There’s also a bar in the middle of the lounge.
The entire lounge looks out over the terminal. Unfortunately the view isn’t of The Orchard (like at the Al Mourjan Lounge North), but this is still one of the prettier parts of the terminal.
Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North food & drinks
The Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North has a selection of a la carte dining options, plus a buffet. You can find the menu and drink list here.
As you’ll see, the drink selection is impressive. Laurent-Perrier Brut is the standard champagne, which is the same you’ll find in both the Al Mourjan and Al Safwa Lounge. Unfortunately there’s no barista coffee here.
The a la carte dining options are a bit more limited than in other lounges, but are still decent. There are a total of 10 options (including mains, sushi, and dessert), with options like sundried tomato frittata, beef calzone, vegetable maki, and chocolate fondant cake.
On top of that, there are buffets with a variety of self-serve options.
During my visit, options included fresh fruit, cold cuts, yogurt, cereal, muffins, croissants, juice, a variety of bread, and hot options like foul medames, congee, masala omelets, banana raisin bread, and more.
It’s a good selection, and you shouldn’t go hungry (or thirsty!) in this lounge.
Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North showers & restrooms
The Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North has one main set of bathrooms for men and women, and during my visit, they were spotless. In the men’s room, there were urinals, several stalls, and sinks, all with Diptyque toiletries.
The lounge also has shower suites. Each suite features a sink, a toilet, and a walk-in shower.
Ironically these shower suites are better than the ones in the Al Mourjan Lounge North, given that they have toilets as well, so that’s something to keep in mind.
Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North smoking room
The Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North also has a smoking room, which is basic but nice enough.
Bottom line
The Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North is solid for a dedicated elite lounge. It has comfortable seating, a great drink selection, a la carte dining, and spacious and functional shower suites. Other than that, though, the lounge is lacking amenities compared to some of Qatar Airways’ other lounges.
Ultimately this is a perfectly nice lounge setup, though it’s only needed to begin with because Qatar Airways doesn’t follow standard oneworld rules when it comes to lounge access. It’s good to see in general how much Qatar Airways has increased lounge capacity in recent years, which should help a lot with crowding.
What do you make of the Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North Doha?
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