Review: Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge South Doha Airport (DOH)

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.

Of course the best lounges at Doha Airport are the Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Lounge and Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Business Lounge. However, in terms of oneworld lounge access, the airline also has some dedicated lounges for oneworld Emerald and oneworld Sapphire members.

In a previous installment, I reviewed the Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North, and in this installment I wanted to review the Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge South, which is more centrally located for most passengers.

What’s interesting is that while the Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North is one shared lounge, the Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge South is actually two lounges, with oneworld Emerald members having access to the Platinum Lounge, and oneworld Sapphire members having access to the Gold Lounge. Let’s get into the review.

Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge South location & hours

The Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge South is located by the A gates. So when you’re facing the front of the famous teddy bear in the middle of the terminal, just turn around.

Then walk in the direction of gates A1-A13.

Then before you get to gate A1, you’ll see the entrance to the Platinum & Gold Lounge South on the right.

As you’d expect, this lounge space is open 24/7.

Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge South entry requirements

The Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge South is a lounge intended specifically for elite members:

• If you’re a oneworld Emerald member, you can access the Qatar Airways Platinum Lounge South
• If you’re a oneworld Sapphire member, you can access the Qatar Airways Gold Lounge South

You must be flying any oneworld airline same day to access the lounge, and you can bring one guest with you.

If you’re on an eligible first or business class ticket, you’ll absolutely want to use the Al Safwa or Al Mourjan Lounge, as those are no doubt better. But these lounges are intended specifically for elite members who aren’t otherwise eligible for lounge access.

Qatar Airways Platinum Lounge South review

The Qatar Airways Platinum Lounge South is one level above the concourse (right above the Gold Lounge South), and can accommodate up to 140 guests. I’ve gotta say, architecturally I really like this lounge, and it has lots of natural light, with floor-to-ceiling windows.

The lounge consists of two main areas — one for relaxing and one for dining. The area for relaxing is definitely nicer, and has dozens of seats arranged in rows facing one another.

The lounge does have views of the apron, though they are a bit obstructed.

This area has the bar, where you can get your preferred alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink. You can find the lounge’s menu and drink list here. As you can see, Laurent-Perrier is the champagne on offer, which is solid. Note that while there’s an espresso machine behind the bar, the staff in the lounge insisted I get a coffee from one of the machines instead. I’m not sure if it was broken, if they were just being lazy, or what.

This part of the lounge also has a self-serve buffet station with light snacks, including muffins, croissants, and pastries.

The other main part of the lounge is the dining area, consisting mostly of dining tables each seating two people, plus some communal tables.

The lounge not only has a buffet, but also has a la carte dining, and once again, you can find the menu here (which shows both a la carte options, as well as what’s available at the buffet). The buffet had everything from juice, to soft drinks, to beer, to a coffee machine, to croissants and pastries, to cereal, to cold cuts, to yogurt, to several hot dishes.

The Qatar Airways Platinum Lounge South also has a few semi-private nap areas. If you’re an elite member, this is the best rest area you’ll find in any lounge other than the Al Mourjan or Al Safwa Lounges.

The lounge also has well maintained bathrooms, as well as several shower suites, though the shower suites don’t have toilets in them.

Qatar Airways Gold Lounge South review

The Qatar Airways Gold Lounge South is on the same level as the concourse (right below the Platinum Lounge South), and can accommodate up to 85 guests. The lounge is also pretty nice, though not as impressive as the Platinum Lounge.

There’s a central hallway connecting all the parts of the Gold Lounge.

The main part of the lounge consists of rows of seats by the windows.

Most of the views from the lounge are obstructed, but there are some pretty nice apron views.

Then there are some ribbed partitions along the center of the lounge, giving each space a bit of privacy. A couple of these spaces just have chairs arranged in rows.

However, deeper into the lounge you’ll find a dining area, with several individual dining tables, plus communal seating.

There’s also a bar area, where you can request a drink. You can find the drink list here — as you can see, Laurent-Perrier is still offered here!

In terms of the food and drink selection, the Gold Lounge is definitely less impressive than the Platinum Lounge. The Gold Lounge doesn’t have a la carte dining, but does have a somewhat similar buffet to the Platinum Lounge.

The buffet included cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt, smoothies, cold cuts, bread, and a few hot options, including congee.

The lounge also has bathrooms and showers, but they were being cleaned during my visit, so I wasn’t able to get pictures. Note that the Gold Lounge has no nap areas.

Which Qatar Airways elite lounge should you visit?

If you don’t have access to the Al Mourjan or Al Safwa Lounges, which Qatar Airways elite lounge should you visit? Should you check out the shared Platinum & Gold Lounge North, the Platinum Lounge South, or the Gold Lounge South? Of course it depends on how much time you have, where your flight is departing from, etc.

Here are my general thoughts:

• If I were oneworld Emerald, I’d probably check out the Platinum Lounge South, as I prefer the design, and it has a better nap area; however, the Platinum & Gold Lounge North has better shower suites, if you’re planning on showering
• If I were oneworld Sapphire, I’d strongly prefer the Platinum & Gold Lounge North; since this is a shared space for Emerald and Sapphire members, this is how you can get a la carte dining, which isn’t available in the Gold Lounge South

Bottom line

The Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge South features dedicated areas for both oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members. The Platinum Lounge has a beautiful design, a la carte dining, and a great drink selection. The Gold Lounge South also has a nice design and an extensive drink selection, though the food offerings are a bit more more modest.

I’d say the Platinum Lounge South is good overall, while for those with access to the Gold Lounge South, I’d prefer visiting the Platinum & Gold Lounge North.

What do you make of the Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge South?