The Cathay Pacific, The Pier, Business Class Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport is Cathay Pacific’s flagship airport lounge at their Hong Kong hub. It is the largest Cathay Pacific airport lounge in their entire flight network (at over 3,300 square meters with capacity for 550 guests) and the largest airport lounge at Hong Kong International Airport by far, and is always just such a pleasure to visit.
The lounge is split into 5 Zones, each with a different purpose and tailored to different frequent flyers with all different needs. The five zones are:
- The Food Hall
- The Bar
- The Noodle Bar
- Teahouse
- Relaxation Room
Below, I will detail my experience of The Pier, Business Class Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport, which is the flagship business class and oneworld Sapphire lounge of Cathay Pacific.
Where is the Cathay Pacific, The Pier Business Class Lounge located?
The Pier, Business Class Lounge is located down the escalators next to Gate 65, in Terminal 1, accessible on Level 6, which is the departures level. Terminal 1 is the main Hong Kong Airport Terminal, however Terminal 2 will be opening either late 2024 or early 2025, with a lot of other airlines besides Cathay Pacific looking to shift to that terminal.
Gate 65 is located near the far end of the terminal, at the other end of the terminal building from the departures security checkpoint. You can get there via travelator on the main departures level, or the “Hong Kong International Airport Automated People Mover”.
The Lounge is located next to the down escalators to The Pier, First Lounge, which is located next door but has a separate entrance.
Seating Options at The Pier, Business Class Lounge
The Cathay Pacific The Pier, Business Class Lounge at Hong Kong Airport has five zones with a variety of seating options, suitable for all types of travellers from business travellers, leisure travellers, families, frequent flyers and infrequent flyers. It is a truly massive, long space, yet feels very private due the seating layout and partition walls, breaking up the space. As Hong Kong International Airport is a connecting hub for flights all around the world, The Pier, Business Class Lounge is made to suit all.
There are spaces and seating arrangements that take advantage of the runway views, intimate dining booths in the Noodle Bar, low couches with built-in drinks tables in the Teahouse, and day beds in the Relaxation Room for catching some shut-eye, especially handy on long layovers. And don’t forget about plenty of armchairs to slouch in and relax, with a glass of champagne or cocktail in hand.
Whilst this is a very business-traveller-friendly lounge, it is a very busy lounge with lots of people coming and going which could disturb your work flow. Additionally, this lounge is unsuitable for work calls. If you are travelling for business and need to catch up on some work, I prefer The Wing, Business Class Lounge, which is smaller, but has a fantastic and very private seating option for business travellers.
Apron Views
The Pier Lounge is located down one floor from the main departures level, and so it feels more dark and less open than The Wing or The Deck, located on the mezzanine floor above.
However, besides the five main zones in the lounge, there is seating options close to the floor-to-ceiling windows which does overlook the apron, so you do get a view of the arriving and departing aircraft from this lounge from that area. Currently with Terminal 2 under construction, The Pier, Business looks out onto parked aircraft at Gates 62, 64 and 66 only, as well as a view of the construction in the background. For this reason, the plane spotting ability from this lounge is limited.
Whilst it’s not as expansive as the view from The Wing or The Deck, there is still a fair amount of natural light pouring in.
The Pier, Business Food Options
The Pier, Business Class Lounge has two zones dedicated to food, The Food Hall and The Noodle Bar.
The Food Hall
The Food Hall features western food. There is a variety of breakfast offerings available in the morning served by one of the lovely staff behind the counter. You can get anything from a full English breakfast to pastries, focaccia, as well as cereal options. From lunch time onwards, the food offerings transform into an array of Italian pizzas, sandwiches on fresh ciabatta and focaccia, antipasti, and fresh salads. There is also a selection of ice cream available, perfect for kids or adults alike. Also located in this area is an espresso bar cart, serving espresso up until midday. The Bar also has a full espresso machine, which is available for coffees all day.
Here are some of the food options on offer at the Food Hall for breakfast and dinner during my previous visits:
The Noodle Bar
In the Noodle Bar, made-to-order á la carté local Cantonese dishes are the main focus, with a small hot food buffet located to the side. Make sure to try the infamous Dan Dan noodles, dumplings (I love the vegetable dumplings), custard bun, and from midday, the BBQ Pork Rice or Crispy Pork Rice. The hot food buffet to the side changes regularly as well. There is also a drinks fridge here, including Cathay Pacific’s own beer, Betsy, so there is no need to walk to the bar for a drink to accompany your meal.
This was the menu at the Noodle Bar on my recent trip to the Pier, Business:
I was also surprised to find plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options featured throughout the Food Hall and the Noodle Bar. Perfect for travellers and frequent flyers with all sorts of dietary restrictions.
In all, The Pier, Business Class Lounge has plenty of food to suit all kinds of traveller from every corner of the globe. Absolutely make sure to try a variety of dishes from the Noodle Bar. This is the signature of all Cathay Pacific lounges, located all around the world.
The Bar at The Pier, Business Class Lounge
The Bar at The Pier, Business Class Lounge is an elegant space with a variety of seating options in Cathay Pacific’s signature residential design, featured throughout all it’s airport lounges around the world.
It features a fully stocked beer, wine, liquor, cocktail and mocktail list, prepared by a friendly bartender. There is also an espresso machine for all day coffees, after the Espresso Bar opposite the Food Hall closes at midday. Below is the Bar Menu at The Pier, Business Class Lounge:
It’s great to have a champagne option on the bar menu (Thiénot Brut NV), some fantastic wine options including the Babich Black Label Sauvignon Blanc 2022, Cathay Pacific’s signature Cathay Delight mocktail and so much more. Unfortunately, some airlines have reduced their offerings or cheapened their airport lounge drinks menu at the oneworld Sapphire level, but not Cathay. It’s also great to see the menu features classic cocktails including Aperol Spritz, Margarita, Mojito, Negroni, and Espresso Martinis. All perfect pre-departure beverages.
The Bar Zone is spacious with lots of different relaxed seating options. There is also a separate portioned part in front close to the windows, with views of the parked aircraft at Gates 62, 64 and 66. There are seating options perfect for couples, families, friends and solo travellers.
The Bar is a core part of this lounge, and is well-stocked and well-designed, with something for every type of traveller.
Teahouse at The Pier, Business Class Lounge
Probably my favourite section of the The Pier, Business Class Lounge is the Teahouse. This serene oasis, with it’s dark-tiled interior, low signature Cathay green couches and great tea selection is often quiet and feels smart and luxurious.
Here is the tea menu on offer:
Some fantastic tea options there, including the Jasmine Silver Needle Tea, Jade Sword and Iron Buddha.
All the teas featured in the Teahouse are from Jing. Jing is a high-quality tea brand, based in London, that sources the best single garden and single origin teas from all across Asia. On their website, they even tell you the specific origin of each tea featured on the Tea Menu.
There is also an assortment of snacks available including egg tarts and peanut brittle (which is great), to accompany your tea selection which a staff member brews for you and delivers to your seat.
I found myself sitting here, popping to the Noodle Bar for food or Bar for drinks and returning. It was really quiet compared to the rest of the lounge (minus the screaming child who luckily moved on quickly). It would be probably the best spot in this lounge to work or power off some emails, or just relax before your flight.
Relaxation Room at The Pier, Business Class Lounge
If you want to get even more relaxing, Cathay Pacific’s The Pier, Business Class Lounge features a relaxation room, full of daybeds with blankets. The space is dimly lit too. Perfect for some shut-eye if you’ve just come off an overnight red-eye flight and are connecting onto your next flight in a couple hours.
Located at the far end of The Pier, this quiet spot is a perfect place to nap away from the crowds.
I hadn’t slept well the night before, so I did in fact pop in here for a 45 minute power nap before moving onto explore the other Cathay Pacific Lounges at Hong Kong Airport (The Deck and The Wing), as well as the Qantas Lounge.
This space is especially handy for Cathay Pacific or oneworld connecting flights including flights with British Airways or Qantas, since the Cathay network tends to mainly feature long-haul destinations, and connecting flights through Hong Kong Airport.
In all, the Relaxation Room is a perfect place to hang out, relax and power nap.
The Pier, Business Class Lounge Bathrooms
The Bathrooms at The Pier, Business are luxurious, clad in marble with gold tapware. Featuring amenities (hand soap and hand lotion) from British brand, Bamford (which I love), the bathrooms exude luxury.
Showers at The Pier, Business Class Lounge
The showers at Cathay Pacific’s The Pier, Business Class Lounge really set itself apart. They are probably the best of any Airport Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport. Note that all the shower suites are cleaned and toiletries replenished between uses, ensuring fresh fluffy towels and no water on the floor for each guest.
Amenity Menu
From the outset, I was impressed. The shower attendant showed me the menu of optional extra toiletries and asked if there was anything I needed. Here is the comprehensive menu below:
This is in addition to the already extensively stocked toiletries in each shower suite.
Shower Suites
Entering one of the spacious shower suites, you see the luxurious marble and gold tapware, extensive toiletries, dual shower heads and thick fluffy towels. Cathay’s partnership with Bamford continues here (which is great). The Geranium, Lavender, Eucalyptus and Peppermint scent is really uplifting and perfect before or after a long flight.
The shower suites have the following amenities as standard:
- Bamford Face Cleanser
- Bamford Face Mist
- Bamford Shampoo
- Bamford Conditioner
- Bamford Body Wash
- Shower Cap
- Make Up Pad
- Dental Set
- Cotton Buds
- Sanitary Bag
Do note, that even though there is 14 shower suites here, they do get busy in the evening, so its best to visit the shower counter first when you arrive in the lounge, and get on the waitlist. On a recent visit, the waitlist was over an hour long and eventually I had to leave to catch my flight. On another visit, around midday, there was no queue. So it really depends on your time of visit.
I don’t think there is anything better after a long flight than a hot, steamy shower, before heading onwards to your destination. The showers here are powerful too, and feature both a rain shower and hand shower. A must-do whilst visiting The Pier, Business Class Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport.
How to Access The Pier, Business Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport
Cathay Pacific has a fairly concise list of travellers eligible to access The Pier, Business Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport. This list includes:
- Cathay Pacific First Class Passengers (can access The Pier, First)
- Cathay Pacific Business Class Passengers
- oneworld First Class Passengers (no guests) (can access The Pier, First)
- oneworld Business Class Passengers (no guests)
- oneworld Emerald Elite Status Holders (+1 guest) (can access The Pier, First)
- oneworld Sapphire Elite Status Holders (+1 guest)
- Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge Pass
- Cathay Pacific Silver Status (flying on a CX marketed and operated flight)
- Cathay Pacific Gold or Diamond Status (+ 1 guest) (can access the The Pier, First)
Note that travellers who receive a complimentary upgrade to business class are ineligible for lounge access unless they hold oneworld Sapphire or oneworld Emerald elite status.
To highlight above, it’s really nice to see that Cathay Pacific Silver elite status holders travelling on Cathay Pacific marketed and operated flights get Airport Lounge access, even though this level is equivalent to oneworld Ruby. Most airlines won’t offer this perk to this elite status level. This does mean you won’t get access to oneworld lounges when travelling on other oneworld airlines, which is reserved for oneworld Sapphire (Cathay Pacific Gold) or above, but it’s certainly a nice touch. It’s worth considering signing up for AsiaMiles for your oneworld loyalty program if you fly Cathay Pacific often, and especially if you fly to, from or through Hong Kong, as you will get Cathay Pacific lounge access for only 300 status points, versus the usual 600-ish status points with most other oneworld carriers, albeit with lower earn rates comparatively.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Cathay Pacific’s The Pier, Business Class Lounge is the best airport lounge at Hong Kong International Airport. It is the best, flagship, and largest airport lounge in the Cathay Pacific network, and one of the best oneworld Sapphire airport lounges in the world.
The five zones are a sanctuary for travellers from all over the world, departing or connecting through Hong Kong International Airport. Cathay Pacific has created a true oasis of serenity, that I absolutely cannot wait to return and visit again.
It is a must-visit if you are visiting Hong Kong, or just passing through, and flying Cathay or oneworld Business Class (or higher) or hold oneworld Sapphire status or higher with another oneworld airline.