Emirates Airline has its own Business Class Lounge at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport. With comfortable seating, it serves hot and cold dishes and snacks as well as a free flow of beverages. Is it worth getting to the airport early to take advantage of it?
Airlines and Aviation
I spent four weeks in Thailand, including a week in Pattaya, a week in Phuket, and two weeks in in Bangkok.
I stayed in a total of 11 hotels and resorts. I also spent several nights at a friend’s house in Bangkok.
At the end of my stay, it was time to fly back to my home in Hong Kong.
Thanks to a very attractive promotion for Business Class tickets on Emirates Airline, I was flying business class, and that meant having access to the airline’s business class lounge at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
The Check in …
I enjoyed hanging out so much at the Emirates Business Class Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport at the beginning of my trip four weeks earlier that I got to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport earlier than I should have.
There were no lines at the first and business class check-in counters for a reason: They hadn’t opened yet!
I faced a lengthy wait of more than 30 minutes waiting for staff to arrive. That is 30 minutes that I could have spent sleeping at my hotel!
Before I get any further with this review, I would like to clarify that my ticket on Emirates was entirely self-funded.
The Trip to the Business Class Lounge …
After I checked in to my Emirates Airline flight, I made my way through the beautiful airport terminal.
Along the way, I noticed seating designed for the comfort and convenience of transit passengers, allowing them a spot to catch a few winks between flights.
The Entrance …
But it wasn’t all sweetness and light. Poor signage led me on a wild goose chase.
As it turned out, the Business Class Lounge was located one flight down from the departure level.
After alighting from the escalator, there were no signs directing me to The Emirates Lounge. I walked down three corridors before finally finding the right one.
I have no idea why there was no sign indicating where the Emirates Business Class Lounge was located. Other airlines had them.
By the time I located the lounge, I was hot and tired. Thankfully, registration was simple, and I made my way inside.
The Space …
Like the rest of the airport, the Emirates Lounge wasn’t as cool as I would have liked it to be. It took a while to cool off from my stroll through the airport terminal.
The lounge was completely different from the lounge in Hong Kong, which was airy and spacious.
The lounge in Bangkok was long and narrow, with neat rows of seats and tables. There was a buffet table along one wall and windows along the other.
The Food …
There were two buffet tables: a lengthy counter for hot dishes and a circular table for cold dishes.
Hot dishes included Beef Medallion with grilled bell peppers, grilled salmon, sweet and sour chicken, eggplant curry, potatoes cooked with rosemary, and a few other dishes that I can’t remember.
The cold buffet table had cheese, fresh fruit, salad makings, snacks, and desserts. There were also a couple of Middle Eastern touches: hummus, tabouleh, and a mouth-watering walnut pie with a creamy cinnamon sauce.
I particularly liked the beef, the hummus, and the walnut pie.
The Beverages …
The lounge had all manner of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, including Moet Champagne, hard liquor, two types of beer, two types of red wine, two types of white wine, and almost anything you would need to fix cocktails.
For those in need of a caffeine fix, there were premium teas and an espresso machine, premium teas. Bottled water, fruit juice, and soft drinks completed the selection.
The Facilities …
Business travelers and social media addicts can surf the net in the Business Centre, with computer terminals if you didn’t bring your own.
There were also showers in the men’s and women’s toilets for passengers wanting the freshen up before their flight.
The Verdict …
The Emirates Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport had set a very high standard. As I stated in my review, it made me feel as though my “vacation” had started before I had even boarded my flight.
It really WAS worth getting to the airport early to experience it.
With the exception of the palatial lounges at hub airports in the Middle East (which are in a class all their own), the Hong Kong lounge was the best business class lounge I have ever had access to.
So the lounge at the airport in Bangkok was a bit of a disappointment. It was very nice, but not nearly as nice as the lounge in Hong Kong. It felt more like a posh waiting room rather than a posh club.
I’m sure I would have been more than happy with it if I hadn’t already experienced the lounge in Hong Kong, but I had.
I’ll give the Bangkok Emirates Lounge one thumb’s up. I gave the airline’s Hong Kong business class lounge two thumb’s up.
Note: this blog post contains affiliate links. If you book a flight on one of them, I will receive a small commission – at no extra cost to you.
The Emirates Business Class Lounge at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport was a great way to end my four-week stay in Thailand.
Oooh, for me, the best Emirates Lounge I’ve been to is London Heathrow! The tall floor to ceiling windows facing the tarmac full of sunlight definitely uplifts the flying experience.
Emirates’ Singapore lounge is my second favourite as it felt like a ‘shorter’ version of Heathrow. I was on a night flight when I went there so I couldn’t appreciate the tarmac view but I’m sure it’s pretty great during daytime.
Thanks very much for your comment! Hopefully, I can experience the lounges in Singapore and Heathrow some day!