Travel Blogger Meet-up Part 14

On his way back to Hong Kong after flying to Bangkok, Thailand, to attend a Travel Bloggers Match-up organized by Digital Innovation Asia, Michael Taylor stumbles across a pay-in lounge. 

Thanks to one of my credit cards, I have complimentary access to some pay-in lounges at Hong Kong International Airport. And I must confess, I sometimes arrive at the airport early so that I can spend some time in the lounge before boarding my flight.

There is food. There are computers. And the wine is relatively cheap. The soft drinks, fruit juice, and beer, meanwhile, are free. I find the ambiance relaxing.

The pay-in lounge helps me recover from what I think of as PDSS – Pre Departure Stress Syndrom. It helps me calm down before departure. And it certainly beats hanging out at the gate.

Thanks to Bangkok’s notoriously unpredictable traffic, I arrive at the city’s impossible to pronounce Suvarnabhumi International Airport 90 minutes earlier than I need to.

I search for a pay-in lounge with a name similar to the ones I frequent in Hong Kong, but I can’t find one.

Louis’ Tavern CIP First Class Lounge

I do, however, stumble across Louis’ Tavern CIP First Class Lounge in Concourse G in the airport’s International Terminal. It is close to my departure gate.

Unfortunately, I don’t try gaining access. I just assume that it isn’t a member of the same group. The name is completely different. And now I’m kicking myself.

According to a press release I’ve just received, Louis Tavern CIP First Class Lounge was voted the best airport lounge in the Asia Pacific by members of the Priority Pass global lounge access programme.

Is it really all it’s cracked up to be? Good question! Maybe I should get a list of the lounges I have free access to before my next trip!