The newly renovated The Pier – First Class Lounge of Cathay Pacific was our next destination after visiting the flagship lounge “The Wing”. Cathay Pacific operates so many lounges at Hong Kong Airport that it’s easy to lose track: The Wing, The Bridge, The Cabin, The Arrival, The Pier… The new star in the sky is the newly renovated First Class Lounge called “The Pier”.
The gate for our onward flight was on the opposite side of the airport so it took us a good 20 minutes to get there. (There is also an airport train that goes in one direction but I like to wander through foreign airports and look around a bit) The rust-brown “The Pier” sign could be seen from afar, from where an escalator leads to the basement where the lounge is located. After presenting your boarding pass, you enter a different world that you wouldn’t expect at a stressful, noisy airport. Studioilse, the London-based design studio responsible for the redesign of all Cathay Pacific lounges, has done a really great job here. The First Class Lounge is designed like a modern apartment – furnished in warm, natural materials combined with beige-brown carpets, onyx, limestone walls and details in bronze and wood. Added to this is the lighting concept, which further enhances the cozy atmosphere at night. Covering almost 2100 square meters, the lounge offers ample seating, a self-serve bar/buffet, a restaurant and day rooms with a view of the runway, showers and free foot and neck massages. The first time is always a bit overwhelming – there are so many corridors and rooms to discover. That’s why we started with a few snacks in the restaurant, which is reminiscent of an American diner. Sated and a margarita later, it was time to explore the rest of the lounge, admire the materials and finally relax in the large seating area overlooking the apron until it was time to board our next flight.