This is the newest Qatar Business Class Lounge located in the new wing of Doha International Airport. It is themed after a garden concept. It is the newest among the network. The name is confusing as it is also called Al Mourjan. This part of the airport sure looks similar to our Singapore Changi Airport Jewel! It will serve premium passengers departing from the CDE gates. It is easy to travel around the two areas and if you have enough time, you can check out both. I am excited to check out this lounge after knowing that I will be flying with Qatar Airways. I spent most of my time in the older Al Mourjan South Lounge given that I was told the kitchen here is under maintenance. This results in only cold food being offered. I did come here briefly to check it out. This resulted in me having only a short period here. Despite the short transit time, I have a rather packed schedule in Doha. Due to time constraints, I will just be in and out of this lounge.

Access Requirements

The Qatar Garden Lounge South is open 24 hours daily. This makes lots of sense given that Qatar operates flights round the clock. The lounge comes with strict entrance requirements. You get access if you are flying in Oneworld and Qatar premium cabins. This is not a standard Oneworld lounge. It is exclusive to premium passengers. Sadly, Qatar Airways does not grant lounge access to passengers who have upgraded from Economy to Business Class and passengers on Business Class Lite Fares. Oneworld elite status holders are also denied access and are invited to the Platinum / Gold Lounge instead. Qatar elite status holders don’t have Al Mourjan Garden lounge access either. This is to prevent overcrowding and the superior quality of the lounge than the others. It is something like the SilverKris Lounge we have here in Singapore. You can also pay for access at QAR 450. If you would like to upgrade to access the first-class Al Safwa Lounge, it would be QAR 585.

Arrival & Location

The garden lounge is located over in the CDE gates area, this is the newer area of Doha airport. I was coming over from the A gates area and you can take the monorail from gate C1 to this area. It is about a 2-minute walk then. The lounge is located a level above the main terminals. You can access it using the elevators then. We were warmly welcomed by the host and given a little introduction to the place since it was our first time.

Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge 

This is Qatar Airways’ newest Al Mourjan Business Lounge – The Garden. The naming is quite confusing with the Al Mourjan Lounge over at A Gates. The concept here revolves around the Hamad International Airport garden in this new area. It sure looks a lot like Jewel. The Garden Lounge measures 7,390 sqm and it can accommodate up to 707 passengers. They have also collaborated with a couple of renowned brands to operate various facilities in the lounge.

The entrance sort of lets you out in the middle of the lounge with the famous LV cafe straight ahead. I will share more about this later. You then branch out towards the left and right. Towards the left is the lounging area, Quiet Area Day Rooms, Showers, Prayer Rooms, Deli and the Dior Spa. Towards the right is also a lounging area, the main Dining & Bar area, the Family & Game Room and the Smoking Room. This is also where you can find the spa area which consists of a gym.

The lounge offers an amazing view of the waterfalls and gardens. The seating nearer to the side is especially popular with the view. It certainly feels more airy and bright since it opens up to the terminal. You can check out some of the settings here. It consists of typical lounge couches in groups. There is this very quirky Q design wooden bench too. It seems to be a play on their signature Qsuite product. It is more for show. I doubt that anyone will choose this seating spot.

Here are some of the seatings on the left.

Spa & Gym

It is hands down impressive for a business-class lounge to come with a Spa. While there are no complimentary treatments included for business class passengers, having the facility is already commendable. I guess only with Qatar. It is located on the left-hand side of the lounge. You can find the spa menu here. Prices are definitely on the high side. Their signature 60 mins treatment goes for around 200 SGD. It would be nice if guests or elite members could use their Avios to redeem a treatment! This is something potentially for Qatar to look at.

Over here, they also have a very small gym. It comes with only 4 machines inside. There is also a yoga space. It is nothing too fancy but definitely handy to have. I can imagine how useful it will be for travellers who want a workout to help with their jetlag. More premium lounges should have such a facility.

Toilets and Showers

The showers are in individual suites and available on a first come first serve basis. It can be really packed in the morning and evenings which are the peak period. This is despite them having quite a number of suites. The setup here is slightly different from the ones in the South Lounge. Here the shower rooms don’t come with a toilet inside. The toiletries are also in small bottles rather than in pump-size bottles. It comes with both a handheld shower head and a rainforest one.

Dior Spa

This lounge not only has one spa but two! Holy moly! The other spa facility is a collaboration with Dior. This is found at the end of the left. You can find the entrance leading to the Dior beauty area. It is really funny that they have two spas over here. It feels a little self-cannibalization. They should have just created a huge spa and collaborated with a brand. The spa is open 24 hours as well. If keen, you can make an appointment ahead by emailing diorspa@qatarairways.com.qa

You can find the spa menu here. The treatments are extensive!

Day Room

This is a unique feature of this lounge. It comes with 24 quiet rooms or day rooms that guests can use for a shut-eye. The Al Mourjan South Lounge doesn’t come with these. As such, if you want to get a nap or have an overnight layout, you should head to this lounge instead. The 24 quiet rooms are separated into single or double rooms. There are 18 single rooms and six double rooms. Guests are allowed to stay up to 6 hours in the day room.

Somehow, Qatar did not place beds when there was more than enough space for them. This is such a wasted opportunity! The rooms comes with a recliner chair, wardrobe, study table and a mini fridge. A TV and beds should be inside. Such a halfhearted concept.

Game Room

The game room consists of some console games and table games. You can find a foosball table, game consoles and a pool table.

Louis Vuitton Cafe

Will you pay for food when there is already rather premium complimentary food and drinks? Is there a hardcore Louis Vuitton fan who will just come here to experience it? Somehow, the lounge comes with an LV Cafe where Qatar collaborated to offer another F&B destination in the lounge. It is right smack in the middle of the lounge and straight ahead from the entrance. The place looks extremely gorgeous and blinks. When I was there it was only staffed with no customers. Perhaps it is just too early! This is Qatar after all!

Do note that this is technically a separate cafe/restaurant in the lounge. The food and drinks here come at an additional cost. You can find the menu for the LV Cafe here.

Food & Drinks

Coming back to the free stuff. The lounge has two dining areas with the main restaurant to the right and a little deli spot to the left. In reality, you can dine anywhere in the lounge but most pax would head to one of the two areas if they are famished or need a drink. On the day of my visit, they did not have any hot food as there was an issue with the kitchen. Only cold food is available. You can check out the menu over here. It is the same as the one over in Al Mourjan Lounge South.

Here you can find some proper dining tables. Staff are on hand to readily help you with orders and table service. There is also a fully staffed bar to assist you with any drinks that you might require. Due to time constraints, I didn’t have a chance to try any of the items here.

Deli

The Deli is located on the other side of the lounge. This spot offers a lighter floor. It is at the end of the lounge. It offers a lighter fair and a selection of quiches, and sandwiches. There is also a barista who prepares hot and cold beverages. The drinks menu is the same for both the Deli and the Restaurant.

Over here they also have some self served drinks. This consists of some wines, juices, water, tea and coffee too.

Conclusion

I wish that I had more time here rather than this rush visit. It is also unfortunate that their kitchen was spoiled on the day of my visit. This is one of the nicest lounges that I have been to and the crown jewel of the Qatar network. It does feel weird in certain aspects such as the dual spa and LV cafe. Which feels like self-cannibalization. Some complementary treatments for top-tier elite members will be very nice. The day rooms are downright disappointing. It is such a myopia not to have proper beds in the facility. I also feel that the dining area in the older Al Mourjan South Lounge is nicer and more exclusive. The gym amenity is a very nice touch. If you are flying Qatar business class and passing by Doha, do make sure to cater some time for this lounge. It is worth coming early for.