Inside the new Qantas MCA Lounge for Platinum One frequent flyers
By David Flynn, July 8 2012
There’s an exclusive new Qantas lounge in Sydney – but it’s not at the airport, and it’s open only to travellers holding elite Platinum One frequent flyer status.
Welcome to the Qantas MCA Lounge, nestled in the Museum of Contemporary Art in the heart of downtown Sydney.
Instead of a sweeping panorama over the runway there are views across Circular Quay to the Opera House, with ferries scuttling around Sydney Harbour rather than jets thundering along runways.
The lounge, which officially opened last week, slots into Qantas’ role as a major sponsor of the MCA and was created as part of the museum’s recent A$53 million redevelopment.
It's intended as a private haven for Platinum One members during their time in the bustling city. Just don’t expect a miniature version of the luxe Marc Newson-designed Qantas First Lounge or Chairman’s Lounge.
The Qantas MCA Lounge is a small but airy space on the MCA’s ground floor with seating for 12 visitors.
Artwork on the wall comes from the MCA collection and will be rotated throughout the year.
As you'd expect there's free wireless Internet – guests currently share the MCA’s public access network but the lounge will soon be equipped with a dedicated (and password protected) wifi hotspot.
There’s also free coffee, tea, soft drinks and some familiar nibblies from the Qantas lounges.
More substantial dining will be available from the MCA Restaurant which opens towards the end of this month.
The glass doors at the end of the lounge open onto what will be a private dining area for the MCA Restaurant.
Guests will be able to order their meal from the lounge, relax in the lounge while it’s being prepared, and then adjourn to the outdoor dining area when it’s ready to be served.
The 14 seat meeting room can also be made available on a limited basis to Platinum Ones, although you’ll need to contact the Qantas Platinum One team to book the room in advance.
The Qantas MCA Lounge is open from 10am to 5pm seven days a week (the same hours as the MCA itself), with access for Qantas Platinum One and MCA Ambassadors (people who have donated more than $1,500 to the MCA).
Platinum Ones are officially entitled to bring one guest into the MCA Lounge, although Qantas says more than one guest will be permitted at the discretion of the lounge staff.
Other Australian Business Traveller articles on Qantas' premium lounges
- Behind the scenes: fine dining at Sydney's Qantas First Lounge
- Seven expert tips to make the most of your visit to the Qantas First Class Lounge
- How to get into the Qantas First Class Lounge on domestic flights
- Qantas: new First Class lounges for Singapore, Hong Kong by year's end
Keep up to date with the latest news for business travellers and frequent flyers: follow @AusBT on Twitter.
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
07 May 2012
Total posts 371
I think there is more important things Qantas can be doing with their money. Like fixing the airline!
04 Nov 2010
Total posts 670
Like you say, AusBT, I don't expect this to be a Marc Newson 'masterpiece' so I suppose they are caught between a rock and a hard place.
They can't justify the $$ to make it something really special, but the public's expectations are that any Qantas 'lounge' is going to match the bar set by their airport lounges, even the Qantas Club.
But as much as I want to be fair this doesn't even look like a little 'club room'. A nice place for P1s to drop by if they are in that end of the city but really, wouldn't a high-flying P1 be staying at a five-star hotel with its own lounge area etc?
The space seems a bit bare and 'cold', maybe they could have dressed it up a bit more so it's less spartan?
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