Review: Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge – South, Doha Hamad Airport
Almost a terminal in itself, this expansive lounge is one that’ll have you crossing fingers for a delayed flight.
By Chris Ashton, January 10 2023
Country
Qatar
City
Doha
Airport
Doha - Hamad International Airport
Alliance
Oneworld
Airline
Qatar Airways
Cabin-class
Business
Notes
The Good
- Shower suites with diptyque amenities
- Dedicated business centre
The Bad
- Overcrowded during peak time
- Wifi dropouts during my visit
X-Factor
- Two à la carte restaurants
- Self-service bars with premium drinks and snacks
Introduction
Featuring two distinct restaurants, a reflection pond under a five-tier chandelier, and sprawling footprint the size of 10 Olympic pools, the Qatar Airways’ Al Mourjan business lounge at Doha Hamad International is easily one of the world’s best.
Comfortably seating some 800 guests, with a variety of zones, there’s no shortage of room to stretch out, relax and indulge… before doing the same in Qatar Airways’ superb Qsuite business class.
Location & Impressions
After clearing the Premium Check-in and security, the Al Mourjan lounge is only a few minutes stroll away, past the giant yellow teddy bear and up a clearly marked escalator.
Reaching the top and walking around the silver desk, the lounge comes into view – and it is vast. You can wander a good 20 minutes and still not see it all. Maps are on hand to help you get your bearings.
The sweeping Q-shaped staircase leads up to flagship restaurant Al Mourjan Dining.
Upstairs to the right is Al Mourjan Dining, the à la carte restaurant where guests can enjoy a tantalising mix of appetisers, a limited buffet and sushi counter, in addition to made-to-order dishes listed on a QR code menu.
Travellers after a less formal dining experience will instead be drawn to the Al Mourjan Global Cafe to the left, located at the far end of the lounge.
Al Mourjan Global Deli is the more casual venue of the two.
Between them is a broad seating lineup: electric blue lounges for solos, dining tables for two, meeting areas for three, and intimate nooks behind woven privacy screens, to name only a handful. Almost all have power outlets.
Seating is well spaced for privacy.
It’s a truly eye-catching space, restrained and dramatic in equal measures. The swimming pool-like pond – beneath a rippled and reflective ceiling – is the embodiment of that.
The lounge’s central location makes it well-placed for almost all gates, as well as the retail outlets and dining venues within the Duty Free Plaza South.
Access
Al Mourjan business lounge is open 24 hours a day.
Business class passengers jetting off with Qatar Airways on Elite, Comfort and Classic fares – as well as those on Oneworld partners like British Airways and Royal Jordanian, and anyone who booked their business class ticket using frequent flyer points – enjoy complimentary access to the expansive lounge.
The pond's still surface is broken by occasional droplets from the ceiling.
Those booked on Qatar Airways ‘Lite’ business class fares or seated in economy class can also pre-purchase access online for QAR 350 (AUD $139) per person, or pay QAR 450 (AUD$176) for walk-ins.
It’s worth noting that Oneworld status doesn’t get you access to the lounge – only the above listed can enter. Instead, QR offers Platinum and Gold frequent flyer lounges to accommodate Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members respectively.
Qatar Airways has recently debuted a second Al Mourjan business lounge dubbed ‘The Garden’ at Concourse C. Both lounges follow the same entry requirements, with only business class passengers allowed within.
Dining
Guests can dine in style at two restaurants: Al Mourjan Dining and Al Mourjan Global Deli.
Al Mourjan Dining is the standout of the duo, accessed via a Q-shaped staircase and filled with polished timber, white marble and matte black seating. Walls of glass either side afford views of the tarmac or into the main lounge.
A small troop of waiters is on hand to cater to every culinary need.
Breakfast is from 5:30am to 10:30am, with lunch and dinner from 11:00am to 4am.
Inside, staff eagerly wait to escort you to your table and take drink orders – today’s Champagne choices are a Philipponnat Royale Reserve Brut and Charles Heidsieck Champagne Rosé – while scanning the menu.
The buffet is manned by two staff in crisp, white uniforms.
The 10-strong à la carte offering includes beef tenderloin with parsley chateau potato and a bourguignon sauce; pan grilled Thai sea bass; and a fragrant lamb biryani.
I opt for the sea bass and receive an ETA of under 10 minutes. Using that time to swing by the appetisers, I nab two ready-made dishes: a green papaya salad with a poached prawn, and a mini falafel sandwich. Sadly, neither is particularly memorable.
Appetisers were running low on first sweep, but were soon restocked.
The Thai sea bass, on the other hand, is worth the wait – perfectly cooked and seasoned, lavished with a subtly spicy sauce. Lotus roots and wild rice add a welcome element of crunch.
Pan grilled Thai sea bass on a bed of wild rice, steamed pak choy and lotus root.
An assortment of sliced cakes and tarts, plus traditional Arabic sweets and dates, fill the dessert table.
But, knowing I need to head to the next restaurant, I regrettably skip the sweets.
Desserts include Black Forest gateau and pecan pie, a berry tart, coconut passion cake and chocolate torte.
With such a high volume of guests passing through, the atmosphere is a little chaotic during my 5pm visit. As a result, I don’t linger for long.
There's a near-constant stream of diners coming and going.
However, staff do a commendable job to keep dishes restocked and tables cleared.
At the far end of the lounge is Al Mourjan Global Deli – a casual eatery plating up sandwiches and salads, with the same drinks menu as Al Mourjan Dining.
The Deli interior is light and bright, with ample room to spread out.
It has a less intimate, almost cafeteria-like ambience, mostly due to its exposed location under the full-height ceiling. Brighter lighting doesn’t do it any favours either. But, though not quite on par with the main restaurant, there’s plenty of charm and fine service to match.
Caesar salad with chicken, and a glass of the Charles Heidsieck Champagne Rosé.
Seating choices are marble-topped benches lined with potted herbs and surrounded by metal stools (thankfully with cushions), plus a mix of dining tables and u-shaped lounges.
Those after more substantial fare will prefer the made-to-order menu, featuring a caprese salad, cajun chicken sandwich, slow roasted lamb shank on sourdough, and the like.
Ready-made appetisers include chilled chicken and broccoli, tuna egg salad, and mutabal eggplant dip.
A choice of basic desserts are available: panna cotta, fruit salad, and a tiramisu, as well as various pastries. If you want something more exciting, I’d recommend going to Al Mourjan Dining.
Self-serve bars are also dotted throughout the lounge, each with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Roaming staff can also take orders.
Champagne, beer, coffee and water are all available at the self-service bars.
There are snack counters too, laden with tasty treats like carrot cake, walnut and date cake, and Arabic sweets.
One of the many self-serve snack counters.
Work
Business travellers are well catered for, starting with an array of solo seats where you can work in privacy without being up close to anyone else…
Provided iPad screens previously found at these seats are yet to return post-pandemic.
…and if you need to plug in, AC and USB power outlets near each lamp accept Australian, UK, European pins and many others without an adapter.
Duos and groups will also find appropriate seating for collaboration or catch-ups.
Woven privacy screens help break up the cavernous main lounge.
For any serious work, a separate business centre goes far beyond the odd chair and table, taking on an office-like feel with meeting rooms, printing facilities and group tables.
Rather than featuring its own Wifi network, the lounge uses the terminal-wide connection. Unfortunately, it’s having technical issues for most of my visit, throwing me off almost as soon as I join.
One of the three-person seating choices - ideal for chatting with colleagues.
When I do eventually connect, speeds are an excellent 44.49 Mbps download, 71.80 Mbps upload.
Relax
Whisper quiet by design, you can shut your eyes for a snooze almost anywhere in the lounge and not be disturbed by chatter. Specially designed ‘nap pods’ can be nabbed on a first come, first serve basis too, should you want to stretch out.
‘Family rooms’ with multiple lounges and a large coffee table make an ideal base for groups or those feeling social. There’s also a kids/games room with foosball table and TVs.
Want to freshen up before your flight? Shower suites can be easily booked by presenting your boarding pass to the waiting attendant, who adds your name to the queue. My wait is a mere three minutes.
Private shower suites are on hand for travellers looking to freshen up mid journey.
Inside, they’re spacious and well appointed with Diptyque amenities, an overhead and handheld shower, toilet, and a space for your bag and clothing.
Lockers are available if you want to explore the terminal (I recommend catching the train to the new Orchard precinct at the end of Concourse C, complete with an indoor forest and waterfall). The second Al Mourjan business lounge, The Garden, is located there also.
Verdict
It’s rare to find an airport lounge you want to stay longer in, yet the Al Mourjan South does just that. I spent two hours inside and could’ve easily kicked back for more – another cocktail, another dessert.
While not as intimate as smaller lounges, Al Mourjan’s footprint results in an incredible feeling of space and calm. It oozes luxury… and is a great place to get your daily step count up before the flight too.
- The writer travelled as a guest of Qatar Airways.
QFF
19 Sep 2013
Total posts 206
Sigh… I really wanted to travel Qatar J again this year and enjoy this lounge once more, but the extra $2k was a bit too much. Perhaps next time. As this article says, it’s an incredible place.
08 Sep 2018
Total posts 26
The standards are just in another world.
Etihad - Etihad Guest
24 Jun 2019
Total posts 1
Yeah, just like Qantas Business Class lounge in Sydney
08 Jul 2017
Total posts 28
Presumably, those travelling on Business Class Awards get complimentary access. However that is not clear from the article.
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2561
They do, and that's a good point Serfty, we'll update the article to reflect this.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
18 Jul 2017
Total posts 32
Am contemplating a trip to Istanbul this year for conference. Would appreciate members suggestions on choice of Airline in J Class. Qatar or Emirates. Originally chose Qatar as they were to fly out of Cb but no longer programmed.
20 Nov 2015
Total posts 477
If it's Qsuites, then Qatar Airways. Otherwise Emirates A380 because it still has a good business class seat, the A380s have that great bar, and if you book under the QF flight number of QF8xxxx you get the same high number of points and status credits as if you were on a Qantas flight. Just try not to have too short a connection time at Dubai or especially Doha, it takes the 'fun' off the lounge experience if you are rushing.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
06 Oct 2016
Total posts 175
Just be aware QR sometimes use a narrow body to IST, and EK usually the poor 777, it is only about 4 hours but it could be an factor,= for you. Personally I pick QR over the two, the total package in J is better (EK F is another story!)
I am guessing you are looking for QFF, but I would prefer SQ to both and they are usually cheaper to boot
25 Jun 2018
Total posts 49
Going to Doha later in the year. Arriving 23:00, so no joy there. Departing 08:25, so maybe a quick breakfast, but my carrier will be serving breakfast as well. Ah well, maybe another time.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Jul 2017
Total posts 10
This lounge is great but my experience there twice in the past year has seen terrible wifi speeds. This applies to the whole airport. Even a few weeks before the world cup the speeds were very poor. The lounge that is now used for Emerald OneWorld flyers in economy is a big drop down from this.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
31 May 2019
Total posts 8
Suprised you'd rate this for work/business. There are no comfortable chairs to sit in with a laptop for an extended period or even to nap (think QF F Lounge in Sydney, EK J and F lounges in DXB - lounge chairs perfect to relax). I would actually say any long layover here is quite a poor experience - once you've marvelled at the architecture, had a shower, and eaten... it's not a great place to hang around.
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