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Table of Contents
Introduction
The Pier is Cathay Pacific’s largest Business Class lounge in Hong Kong, and it is located on Level 6 of Terminal 1 near Gate 65. That puts it toward the far end of the main concourse, so it is worth checking your departure gate and leaving enough time for the walk back if your flight is departing from the other side of the terminal.
The lounge is reached by taking the escalator down from the departures level. The entrance is hard to miss, with a large Cathay Pacific sign beside the escalator.
The reception area already sets the tone for the lounge. There is plenty of warm wood, soft lighting, and a residential feel that is much calmer than the terminal upstairs.
Cathay says the redesigned lounge covers 3,306 square meters and seats up to 550 guests. Even with those numbers, the space does not feel like one giant room. It is laid out more like a long street, with different rooms and dining concepts branching off as you make your way toward the back.
Access Requirements
The Pier Business Class Lounge is available to:
- First Class and Business Class passengers departing on Cathay Pacific or another oneworld airline
- oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members departing on an eligible oneworld flight, with one guest
- Eligible Cathay Silver, Gold, and Diamond members under Cathay’s current lounge access rules
I was departing Hong Kong in Cathay Pacific Business Class to Mumbai, so I had access through my ticket.
The Food Hall
The Food Hall is the first major space after reception. This is the most casual dining area in the lounge, with round tables, counter seating, a deli-style buffet, and several hot options.
The room was fairly busy during my evening visit, but there was still a reasonable amount of turnover and I did not have much trouble finding somewhere to sit.
The deli counter had a good spread of lighter food, including salads, cold cuts, cheese, and marinated vegetables.
There were also pizzas and several more substantial hot dishes. This makes the Food Hall a practical stop if you want to eat quickly without waiting for something from the Noodle Bar.
There was a selection of focaccia and other baked items as well.
For dessert, one of the options was an olive oil cake with confectioners’ sugar.
The Food Hall also had a self-service coffee and beverage station.
One detail I liked was the green street cart, which fits nicely with the lounge’s Hong Kong street-inspired layout. During my visit it was set up with jars of biscuits.
The Bar and Main Lounge
After the Food Hall, the lounge opens into a large living room-style space. There is a proper staffed bar on one side and a wide mix of armchairs, sofas, and small tables throughout the room.
The full bar is a nice feature for passengers who want something more than the self-service drinks found elsewhere in the lounge.
This section captures the residential design especially well. The wood paneling, plants, table lamps, and mismatched chairs make it feel far less institutional than a typical airport lounge. The windows also look directly onto the apron, and on my visit there was a Cathay Pacific aircraft parked right outside.
The Noodle Bar
The Noodle Bar is one of the highlights of Cathay Pacific’s lounge network, and the version at The Pier is much larger than the small counter found in some of the airline’s other lounges.
There are booths on both sides, a large communal table, and counter seating along the open kitchen.
In addition to the made-to-order dishes, the room had a small self-service spread with steamed buns, fried noodles, and drinks.
There was also a full condiment station with fried garlic, coriander, spring onion, chili oil, and several sauces.
The menu during my visit included wonton noodles, dan dan noodles, assorted vegetable ramen, chicken siu mai, vegetable dumplings, molten custard buns, and Hong Kong-style roasted meat dishes.
Orders were prepared behind the counter and placed on trays for collection.
I went with the roasted crispy pork rice, which came with steamed rice and greens. This is exactly the kind of local option I want to see in a flagship lounge in Hong Kong.
The Teahouse
The Teahouse is unique to The Pier Business Class Lounge and sits farther along the lounge, where the atmosphere becomes noticeably quieter.
The room has its own tea counter and a mix of dining tables and low sofas.
The tea selection was extensive, with black, green, white, herbal, and pu-erh options from Jing. I especially liked that the loose tea leaves were displayed in clear containers, making it much easier to understand what you were ordering.
There were also small snacks to go with the tea, including black sesame peanut candy and egg tarts.
For anyone looking for something cold, the Teahouse had three juices labeled Go with the flow, Cathay lullaby, and Charge me up.
Showers and Relaxation Room
The Pier has 14 shower suites, and there is a dedicated reception desk near the back of the lounge where you can request one.
There is also a separate seating area nearby that feels removed from the busiest dining rooms.
The actual Relaxation Room is dimly lit and has low upholstered loungers with large footstools. It is not a private bedroom, but it is a much better setup for resting than trying to sleep in an ordinary lounge chair.
More Seating
The deeper you walk into The Pier, the more seating you find. A long stretch beside the windows has sofas, armchairs, Cathay’s distinctive Solo Chairs, and plenty of side tables with lamps.
The lounge still felt busy at this hour, but the long layout helped spread people between the different zones. The spaces closer to the back also felt quieter than the Food Hall and bar.
The interior design is one of the strongest parts of The Pier. Even the corridors use local artwork, plants, limestone, and cherry wood to keep the lounge feeling consistent from one end to the other.
Bottom Line
The Pier Business Class Lounge is easily the most complete Cathay Pacific Business Class lounge in Hong Kong. The Wing is convenient after security and The Deck is useful if your gate is nearby, but The Pier combines scale, comfortable seating, apron views, a full bar, the excellent Noodle Bar, a genuinely distinctive Teahouse, showers, and a proper relaxation room in one space.
Its biggest drawback is simply the location. Gate 65 is a long walk from the front of Terminal 1, so The Pier will not always be the most convenient choice. If you have enough time, though, this is the Cathay Business Class lounge I would make an effort to visit.