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First Look: Cathay Pacific The Deck lounge

23 Mar 2018 by Valerian Ho
CX The Deck reception

Cathay Pacific has opened a new lounge at Hong Kong International Airport, following a complete renovation of its former Dragonair G16 Lounge at the same location.

This is the first of Cathay Pacific’s lounges at Hong Kong airport to be managed by new operator Sodexo, which is replacing the current operator of the airline’s Hong Kong lounges, Plaza Premium Group.

Business Traveller Asia-Pacific was invited to a media tour of the new facility.

Location

The lounge is situated on level 7 of Terminal 1 – a five-minute walk after passing through immigration – with lift and elevator access.

Cathay Pacific The Deck lounge

What is it like?

Passengers will come across a brown, iron wall, bearing the Cathay Pacific logo and lounge name: The Deck. The entrance is located a few steps to the left where customers will notice the gorgeous signature scent tailor-made by the airline, combining notes of green tea, jasmine, lavender, bamboo and white tea.

The facility is large, accommodating up to 186 guests in four main seating areas that are divided by elegant Japanese-style wooden partitions.

Main lounge

This area has a luxurious, residential design, featuring various sofas and shiny, golden side tables with standalone lamps. Natural daylight from the airport windows floods into the lounge, providing the facility with a more spacious feel. Seats and drawers have in-built local power sockets and USB ports, which enable convenient charging of electronic devices. Magazines and newspapers are also placed on a rack in the corner.

Relaxation room

There is a smaller and dimmer area of the lounge that offers six signature “Cathay-green” Solo Chairs, each of which is equipped with a power socket, side table, reading light and two big cushions. This is a quieter zone than the rest of the lounge and provides greater privacy for guests to relax or work.

Dining area

The restaurant area features booth-style seating, similar to that found in Hong Kong’s local “cha chaan teng” eateries, which I thought was a nice touch. This space-saving design has also allowed for more tables and seats, giving the lounge a total of 12 two- to six-person dining tables, though there is plenty of room in each booth to get in and out. Each table has a lamp hung on the wall beside it, and charging ports are also located underneath.

The Terrace

The Terrace is a signature space of the lounge. It features an open L-shaped balcony overlooking the boarding gates, as well as the airport apron, taxi-ways and northern runway. Since the space faces north and west, this is an ideal spot to sit down and enjoy the sunset while sipping on a drink.

F&B

Noodle bar

As with other Cathay Pacific lounges, The Deck also offers its own iteration of the airline’s signature Noodle Bar, designed with Cathay-green tiles. Guests can order a wide range of local delicacies at this live-cooking station, including dan dan noodles, wonton noodles, fish ball noodles, and dim sum such as cha siu buns, siu mai and har gau. Guests are given a device that will ring when their order is ready. Or, you can have a seat at the bar table and wait.

Food station

The Deck also offers a wide range of buffet-style food options. Cold dishes include sandwiches, fruits, cold cuts, salads and a cheese plate. Hot dishes are also available, including assorted vegetable, fried chicken with lemon sauce and tomato pasta. I tried the majority of the food options available and was pleased with the quality, especially the Serrandura pudding (had I room in my stomach, I definitely would have had more than just the one serving).

Other facilities

Shower room

The lounge has a generous seven shower rooms, with a dedicated “shower reception” where guests can book a room.

Each room is fairly spacious (one could easily open a carry-on suitcase inside the cubicle) and comes prepared with towels, a hanger, hairdryer, as well as Aesop amenities. The water pressure is also pleasingly strong.

Verdict

A new lounge with comfortable chairs and good food, highlighting delicious local specialties. The terrace, offering a beautiful view of the apron, further makes the lounge worth a visit.

Who can access?

First and business class passengers; Marco Polo Club Silver members and above; members of all tiers who have earned lounge passes and/or their friends and family members; oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members.

Opening hours

5.30am to 12.30am

Business Traveller was live during the media tour of The Deck. View the video below.

cathaypacific.com

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