Cathay Pacific has today opened The Bridge, its latest lounge for premium passengers, Marco Polo diamond, silver and gold members, as well as Oneworld emerald and sapphire members.
Located at the Level 5, South West concourse and near gate 35 of the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), the 2,567sqm facility has a seating capacity for 364 and offers a residential design consisting of Japanese bronze, Italian copper, wood and warm-colour carpets.
The Bridge is the sixth and latest Cathay Pacific lounge at HKIA, joining The Wing, The Cabin, The Pier, G16 and The Arrival.
Designed by London-based architectural firm Foster + Partners, the space is separated into two wings, each extending from either side of the 14-metre Carrara marble reception counter set against a luminous wall made of Venetian glass tiles by Fabbian of Italy – a signature of the airline’s lounges.
The bamboo-shape shadow pattern adds to it an Asian touch.
The Long Bar
On the right hand side is the Long Bar, TV Lounge and The Bakery – a completely new feature unique to this lounge. Here, you find a bread oven and a pizza oven.
“There will be four to five types of bread available daily, including ones with olive, walnut and blue cheese, and wholemeal,” Toby Smith, the airline’s general manager of product, told Business Traveller Asia-Pacific.
“There are dozens of breads lined up for rotation.”
The Bakery
Complementing the bakery items are Western and Chinese soups, as well as sweet recipes. There are also sandwiches and other hot and cold dishes.
The TV Lounge currently has two 55-inch flatscreens, but Smith thinks they are not big enough for this space and they may be replaced with 88-inch ones in the future.
The left-hand-side section features the Bistro, where the usual business class lounge food and drink offerings are served; the Coffee Loft with a stationed barista; the IT Zone with 12 workstations and six dual-system iMacs; the Main Lounge with living room-style furnishing; and nine shower suites.
The Main Lounge
A lot of effort has gone into creating a distinctly homey feel to this space.
Each wing has a sofa area flanked by two knick-knack cabinets with shelves of books and decorative items sourced from around Hong Kong. William Furniss, a photographer based in the Chinese Special Administrative Region, has been commissioned to create large abstract prints themed after the city’s harbour.
The Cathay Solus Chair
Two dynamic sculptures at the entrance to the Main Lounge are designed and handcrafted by UK-based artist Charlotte Mayer. The various styles of seating include the Oscar Swivel Armchair designed by Pearson Lloyd, the Foster 520 Armchair, Antonio Citterio-designed dining chaur and sofas handcrafted by B&B Italia. The Cathay Solus Chair popular in sister lounges are also featured here, in olive green.
The lounge is open 0530-0100.
Reggie Ho
