Tried & Tested

Lounge review: Singapore Airlines Silverkris Lounge Business Class, Hong Kong

2 Apr 2019 by Jackie Chen
SIA SilverKris Lounge HKIA - Entrance

Background

Hong Kong International Airport has a number of different lounge options for travellers flying with Star Alliance member carriers: Singapore Airlines’ Silverkris Lounge First Class/Business Class; the Thai Airways Royal First and Royal Orchid Lounges; and United Airlines’ United Club lounge.

Business Traveller Asia-Pacific has previously reviewed the United Club lounge. Being booked on a flight operated by Singapore Airlines, I decided to try out the airline’s own Silverkris Business Lounge to see how it compares.

Where is it?

After customs and immigration clearance. Take the escalator down one floor to Level 6 and walk towards Gates 5-9. The Silverkris Lounge is just located near Gate 5 (it was previously Gate 15 before the recent change of boarding gate number in Hong Kong International Airport with effect from 28 March 2019).

Who can access?

Passengers travelling in first or business class with Singapore Airlines, as well as any Star Alliance member airlines. Upon entering the lounge, you’ll need to present your boarding pass and passport for verification.

Status holders with Singapore Airlines’ PPS Club and Krisflyer loyalty programmes also have access depending on their tier level, as do certain Star Alliance members.

PPS Club members flying on Singapore Airlines have access to the business class area of the Silverkris Lounge. They can bring a guest who is also travelling with Singapore Airlines on the same day.

Solitaire PPS Club members flying with Singapore Airlines are granted access to the first class area of the Silverkris Lounge. If they are arriving in Singapore, they can also bring a guest on the same flight.

Krisflyer Elite Gold members have access to the lounge, together with a guest also departing with Singapore Airlines on the same day.

Star Alliance Gold members travelling in any class on a Star Alliance member airline-operated flight have access to the lounge as well. They are also entitled to bring one guest provided they too are travelling on any Star Alliance flight departing on the same day.

At the same time, Velocity Gold/Platinum members travelling on Singapore Airlines or Virgin Atlantic flight are welcome to bring a guest to the Business Class Lounge. Virgin Flying Club Gold member and Club Vistara Platinum/Gold members travelling on Singapore Airlines are entitled to visit the Business Class Lounge as well.

What’s it like?

There’s a long corridor connecting the main entrance with the inner areas of the lounge. Upon entering the corridor, you’ll see a small room with a few seats and tables, as well as its own small tea and coffee station. This could prove to be quite a private and secluded spot, as there was only one passenger sitting there when I passed by.

SIA SilverKris Lounge HKIA - The Gallery

Walking along the corridor until the end, you can see that there are separate areas for first class and business class passengers, with the latter on the right-hand side. The business class area is a decent size, but not especially huge, and there were more passengers in the lounge than I expected when I arrived at around 5pm on a Wednesday afternoon.

SIA SilverKris Lounge - Seating area 2
SIA SilverKris Lounge - Seating area 3

The lounge offers a diverse range of seating options. At the back of the seating area are individual cubicles that look a bit like business class cabin seats, equipped with a cushion, a small tray table, power sockets, and a reading light. I really liked this kind of “productivity pod” and I found it afforded me a great deal of privacy. It’s also useful for business travellers that need to do some work before their flight and wish to do so in relative solitude.

There’s a great selection of newspapers and magazines in both Chinese and English, including Business Traveller Asia-Pacific and our sister publication, Business Traveller China.

SIA SilverKris Lounge HKIA - Magazines 1
SIA SilverKris Lounge HKIA - Magazines 2

In terms of food offerings, there is a range of hot and cold buffet dishes, soup, fruits and cakes. Tea and coffee facilities are provided for self-service.

SIA SilverKris Lounge HKIA - Food 1

The soybean pudding station particularly caught my attention. There’s a soybean stone mill with real soybeans placed on it, which made me wonder if it was an invitation to try and make some soybean milk myself, but I later found out that it’s just for decoration. The actual soybean pudding is stored in the wooden barrel beside. You can add a spoonful of palm sugar syrup, ginger syrup and brown sugar to the soybean pudding based on your preference.

SIA SilverKris Lounge HKIA - Soybean pudding station 1
SIA SilverKris Lounge HKIA - Soybean pudding station 2

A cooked-to-order menu is also available, but there were only two dishes when I visited – laksa and wonton noodles. You can approach the service attendants to order the dishes, and expect a preparation time of five to ten minutes.

SIA SilverKris Lounge HKIA - Cooked-to-order menu

A small manned bar located near the entrance of the business class lounge serves both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The selection is decent though not hugely comprehensive, but it was interesting to see they offer “Hong Kong Style Milk Tea” as the “Signature Drink” on the menu.

SIA SilverKris Lounge HKIA - Bar 1
SIA SilverKris Lounge HKIA - Bar 2

For those who want to take a shower to refresh themselves before their flights, there are two shower rooms available located beside the long corridor you pass through from the entrance, next to the washrooms. The shower rooms are quite sizable as a whole, outfitted with a toilet, a full-length mirror and a wall-mounted baby changing station.

SIA SilverKris Lounge HKIA - Bathroom 3

Passengers who want to use the shower rooms need to go to the reception desk at the entrance and show your boarding pass for registration. Then a service attendant will lead you to an available room. There’s a sign in the room asking users to limit their usage to 15 minutes, so this is definitely more of a quick freshening up rather than an extended relaxation option.

Verdict

While the lounge did feel somewhat crowded when I first arrived and the lack of windows also makes it seem a little dark, the fact that there are a good number of tables and chairs in different settings makes it suitable for a variety of different travellers. In particular, I really like the single seats that offer a comfortable personal space that’s also suitable for working. It’s also worth pointing out that the service attendants were nice and helpful.

Fact file

  • Hours: 6am-12:30am daily
  • Location: Terminal 1, Main Departure Hall, Level 6, near Gate 5 (previously Gate 15)
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