The premier business class lounge in the Qatar Airways network is the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge at Doha Hamad International Airport. Through its airport in Doha, Qatar Airways has based its whole airline network on connecting travel. It must continue to operate in a competitive market in order to pamper its business travellers. The Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge is thankfully one of the top business lounges in the world. See how it excels at what it does, by reading on.

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This post is one chapter on my trip to the Republic of the Maldives. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and Air Canada’s Aeroplan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Review: Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge, Doha Hamad International Airport, Qatar

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It had been about six years since I had visited the excellent Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge. Since it had been such a long period of time, I figured that it was worth taking a look to see what had changed.

If you’d like to read about our past visit, please see our previous review of the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge.

Locating the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge:

We arrived into Doha Hamad International Airport on Qatar Airways Q Suites Business Class San Francisco – Doha. The Qatar Alrways Al Mourjan Lounge access escalators are is located adjacent to the giant Lamp Bear designed by Urs Fischer.

Our visit was shortly after the Qatar World Cup. There were concourse displays that were selling official Qatar Fifa World Cup Soccer balls, which made for a great regional souvenir.

We transferred through the airport and landmarked ourselves near the remarkable Lamp Bear art designed by Urs Fischer.

The Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge access was a short three minute walk from the Lamp Bear.

Accessing the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge:

The Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge is the primary Qatar Airways Business Lounge in Doha Hamad International Airport.

Qatar Airways First Class and Business Class (Elite, Comfort) and One World First Class and Business Class passengers can access this lounge on a complimentary basis.

Qatar Airways has unbunded some of their business class fares. Accordingly, some Qatar Business Class Fares do not automatically offer lounge access.

Fortunately, basic business class passenger and Economy Class passengers throughout the network can purchase lounge access on line, at the check-in counters, preferred travel agents, or Qatar Airways’ sales offices.

Access is also granted per the One World First and Business Class Lounge Access policy:

• Customers flying First or Business Class have access to the equivalent class of lounge regardless of their frequent flyer status. First Class passengers may use a Business Class or frequent flyer lounge if a First Class lounge is not available.
• First Class passengers may invite one guest to join them in the lounge. The guest must also be travelling on a flight operated and marketed by a oneworld airline.
• Access is available on the day of travel (or before 06:00am the following day), at the airport from which the oneworld flight on which the eligible customer is travelling departs.
• Connecting between oneworld marketed and operated flights:
  • First and Business Class customers connecting on the same day of travel, or before 6am the following day, can access the lounge when travelling between an international long haul (a oneworld international long haul flight is defined as an international flight marketed and operated by any oneworld carrier with a scheduled flight time longer than 5 hours) and an international short haul or domestic flight (and vice-versa).
  • Lounge access will be determined on the international long haul ticketed flight (either First of Business Class) regardless of the ticketed class of travel on the international short haul or domestic flight.
  • You must be prepared to show your boarding pass or itinerary showing travel in First or Business class on the international long haul flight, in order to access the lounge before your international short haul or domestic flight.

Today’s access was courtesy of our Qatar Airways Business Class Ticket, which was redeemed through Alaska Mileage Plan.

Our boarding cards were scanned by a host at the bottom of the escalator. We were let up the escalator

At the top of the escalator, we were permitted to proceed directly into the lounge. We didn’t have to attend the front reception counter.

Inside Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge:

Returning to the lounge after all those years, the lounge retains many of the features that make this place so popular.

Turning left from the entrance, the lounge offers it’s primary seating space which consists of blue lounge chairs spread out in a high ceiling atrium.

The lounge seating is broad, spacious and offers plenty of elbow room that’s available . We were able to locate a seat without any issues, with a wide variety of seating locations throughout the lounge available for seating.

The main seating area offered small drink and refreshment stations at select ends of the lounge. The refrigerated chests weren’t all that cold, but the nearness of these drink stations sure outweighed the need for coldness.

At the other end of the lounge, Qatar’s Al Mourjan Lounge has the largest water feature I’ve ever seen in a lounge. The Qatar Al Mourjan Lounge offers a giant reflection fountain across the right centre of the lounge. With a few select seats immediately located next to the reflection fountain, this marks one of the most interesting views available in a business lounge in the world today.

Near the water fountain marks the grand staircase that leads up to the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Restaurant which is located on the second level. At times, this area is manned for crowd control, although it was completely empty during our after supper hour visit.

In the middle of the lounge, Qatar Airways offered an elevated lounge space surrounded by railings. This lounge space wasn’t frequently used, although it contained a number of loungers that looked remarkably comfortable.

On the far side of the lounge, Qatar Airways offered a study area which was hidden behind glass doors. While it was a quieter space, it didn’t seem to be any less busy in terms of seating occupancy.

There were a number of quiet chairs, which were quite empty on our visit. There were also a number of horizontal relax chairs, which could make do for sleeping if absolutely necessary.

Getting back outside of the enclosed study, there was some additional seating around the main lounge area. I typically find this side to be a little quieter than the main entry area, mostly as a result of the fact that you’ll have to cross the elevated terrace area to access this space, or wander your rolling suitcase all the way around to the opposite side of the entrance.

At the very end of the lounge on the ground floor, there was a small dining area.

Shower Suites:

After travelling fourteen hours on Qatar Airways Q Suites Business Class San Francisco – Doha, I was ready for a little refreshing. I put my name on the list for a shower. I was initially told it would be a fifteen minute wait. However, I was provided a shower suite after only five minutes.

The shower suite was reasonable, but it wasn’t super spacious. There was enough space for a change of clothes, the ability to hang up your clothes and enough space to spread out for a shave. As can be expected, the space was remarkably clean consider the amount of use that it likely got.

After a hot shower, the shower room itself was quite humid as a result of a weaker air conditioning system. It could also be that, as a Canadian, I’m having a hot shower in an environment where many are having room temperature water showers. Either way, it was a warm experience and I ended up a little sweaty after the session.

Sleeping in the Lounge:

Qatar Airways offers a few sleep areas in the Al Mourjan lounge. These aren’t private rooms that you night find at the Qatar Al Safwa First Class Lounge, but rather, sleep and nap chairs located within a quieter area of the lounge.

For those with a longer connection that don’t want to go into Doha for a stay at a hotel, Qatar Airways Al Mourjan offers about twenty sleep loungers located immediately ot the right of the entrance.

Al Mourjan Restaurant:

On the second floor of the lounge, Qatar Airways offers a table service restaurant. There is no cost for dining in the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Restaurant, and seating is available on a first come, first serve basis.

I’ve never had an issue getting seated immediately on my visits, but I have occasionally seen lines during the busier late evening periods between 9 PM – 12 AM when there are a larger number of flights connecting through Doha Hamad International Airport.

We visited the reception host and were led and assigned a comfortable booth near the glass, overlooking the rest of the lounge itself.

We were provided a menu that outlined all of the breakfast, lunch and dinner choices available at the Al Mourjan Business Lounge. There was exceptional variety for the a – la – carte choices. In addition to the table ordering service, there was a self service buffet available for those that were un willing (or unable) to wait for table service.

After placing an a – la – carte order, I took a walk around the lounge. The full service buffet was on display, where dishes were plated by staff.

The liquor bar offered all alcohlic beverages and wine available in the lounge. These were available for ordering through wait staff, or through walking up to the bar.

In a surprising combination, the bar also offered the lounge’s salad bar. A fresh salad can be a little hard to find in the Middle East. At the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan lounge, you have the ability of ordering a fresh salad to acompany a meal.

There were also a handful of small self service dishes available from pick up from the island. These consisted of middle eastern snacks such as tabbouleh, hummus and other tasty salads.

The lounge even offered sushi as an item to order. While I didn’t think that’ I’d actually get reasonable tasting sushi in an airport lounge, I’m happy to report that the sushi was more than edible, it was actually very good.

We enjoyed our time here before heading off to our Qatar Airways Business Class Doha – Malé flight. The lounge offered a great place to relax, re-charge and even take in a wonderful meal in between your connecting flights.

My Thoughts the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge at Doha Hamad International Airport:

The Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge is easily one of my favourite business lounges in the world. It’s probably among the nicest international business lounge in the One World Alliance, and is likely the best business lounge in the middle east when compared to business lounges within the Emirates, Etihad and Qatar airways networks.

The Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge offers a great selection of places to relax, a wonderful tabled served restaurant, and a functional shower suite if you happen to need it. The Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge offers everything that you’d possibly need in an international business lounge positioned in a wonderful environment.

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If you’ve regularly flown on one of the Middle Eastern Three carriers, is the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge your preferred business lounge, between Qatar, Emirates or Etihad ?

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