Lounge Review: DOH Qatar Airways Platinum Lounge South

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Qatar Airways are known for restricting access to their most premium lounges for passengers travelling in Business or First Class. If you’re a oneworld status holder travelling through Doha in a oneworld economy or premium economy cabin, or on one of Qatar Airways’ Business Lite fares, you’ll use the lesser known status lounges rather than the Al Mourjan or Al Safwa premium lounges.

There are three levels of these status lounges; a Silver lounge on Concourse B for Qatar Airways Privilege Club Silver members (but not other oneworld Ruby members), Gold lounges for oneworld Sapphire members on both Concourses A and C, and a Platinum lounge also on Concourse A for oneworld Emerald members. The Concourse C lounge is branded as the Platinum and Gold Lounge North, and therefore provides an elevated offering somewhere between the Gold and Platinum lounges on Concourse A catering to both levels of frequent flyer.

With BA Gold status (equivalent to oneworld Emerald) and travelling on a QR Business Lite fare for the first and so far only time, I popped into the Platinum lounge near Gate A1 on a short layover last January.

The Gold lounge is located on the same level as reception (and the same level as the gates), whilst the Platinum lounge is on the floor above.

As you enter the Platinum lounge, the dining area is immediately on the right, with a self-service buffet flanking two of the walls and seating mostly for two people in the centre. Impressively for a status-only lounge, an à la carte dining menu is offered via QR code, and whilst this is pared back compared to the menu available in the Al Mourjan lounges, the selection is decent. The buffet selections were also listed in the menu as of January 2024, although have since been removed. A la carte menus are not offered in the Gold or Silver lounges. I didn’t eat anything on this visit (and couldn’t take any photos of the dining area due to its crowded nature), but as many of the offerings are duplicated in the premium lounges, quality is the same. The menus shown here are from my January 2024 visit but remain broadly representative of the current offering, although note that sushi no longer features on the à la carte menu, and the number of options for both main courses and desserts have reduced to three and one respectively.















Washrooms with a limited number of integrated showers are accessed through the dining area to the rear. I used a shower in the Gold lounge as there are only two in the male toilets in the Platinum lounge which were both occupied when I arrived. The shower suites are identical across the two lounges, and whilst clearly a step down in terms of design from the Al Mourjan lounges, they are spacious, clean and offer the same Diptyque amenities as the premium lounges. As with the Al Mourjan Garden lounge, there are no toilets within the shower rooms.







Opposite the dining area is a quiet room, with a handful of semi-private nooks containing a reclining chair and side table featuring integrated power, USB-A sockets and a lamp. The space is quite bright for relaxing.



The main seating area comprises a slightly raised section to the left featuring a tended bar serving barista coffee and a full range of hot, soft and alcoholic drinks (including basic cocktails) with low sofa and café-style seating extending to the back of the lounge. Champagne was available as of January 2024, but I believe has now been downgraded to sparkling wine.



The rest of the lounge space comprises of various low-backed armchairs, a central refreshment station and small high-top table with seating for six, together with a handful of work booths next to the dining area. Most seating areas are within easy reach of power and USB-A sockets which are mainly integrated into side tables. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer apron views.



The overall interior design of the lounge remains high quality and contains more than a few nods to the original Al Mourjan lounge design. Whilst the limited number of showers is disappointing and the small space can often be crowded, QR’s offering for high-tier oneworld status passengers is on par with or even exceeds many other airlines’ business class lounges.

For my recent review of the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge - The Garden, see here.