Originally Posted by “percysmith”

I visited yesterday as Qatar Business invite holder. I also have a Priority Pass but didn’t use that.

1. ⁠IST food pricing is a ripoff. Even for someone used to paying quite high dining prices in HK. I remember seeing €10 for juice.
2. ⁠People were sitting on the floor after security. Istanbul Airport deliberately installed less benches than needed to seat volume of pax - seems a pretty underhanded way of pushing people into the restaurants or the lounge.
3. ⁠Problem then extends to IGA lounge reception. Five counters were processing local credit card holders - I empathise because same access deal with Plaza Premium HKG - but they seem to be taking their time. We were sent to the leftmost queue as invite holders but realised we were queuing behind Priority Pass holders. Took me 8 mins to get in even tho I have stand alone invite card to hand over.
4. ⁠Very busy inside (this was around 6pm). Took me 8 more minutes to walk from door to the other end for seats with charging. I’m critical of the one-lounge for all non-TK with one entrance design.
5. ⁠Food and drinks were this lounge’s better points. There always a nice chicken dish to eat into as a refreshment (if we hadn’t food on the plane, we could make it into a meal). Beer, whiskey, gin and wine were included, and given out without much fuss - my G&T might have had too much gin in it.
6. ⁠Guys had to queue for toilet stalls, I decided to wait til Doha to shower. My wife went to the ladies and said they ran out of toilet paper, but the cleaners haven’t a chance to make their way in their stalls to replenish.