Considering the old premier lounge in Riyadh was not exactly great I want to warn any potential lounge dwellers that it has got much, much worse.

The entire right hand section of the lounge is now blocked off and a substantial portion of the left hand section as well. Out of the 3 areas where you could get food/drink self serve, there is only one left which is the area previously furthest away (to the left). You can get a few hot options but have to ask the guy in the kitchen for everything else (ie salad, pastries) so expect long wait times even for the simplest request. There is no fresh fruit although you can still get water/soft drinks (without asking).

I left after 15 mins as the croissants I asked for were so dry and stale they just fell to pieces. Went to Paul and ordered something edible.

As a side note, there are now electronic gates being set up and the immigration and security seem much more efficient than before. The staff also seem to have got a makeover and are generally much nicer (maybe as a result of charging 3000 SAR for a 1 year visa ?)