Nov 5, 2015, 11:11 am
Last edit by: CPH-Flyer
READ BEFORE COMMENTING IF YOU ARE NEW,
Hamad International Airport (HIA) offers passengers a number of different lounges.
This thread, is specifically for the Al Safwa First Class Lounge. Information on the other Lounge options at HIA, can be found here.
Does Al Safwa have a web page?
Yes: http://www.qatarairways.com/global/e...-al-safwa.page
Dining Menu
https://www.qatarairways.com/content...-dining-en.pdf
Where can I find Al Safwa Lounge?
The Lounge is located on Level 3 of the airport.
Can I use the Qatar Airways Al Safwa Lounge?
Access is based on your underlying fare bucket. This means that upgraded tickets, maybe except upgrades with QPoints (see post 2735), are not granted access.
Access is thus restricted to Qatar Airways First Class, and OneWorld First Class passengers :
- either holding a First Class boarding pass* for their next flight
- or holding a First Class boarding pass from their previous flight.
Additionally, Privilege Club platinum club travelling on any business-class fare are welcomed into the lounge. This is a facility introduced recently and one that could just as easily disappear.
- Guests are not permitted.
* Operational Upgrades to First do not give access. Upgrades with Qpoints may do give acces (see post 2735 - Sept 2022)
Arrival access on mid and long haul? (eg. coming from LHR in F)
YES
Ex. CAI-DOH-HEL
Arrival access regional F? (eg. coming from CAI in F)
Yes.
Caveat, if your underlying J fare is P, then the no lounge access for business light kicks in. And there is no access.
Privilege Club Platinum members are currently allowed in the lounge when travelling on any QR business-class fare: that could change. Other Oneworld Emerald members are directed to the Platinum lounge(s) when travelling in any class, and the Al Mourjan lounge when travelling on relevant business-class fares. Yup, it gets complicated.
What does the lounge look like?
Reports on the Lounge, can be found here and here. Photographs of the lounge, can be found here.
Is there a Spa?
Yes, there is a full Spa, but you will have to pay for treatments. A full list of treatments available can be found here
What about the sleeping rooms?
Stargold in http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28199729-post1177.html suggests that access to sleeping rooms is as follows:
'* No reservations allowed - always first-come first-served
* Only available if the remaining time until the flight departure is more than 4 hours
* Passengers are allowed maximum six hours' usage - for any further usage, a fee of QAR 450 is payable for a second block of six hours.
* No F&B of any kind except bottled water in the sleeping rooms.'
What changes can I expect during Ramadan?
Ramadan affects QR and you in many ways so please look at ramadan to see how you are affected.
Updated: 19/11/2023
Hamad International Airport (HIA) offers passengers a number of different lounges.
This thread, is specifically for the Al Safwa First Class Lounge. Information on the other Lounge options at HIA, can be found here.
Does Al Safwa have a web page?
Yes: http://www.qatarairways.com/global/e...-al-safwa.page
Dining Menu
https://www.qatarairways.com/content...-dining-en.pdf
Where can I find Al Safwa Lounge?
The Lounge is located on Level 3 of the airport.
Can I use the Qatar Airways Al Safwa Lounge?
Access is based on your underlying fare bucket. This means that upgraded tickets, maybe except upgrades with QPoints (see post 2735), are not granted access.
Access is thus restricted to Qatar Airways First Class, and OneWorld First Class passengers :
- either holding a First Class boarding pass* for their next flight
- or holding a First Class boarding pass from their previous flight.
Additionally, Privilege Club platinum club travelling on any business-class fare are welcomed into the lounge. This is a facility introduced recently and one that could just as easily disappear.
- Guests are not permitted.
* Operational Upgrades to First do not give access. Upgrades with Qpoints may do give acces (see post 2735 - Sept 2022)
Arrival access on mid and long haul? (eg. coming from LHR in F)
YES
Ex. CAI-DOH-HEL
Arrival access regional F? (eg. coming from CAI in F)
Yes.
Caveat, if your underlying J fare is P, then the no lounge access for business light kicks in. And there is no access.
Privilege Club Platinum members are currently allowed in the lounge when travelling on any QR business-class fare: that could change. Other Oneworld Emerald members are directed to the Platinum lounge(s) when travelling in any class, and the Al Mourjan lounge when travelling on relevant business-class fares. Yup, it gets complicated.
What does the lounge look like?
Reports on the Lounge, can be found here and here. Photographs of the lounge, can be found here.
Is there a Spa?
Yes, there is a full Spa, but you will have to pay for treatments. A full list of treatments available can be found here
What about the sleeping rooms?
Stargold in http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28199729-post1177.html suggests that access to sleeping rooms is as follows:
'* No reservations allowed - always first-come first-served
* Only available if the remaining time until the flight departure is more than 4 hours
* Passengers are allowed maximum six hours' usage - for any further usage, a fee of QAR 450 is payable for a second block of six hours.
* No F&B of any kind except bottled water in the sleeping rooms.'
What changes can I expect during Ramadan?
Ramadan affects QR and you in many ways so please look at ramadan to see how you are affected.
Updated: 19/11/2023
QR Al Safwa First Class Lounge
Nov 6, 2019, 1:58 am
#1773
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Cardiff
Programs: qatar airways platinum
Posts: 731
The twice I have flown regional F , it was made clear that I had use of the room for 6 hours. I left the room before the 6 hours was up. You can use the lounge for as long as you want.
Nov 8, 2019, 7:44 pm
#1774
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Glasgow, UK
Programs: Seigneur des Tarifs Utils First Class Mucci with Honours :) - BA GGL / CCR
Posts: 1,551
Food for breakfast is poor but the rooms are the best part
Nov 9, 2019, 7:53 am
#1775
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Brooklyn, NYC
Programs: QR PC Platinum, TK M&S elite, UA silver, ITA Voltaire Executive (lol), Marriott Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 1,153
How long was your layover? I was there wed-Thursday on an 8ish hour layover and no one informed me of a time limit for a sleeping room. Tbf I only spent a max of 4ish hours in one. Also, out of the 12(?) rooms, I only think a max of 3 included me were being used.
Nov 9, 2019, 8:03 am
#1776
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Glasgow, UK
Programs: Seigneur des Tarifs Utils First Class Mucci with Honours :) - BA GGL / CCR
Posts: 1,551
9 hours overall was 11pm to 8am was informed it was 6 hour limit and he recommended I have a drink first then go back and get a room so I could sleep later.
Very odd.
Nov 9, 2019, 8:09 am
#1777
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: Some
Posts: 5,228
I have flown e.g. BKK-CDG all in F as QR Plat before and had someone knocking on the door after 6 hrs and 10 minutes as I was collecting my things to remind me I needed to leave. They definitely were very serious about the time limit historically!
Staff in DOH generally follow the exact rules to the letter.
Staff in DOH generally follow the exact rules to the letter.
Nov 9, 2019, 3:13 pm
#1778
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: In the sticks
Programs: VS FC Gold, BA EC Gold, Amex Centurion, EK Gold, ex-G-ATVK driver
Posts: 1,815
As BA won’t check you in until T-24, I sat at an airside bar for a while, and then made my way to Al Safwa at T-24. For some reason I was unable to check in online on my mobile device, and the Al Safwa lounge desk couldn’t check me in either, so they let me use the computer/printer set up inside Al Safwa and I checked myself in there and printed my own boarding card.
I then spent the best part of a day splitting my time between Al Safwa and my airside hotel room. I don’t particularly recommend the Al Safwa bedrooms myself. While they’re very clean, there are no amenities, not even bottled water when I’ve used them (or even a glass!). I also found it difficult to sleep, the single bed isn’t exactly luxurious, and it’s a basic 3* hotel room. The airside hotel is far better IMHO, particularly the bed, although take noise cancelling devices wherever you sleep.
I also agree that the food in Al Safwa, while generally presented well, is mediocre at best, but the wine can be good, and the barmen (and it is always men) on my recent visits have been excellent, with a few off menu bottles. Sitting at the bar is pretty convivial, although the cocktail selection is limited.
If you’ve never been there, I recommend Al Safwa just for the bucket list. It is a one off when it comes to opulence .
Last edited by Howard Long; Nov 9, 2019 at 3:25 pm
Nov 9, 2019, 4:15 pm
#1779
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Brooklyn, NYC
Programs: QR PC Platinum, TK M&S elite, UA silver, ITA Voltaire Executive (lol), Marriott Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 1,153
I then spent the best part of a day splitting my time between Al Safwa and my airside hotel room. I don’t particularly recommend the Al Safwa bedrooms myself. While they’re very clean, there are no amenities, not even bottled water when I’ve used them (or even a glass!). I also found it difficult to sleep, the single bed isn’t exactly luxurious, and it’s a basic 3* hotel room. The airside hotel is far better IMHO, particularly the bed, although take noise cancelling devices wherever you sleep.
I also agree that the food in Al Safwa, while generally presented well, is mediocre at best, but the wine can be good, and the barmen (and it is always men) on my recent visits have been excellent, with a few off menu bottles. Sitting at the bar is pretty convivial, although the cocktail selection is limited.
If you’ve never been there, I recommend Al Safwa just for the bucket list. It is a one off when it comes to opulence .
I also agree that the food in Al Safwa, while generally presented well, is mediocre at best, but the wine can be good, and the barmen (and it is always men) on my recent visits have been excellent, with a few off menu bottles. Sitting at the bar is pretty convivial, although the cocktail selection is limited.
If you’ve never been there, I recommend Al Safwa just for the bucket list. It is a one off when it comes to opulence .
.
Nov 9, 2019, 8:06 pm
#1780
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: BOS/UTH
Programs: AA LT PLT; QR GLD; Bonvoy LT TIT
Posts: 12,734
I don’t particularly recommend the Al Safwa bedrooms myself. While they’re very clean, there are no amenities, not even bottled water when I’ve used them (or even a glass!). I also found it difficult to sleep, the single bed isn’t exactly luxurious, and it’s a basic 3* hotel room. The airside hotel is far better IMHO, particularly the bed, although take noise cancelling devices wherever you sleep.
And I agree the rooms aren’t the st Regis, and it’s just a single twin bed, I’d def wouldn’t call it equal to a 3 star hotel (imho the rooms a def a step up from a courtyard or garden inn, etc.). I’d call them a solid 4 star room and completely adequate for getting some sleep between flights.
Nov 10, 2019, 3:21 am
#1781
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: QR Gold, BAEC, Marriott Rewards Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 1,142
Nov 10, 2019, 4:06 am
#1782
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: In the sticks
Programs: VS FC Gold, BA EC Gold, Amex Centurion, EK Gold, ex-G-ATVK driver
Posts: 1,815
Good to hear they supply water now, I haven’t used the bedrooms for a year or so to be fair for the above reasons. While they would get you a small plastic Evian bottle on request, they’d take twenty minutes to get it, which I found strange considering it’s very close to the spa area. It was another reason for me not to bother in future!
Nov 12, 2019, 11:49 pm
#1784
Join Date: Mar 2019
Programs: Swiss Senator, Flying Blue Gold, BA EC Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 330
I’ve complained about it in the Al Mourjan thread but find it incredible that they are able to pull off $150 champagne but not a separate router for a first class lounge.
Nov 13, 2019, 1:35 am
#1785
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Phuket
Programs: SQ *Gold, BA, QR, EY, Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, Amex Plat
Posts: 5,263
