Introduction
The Beas River Chalet Hong Kong
Singapore Airlines SilverKris Business Class Lounge Hong Kong
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Business Class Lounge Hong Kong
Thai Airways 609 A330-300 Business Class Hong Kong to Phuket
The Bell Pool Villa Resort Phuket
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Business Class Lounge Phuket
Thai Airways 608 A330-300 Business Class Phuket to Hong Kong
I had told my parents that I’d meet them at the THAI Airways Royal Orchid lounge at 9:50am. At 9:45, I decided I’d take a short walk from the lounge, but getting out to the gate area, I realized that twenty gates in a straight line is a pretty long walk. I sprinted all the way to gate 40, and arrived just by the time my parents were expecting me, panting with breath.
The THAI Royal Orchid Lounge is located near gate 40, in a complex with the Emirates lounge, United Club, Plaza Premium Lounge West and the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Hong Kong.
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Entrance
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Entrance
There was a classic display of an old THAI A330, which was a nice touch, but at the same time I think that the lounge is supposed to reflect how far the airline has come, not how far back it has gone.
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Entrance Display
The left of the lounge leads to the business class section, and the right to the first class section, which I didn’t have access to. Similarly to the cabin, the business class side of the lounge is branded the Royal Silk lounge. Sure…
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Royal Silk Hallways
While the lounge is really showing its age, I liked how colourful the lounge was. It featured lots of seating, even though none of it was comfortable. Unlike the SilverKris lounge, this lounge was airy and open to the terminal, and given how loud the snores were at the SilverKris lounge, the white noise actually seemed less quiet. 😉
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Royal Silk Area
The lounge was actually less crowded than I expected, though was a little more crowded than the Singapore Airlines SilverKris lounge.
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Royal Silk Area
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Royal Silk Area
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Royal Silk Area
There were views of the tarmac, though the views weren’t “direct” views, rather there was a balcony about five meters from the airport windows. That said, there was quite a bit of interesting traffic.
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Royal Silk Area Views of Tarmac
We also got a good view of our flight to Phuket, though the Airbus A330 sure felt like a prop beside the massive 777s that Cathay put up right next to it. How many times have I flown the A330-300 consecutively now? The ninth?
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Royal Silk Area View of Flight
Aside from the “main” triangular area, there was also bar seating and a “gaming” area which I never got the point of.
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Royal Silk Area
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Royal Silk Area Seating
There was also a huge signage with THAI’s logo on it, presumably to say “this area is owned by us, other airlines, f*ck off”.
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Royal Silk Area Signage
There was some bar seating, but without a bar, it’s pretty much pointless (if you’re gonna have people sitting and viewing the tarmac, put some sofas if you want to, but not bar seating).
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Royal Silk Area Bar Seating
There were also some unstaffed massage chairs which I guess were to be used upon when you wanted to.
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Royal Silk Area Massage Chairs
We were only there to meet our friends as our flight was on final call, but I decided to check out the food spread while my friends were touching up before the flight.
They were in a hallway where you walked through, and featured decent hot and cold options, what you’d expect from a non-hub business class lounge.
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Royal Silk Area Food Spread
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Royal Silk Area Food Spread
THAI Royal Orchid Lounge Hong Kong Royal Silk Area Food Spread
Service at the lounge was basically non-existent, as besides the friendly associates who checked us in, the lounge was basically self serve.
After my friends got ready for the flight, we went down the escalator, where our gate was (most THAI flights, due to the location of their lounge, depart from gate 40).
Bottom line on THAI’s Royal Orchid (Royal Silk) Lounge Hong Kong
This lounge cannot start to compare with the finesse of that of the new Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Hong Kong.
That said, it was a great option to just have a seat, have some (decent) food and go plane spotting for a flight, and I think due to the tarmac views I actually recommend this lounge for aviation geeks. The lounge is definitely starting to show its age, so for people who actually need to work or relax or freshen up before your flight (since the SilverKris lounge has showers), the SilverKris Lounge is the better option in my opinion for those flying Star Alliance with status or in business class.