Review: Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge
This review covers my visit to the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan business lounge at Doha International Airport (DOH).
Qatar Airways business class flight
After a great flight in Qatar Airways business class on their Boeing 777 with Qsuites, I had arrived at Doha International Airport.
I certainly enjoyed the comfortable seat and the excellent service during my flight, and perhaps indulged a little too much in the champagne and wine offered on board.
Despite feeling a bit tired, I was eager to review Qatar Airways’ Al Mourjan business lounge during my layover.
Doha Airport transit
However, it would be quite a lengthy layover since my flight from Casablanca arrived in Doha at 00:05 am, while my connecting flight to Bucharest wasn’t scheduled until 8:20 am.
On the plus side, it did give me plenty of time to properly review the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan business lounge and perhaps a few other lounges at Doha Airport.
If I would manage to find a comfortable spot to rest, I might even be able to catch some much-needed sleep during this overnight layover.
Doha International Airport is certainly a sprawling facility, but fortunately the terminal is modern, clearly signposted and equipped with all necessary facilities.
In a good mood, I set off to the Al Mourjan business lounge, which was still quite a walk from my arrival gate.
Al Mourjan business lounge location
Qatar Airways operates two Al Mourjan business lounges at Doha International Airport.
The main lounge is known as Al Mourjan Business Lounge South and is located at the duty free plaza of Concourse A, to the left of the giant yellow teddy bear and next to the Harrods Tea Room.
At this plaza around the teddy bear, you simply take the escalator or lift two floors up to the lounge entrance.
Recently, a second Al Mourjan business lounge called ‘The Garden’ opened in Concourse C, located in the northern extension of the terminal.
This new Qatar Airways business lounge is comparable in size and facilities to the Al Mourjan Business Lounge South.
As The Garden hadn’t yet opened when I travelled through Doha Airport, I only had the chance to visit the Business Lounge South.
Al Mourjan business lounge entry requirements
The Al Mourjan business lounge has strict entrance requirements: You can only access this lounge if you have a full fare business class ticket on Qatar Airways or another oneworld airline.
Passengers who’ve upgraded their Qatar Airways ticket from economy to business class using cash, frequent flyer miles or points won’t qualify for entry into the Al Mourjan lounge, as access is determined on the basis of your original ticket.
Economy class passengers holding oneworld Emerald or Sapphire status don’t have Al Mourjan business lounge access either.
Passengers holding an upgraded ticket, as well as oneworld frequent flyers traveling in economy class are instead redirected to the Qatar Airways Platinum Lounge, Gold Lounge, or the Silver Lounge, where they do receive complimentary access.
Note that it you have bought a ‘business lite’ ticket on Qatar Airways you won’t be able to enter any lounge at all (unless you have oneworld Sapphire or Emerald status), as these business lite fares don’t include lounge access.
Technically speaking, I wouldn’t have qualified myself for entry into the Al Mourjan lounge, considering I held an economy class ticket that I upgraded to business class using Qcredits obtained through my Qatar Airways Gold status.
However, as I read reports that some people managed to get into this lounge on a Qcredits upgraded ticket, I gave it a try, and was pleasantly surprised that I was granted access.
In this case you can always try your luck – but you shouldn’t be surprised if access is denied and you are instead sent to a lower-tier lounge.
Purchasing lounge access
Passengers flying on a Business Lite ticket with Qatar Airways or another oneworld airline, along with economy class passengers flying with Qatar Airways or another oneworld airline, have the option to purchase access to the Al Mourjan business lounge.
You can buy access to the lounge through the ‘manage booking’ feature on the Qatar Airways website, or by paying for entrance at the lounge reception.
Paid lounge access typically ranges between $100 and $150 – whether it’s worth it will therefore depend on your specific needs, finances, and the duration of your airport layover.
A look around the lounge
With a total surface area of over 10,000 square metres (110,000 square feet), the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan business lounge at Doha Airport is absolutely massive.
The beautifully appointed lounge spans two floors, with the majority of seating options being located on the first floor, while the second floor houses the main buffet area and à la carte restaurant.
There is a diverse selection of seating, ranging from various types of chairs to loungers where you can comfortably lie down and relax.
At one end of the lounge, there are floor-to-ceiling windows offering good views over the apron, making it an ideal spot for aviation enthusiasts interested in planespotting.
However, the rest of the lounge also feels bright and airy, thanks to its high ceiling and light flowing in from the terminal.
The majority of seats have side tables equipped with wireless charging or conveniently located power sockets, enabling you to charge your electronic devices.
Due to the diverse seating arrangements and ample space between chairs, you’ll enjoy a high level of personal privacy in the lounge.
There is however a major downside: Thanks to the spacious seating arrangement and lots of empty floor space throughout the lounge, there is a lack of seats for all visitors during peak hours.
During Qatar Airways’ main arrival and departure banks – between 11pm and 2am, 5am and 8am, and to a lesser extent between 5pm and 8pm – finding a seat in the Al Mourjan business lounge can be extremely challenging.
On the other hand, if you visit this business lounge outside these times you’ll likely find it rather empty, as Doha is such a banked airport hub, with most of its flight traffic being around midnight and in the early morning.
Lounge restaurant
The second floor is home to the main buffet area, bar and the à la carte restaurant within the Al Mourjan business lounge.
You can access the restaurant area by taking the stairs or an elevator.
During peak times, the restaurant may reach its maximum capacity, prompting Qatar Airways lounge attendants to temporarily restrict entry to this area.
If that’s the case, your only option is to queue and wait.
In my experience visiting the lounge, the wait for a table was never long, and I was quickly directed upstairs and seated at a restaurant table within five to ten minutes, both during the midnight peak and morning peak.
Lounge buffet
It’s up to you whether you partake in the extensive buffet at the Al Mourjan business lounge, order food from the à la carte menu, or try out both.
The buffet offers a wide selection of dishes, served either from large pans or displayed in small bowls or plates.
It’s hard not to find something to your liking, as there are plenty of cold and warm options from numerous cuisines around the world, including a big variety of vegetarian options.
You will also find numerous cakes, sweets, desserts and fruits at the buffet.
Alcoholic drinks can only be ordered free of charge from the waiters or at the bar, while non-alcoholic drinks can also be obtained from the drinks stations or coffee machines by yourself.
The alcoholic drinks you can order from the bar include a beer, champagne, white and red wines, liqueurs as well as a wide variety of cocktails.
The waiting staff at the restaurant area is highly pro-active when it comes to getting you a drink of your choice and assuring that freshly cooked dishes are constantly available at the buffet.
Late night dinner at the restaurant
By far the best aspect of the Al Mourjan business lounge at Doha Airport is its complimentary à la carte restaurant.
During breakfast hours (from 5am until 10.30am) you can order made-to-order eggs, while during the rest of the day (from 11am until 4am) you can order anything you want from the lunch and dinner menu.
The lunch and dinner menu includes options such as beef tenderloin steak, pan-grilled salmon, chicken biryani, gobi saag masala tagliatelle with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese, tofu and vegan garlic tortellini, as well as a selection of ice cream.
Before I started my late night dinner in the lounge I enjoyed a glass or two of champagne.
The drinks list in the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan business lounge featured both Laurent Perrier and Charles Heidsieck rose champagnes, which to my surprise turned out to be a vintage champagne (2005 Charles Heidsieck Rose Millesime).
I then ordered a medium rare steak – which turned out to be delicious – and also couldn’t resist some ice cream as dessert afterward.
Overall, the food provided in the Al Mourjan business lounge at Doha Airport meets restaurant standards and could easily serve as a substitute for the meal service during your Qatar Airways flight – a great option if you intend to sleep on your flight.
Other food and beverage outlets
The lower floor of the Al Mourjan business lounge has a café offering lighter food choices, including made-to-order sandwiches and salads.
Across the lounge, you’ll encounter multiple self-serve drink stations with soft drinks, juices, water and coffee machines.
For alcoholic drinks, you however have no other option but to head to the upstairs bar or restaurant.
Spending the night in the Al Mourjan business lounge
Although you can have a great time in the Al Mourjan business lounge if you visit it for a couple of hours only, it’s not the best place to spend an overnight layover.
There is an area in the Al Mourjan lounge with a dozen or so private nap rooms, each with a comfortable sofa to crash out on.
Lounge guests can use these nap rooms for a maximum of 4 hours on a first come, first served basis.
As you may have guessed, it’s however next to impossible to get one of these nap rooms during peak hours, and each time I inquired I was told all of them were already occupied.
There are some semi-enclosed pods with loungers as well in the lounge, but even these were all occupied throughout the night.
Ultimately, I settled for a regular chair in the lounge and managed to doze off briefly – which was far from an ideal way to spend the night.
In case you have an overnight layover at Doha Airport I would highly recommend booking a hotel, as the business lounge certainly wasn’t a real substitute.
Toilet and shower facilities
The Al Mourjan business lounge has several shower rooms available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
At peak times – especially in the morning – you should however take into account that the wait time for a shower will be at least 30 minutes, if not more.
I had to wait some 40 minutes until I was finally given a shower room.
The shower room was spacious and well-equipped, boasting a walk-in shower, sink, toilet, and stocked with Diptyque toiletries.
Other facilities
There are several other facilities at the Al Mourjan business lounge, such as a business centre equipped with computers and printers, a game room featuring a foosball table, game consoles and a race simulator, alongside a dedicated children’s play area.
The lounge also has a smoking room available for smokers.
At the lounge entrance, you’ll find a number of lockers available to securely store your hand luggage while you stay in the lounge or explore the airport’s duty-free shops.
Of course, the entire lounge premises are equipped with Wi-Fi internet, which was fast and easy to connect to.
Breakfast
After a night with little sleep and a much-needed shower, I went back to the à la carte restaurant for some breakfast.
I ordered an iced coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice, along with the Eggs Benedict, which I all enjoyed.
With the sleep still in my eyes I exited the lounge and made my way to the gate for my final flight of this trip back to Bucharest.
Conclusion
The Qatar Airways Al Mourjan business lounge at Doha Airport is a large and visually stunning lounge, with its standout feature being the impressive restaurant with complimentary à la carte food.
The lounge also boasts an extensive buffet and a dedicated café and sandwich bar.
Should you feel hungry or thirsty, you can enjoy some high-quality food, champagne, or other beverages before your flight.
The lounge offers a wide variety of seating options and even has dedicated nap rooms.
However, the Al Mourjan business lounge tends to become quite crowded during peak hours, making it challenging to secure a seat, let alone a nap room.
Nevertheless, the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan lounge firmly ranks among the best business lounges in the world, and you are unlikely to leave dissatisfied.
Trip report index
This article is part of the ‘Qatar Airways Qsuites Adventure to Casablanca‘ trip report, which consists of the following chapters:
1. A Stopover Walk Through Barcelona
2. Review: Joan Miró VIP Lounge Barcelona Airport
3. Review: Royal Air Maroc Economy Class Barcelona to Casablanca
4. Taking the Casablanca Airport Train: The Cheap Way Into the City
5. Review: Ibis Casa Voyageurs Hotel, Casablanca
6. Casablanca: Is Morocco’s Biggest City Worth a Visit?
7. Review: Royal Air Maroc Zenith VIP Lounge Casablanca Airport
8. Review: Qatar Airways Business Class Boeing 777 Qsuites
9. Review: Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge (current chapter)
10. Travel Blogging: Not Always as Glamorous as It Looks Like
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