New Qatar Airways Gold Lounge – South, Doha

After visiting the newly opened Qatar Airways Platinum Lounge – South, as I had more than an hour before my boarding started, I went out to check out another brand new lounge: the Qatar Airways Gold Lounge – South.

Qatar Airways Gold Lounge – South also opened together along with the Platinum lounge just in time for the peak Eid holidays to accommodate Qatar Airways Privilege Club Gold and Oneworld Sapphire members in the Doha hub.

Qatar Airways Gold Lounge – South Location

Qatar Airways Gold Lounge – South is located at Concourse A near gate A1. Similar to the Platinum Lounge, the Gold lounge reception is also located at the main entrance.

While the Platinum lounge is accessible by taking a lift to the second floor, the Gold lounge can be entered directly from the main reception area.

Qatar Airways Gold Lounge Lounge – South Hours and Entry Requirements

Qatar Airways Gold Lounge – South also operates 24 hours a day 7 days a week nonstop. But the entry requirements are slightly different.

• Access for eligible customers traveling on Qatar Airways and Oneworld-operated flights with Privilege Club Platinum and Oneworld Emerald membership.
• Access for eligible customers traveling on Qatar Airways and Oneworld-operated flights with Privilege Club Gold and Oneworld Sapphire membership.
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club Platinum members can bring up to two guests.
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club Gold members can bring up to one guest.
• Oneworld Sapphire and Emerald members on the different programs can bring an extra one guest.
• There is no paid entry.

Qatar Airways Gold Lounge – South Layout and Seatings

The Gold lounge – South can accommodate up to 85 passengers only. This is one downside as the lounge is not large enough compared to the number of Privilege Club Gold or Oneworld Sapphire members traveling.

When I visited the lounge in the morning during peak hours, the lounge was quite empty with the majority of seats available to incoming guests.

The Gold lounge features a dining area, a bar, a family seating area and common seating areas. It also has shower facilities but there is no quiet room. The lounge itself is considered quiet if you are seated further away from the buffet bar.

All seats in the lounge has tub-style chairs with soft leather finishes. In the dining area, a refectory table and only two dining tables for two people are present. The seats are generally placed side by side creating no privacy at all but looking at the space of the lounge, I think this is inevitable.

And most of the seats feature power sockets except for the two dining tables. But not to mention, like the Platinum Lounge, the sockets here are also UK Type-G which uses 230V. You’ll need a universal travel adapter to charge 110V or 220V connectors.

Qatar Airways Gold Lounge – South Dining

Qatar Airways Gold Lounge also offers a full buffet dining experience. While the menu options might fall behind, it has excellent quality.

Qatar Airways Gold Lounge – South Bar

The bar is located in the dining area with four bar stools. A champagne, red and white wines and, a variety of spirits are available in the bar. If you crave mocktails or cocktails, you can ask the bar staff to make you one as well.

Besides the drinks, coffee and tea can also be requested from the staff member.

Qatar Airways Gold Lounge – South Restrooms and Showers

Restrooms and showers are located near the entrance along the hallway. Interestingly, the Gold Lounge has seven shower rooms for 85 passengers while the Platinum lounge only had two when accommodating 140 passengers.

My advice is if you are at the Platinium lounge and the showers are full, try to head down to the Gold lounge as there should be at least one vacancy.

Summary

During my connection in Doha, I also visited the new Gold Lounge – South which Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Oneworld elites can use. The lounge offered an array of services from dining experiences and many more.

But to be honest, I find the lounge a little bit disappointing in terms of size. I thought it will be bigger in size due to the number of Gold or Sapphire holders out there but at least the lounge does not overcrowd during peak hours as it is only accessible if you hold a tier with Qatar Airways or Oneworld.