Welcome to my Oryx Lounge (Doha) Review!
The entrance to the Oryx Lounge
Introduction
As I booked the business class lite ticket, one of the conditions was no lounge access. The reason why I didn't opt for the standard ticket because of the price difference, it was around S$800 and I thought for myself, I could save that money for something else and besides the first flight departure was around 1015, how early would I want to be at the airport to enjoy the lounge so I decided to book the cheaper class for the flight to Frankfurt and pay for the lounge access at Doha instead. For the seat selection, I would have to wait until 48 hours before departure to reserve my seat without a fee.
There are a numerous number of choices to picked which lounge and of course the more expensive it is, the better the lounge it is in terms of size, amenities and the lounge design. I opted for the cheapest as my transit time was less than 3 hours and I didn't see the need to spend a lot of time there. Is the price I paid (S$36) worth it? Do read on to find out.
By the way, when I purchase this lounge, I was informed that I could access the Al Maha lounge but somehow I ended up at the Oryx Lounge and was able to gain access to it. Nevertheless, I will try the other lounge next time.
About the lounges
This is one of the paid lounges at Doha Airport, a lower end lounge which charges less but it gets you what you need. It is located at Terminal 1 Airside, near to gate C1. While this lounge is pretty basic, it is good for one or two hours layover at the airport for a quick getaway from the crowded terminal especially during peak hours.
There are other lounge options to consider if you prefer a higher level of comfort especially if you have a long layover.
For business class passengers: Al Mourjan Business Lounge (Chargable for Business Lite Passengers)
For first class passengers: Al Safra First Lounge
For economy class passengers, depending on the type of class, you may received offers from the airline to pay to use the lounge, either Al Maha Lounge or the Al Mourjan Business Lounge.
There are also lounges for the previlage club members, each of the tier level has its own lounge! (Platinium, Gold and Silver Lounges)
For more information of Qatar's Lounges at Doha Airport, check out Pointszilla's version over here.
Location of the lounge
(Photo: Hamad International Airport's website)
Facilities offered by the lounge
- A selection of warm and cold food - buffet style
- Beverages including alcohol is available by request.
- Shower room
- Rest room
- Television room
- Family room
- Business centre
- Games room
Interior of the lounge
I was fortunate to be able to visit the lounge during the off peak period.
Sitting area with charging ports available.
Game room
Business centre
Family room
What I don't like about this type of layout is the lack of privacy and can be noisy when it is crowded.
There is a buffet counter located at the far end of the lounge.
There are far counters to check out for food and beverages.
You can relax in one of these rooms if you find the common corridor noisy.
Quiet area is for those who to grab a quick nap or do their work in a quieter environment.
I chose to sit at one of these seats near the buffet table.
Hot and cold beverages are offered.
Sweet desserts are available.
There are a few monitor screens for you to monitor your flight. Do note: No flight announcements are made in this lounge, so you need to keep track of your flight.
I have visited a lot of lounges and this is the first time I see a chef standing around to check on the food.
A small selection of wine is available together with the non alcoholic beverages.
A selection of 6 bottle of wine to choose.
This is the dessert bar.
A selection of assorted sandwiches and tea bags to choose.
A selection of bread to choose.
The hot food counter contains of soup and warm food.
Before I leave the lounge, I did a check on my flight. I had to give myself a bit of time to get over as the concourse D is quite a walking distance from this lounge.
My ratings:
Location: 3/5
Staff Service: 3/5
Lounge Interior: 3/5
Selection of Food & Beverages: 3/5
Food Quality: 3/5
WiFi Connection: 3/5
Shower: -
Resting area: 3/5
Overall Rating: 21/35
Percentage: 60%
Conclusion
Honestly speaking, I was still quite full when I entered the lounge so I didn't eat much during my time over there. The lounge is small and basic, nothing to shout about. Although they are different types of seats around in the lounge, I didn't feel impressed but then this is not the flagship lounge, I suppose this lounge is targeted at casual travellers. I didn't stay long as I felt I was better off exploring the terminal especially concourse D, along with concourse E was opened in March 2025 so for the money I paid, I felt it was not worth it especially for just a short 3 hours layover, I felt I didn't need to eat much during this time after eating a lot on my previous flight. So it depends on you, if you have no lounge access but have a long layover, you can consider paying for it to relax and get away from the crowd might be a good idea.
Overall this is an average lounge with limited food options, slow Wifi network and not much privacy anywhere in the lounge especially if one stsays there for a consider amount of time. There was this stern looking chef didn't seem pleased when I gave her a smile to show my appreciation for her effort when I approached the food counter. Even though I didn't feel hungry, I went for a couple of rounds to try out the quality of the food, I randomly picked a few light snacks from both the hot and cold food counters and took a couple of mini tonic water cans to wash the food down. Overall, I find the food quality to be ok but the choice of food and beverages quite limited. Was it worth paying S$36 for this lounge? No, given a choice, I probably prefer to head over to a restaurant to enjoy a meal and rest somewhere else instead. I will only consider the lounge access if my flight layover is longer than 4 hours at this airport.
For my previous flight with Qatar Airways (Part 1: SIN-DOH A350-900) trip report, click here
My next blog post: (Part 2 DOH-FRA B787-8) trip report, coming up soon!
Hope you are enjoying my work so far.
Have a good one!
Charles
(If you are happy with my work, feel free to contribute by donating any amount over here. Greatly appreciated!)
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