Our flight landed just before midnight and the airport was packed with travelers.
Passengers flying first or business class on Qatar Airways or any other Oneworld carrier have complimentary access to the lounge. Lower-tier passengers can purchase access at the entrance.
I was worried about how busy the lounge would feel, but upon entering, I found a tranquil atmosphere.
The layout is a U-shape, and it overlooks The Orchard, the airport’s lush indoor tropical garden.
One side of the lounge offers full-service and buffet dining options, including a sushi and salad station. The other side has a coffee bar, beverage station, and various seating areas.
The lounge has various spaces for travelers to wait comfortably.
The lounge can fit 707 passengers and is nearly 8,000 square feet.
It’s filled with different seating arrangements, and I also saw family rooms, showers, a smoking room, a game room, a prayer room, a gym, a spa, quiet rooms, and private meeting rooms.
Some lounge amenities, like spa treatments, cost extra.
I was most eager to book and visit one of the lounge’s quiet rooms.
To get to the quiet rooms, I stopped at the area’s dedicated front desk.
The rooms are first-come, first-served, and the free bookings last for six hours.
According to the airline, these spaces are designed for napping, resting, and reading. When I visited, there were 18 single rooms and six double rooms. Since it was the middle of the night, they were all full when I arrived.
I waited nearby so my travel partner and I would be first in line in case anyone left early. Thankfully, two adjacent single rooms became available after only 15 minutes.
The rooms did feel set up for resting, not for deep sleeping.
I was hoping the room would have a cot or even a basic mattress I could lie on. Unfortunately, there was only a thin chair in a fixed reclined position. A blanket was provided but no pillow.
I wouldn’t say anything else in the room could be described as cozy except for that thick, soft blanket.
The chair and environment made me feel like I was in a dentist’s office. At least the lights could be turned off here, and no one was pulling teeth.
I ended up in a single room but had the opportunity to view the double. It was essentially the same, except the space was larger, and there were two chairs instead of one.
I found basic amenities in the room.
Visitors weren’t allowed to eat in the rooms, but the space had a small refrigerator and complimentary bottled water.
There are no restrooms or showers in this quiet area: Those must be accessed in the main lounge.
The quiet rooms didn’t feel super secure because the sliding doors to get in didn’t appear to have locks, but nappers also have the option to store their luggage at a separate secure counter if they’re worried.
I struggled to get comfortable but I eventually fell asleep.
Because the chair was immovable and designed with a curve, sleeping on my side didn’t feel possible.
As a side sleeper, I eventually ended up moving to the floor to get more comfortable. I folded the blanket up several times to lie on it and used my backpack as a pillow.
I could hear some noises outside my room, but to be fair, the room is billed as “quiet,” not “silent.”
My room was next to a staff door I heard opening several times an hour, and the airport intercom recordings were faint but consistent. I didn’t hear any conversations, phone alerts, or other more annoying sounds.
Earplugs were also provided to alleviate the noise.
Later, I enjoyed other amenities of the lounge, including breakfast
After about four hours of somewhat unsatisfactory snoozing, I freshened up and rejoined the main area of the lounge.
As the sun began to rise, the light streamed through the massive lounge windows and illuminated the space.
I sat at one of the few open tables in the restaurant section of the lounge and had avocado toast with poached eggs and mimosas for breakfast.
The service in the lounge was excellent, and I loved all of the natural light.
The quiet rooms weren’t the best, but they were better than gate seating — or even the main area of the lounge.
The quiet room is a fine place to relax for six hours during a layover in Doha, but I’d tell other visitors not to expect the most comfortable sleep of their lives.
The quiet room’s chair wasn’t nearly as comfortable as the lie-flat seats in Qatar Airways’ epic business class, where the seat is adjustable and the crew can provide a mattress pad and pillow.
If they were, I would’ve had a much better rest. Next time, I’d sleep more on the plane and take extra time to enjoy the lounge’s other wonderful amenities.
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