Review: Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North (for BA Gold & Silver) at Hamad Airport

This is our review of the new-ish Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North at Doha’s Hamad Airport, which is where you may end up if you are flying in Economy with a British Airways Gold or Silver card.

The last two to three years have seen Qatar Airways aggressively expand its lounge footprint at its home airport in Doha thanks to expansion of the terminal. The final part of the puzzle, the opening of Piers D and E, opened this year.

Qatar Airways operates slightly differently to most oneworld airlines in that it offers two tiers of lounges.

At the top end you have its Al Mourjan business class lounges, which are for passengers flying on business class tickets, either with Qatar Airways or one of its oneworld partners. Elite status alone does NOT get you in.

If you are passing through Hamad on a business class ticket with Qatar Airways or a oneworld partner, take a look at our reviews:

• Qatar Airways Al Mourjan The Garden Lounge review
• Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge review

If you are lucky enough to be flying in First Class, you can go here:

• Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Lounge review

If you’re not flying in business class but have status?

Underneath these in the pecking order sit Qatar Airways’s status lounges.

These are offered at Privilege Club Silver, Privilege Club Gold (oneworld Sapphire so BA Silver) and Privilege Club Platinum (oneworld Emerald so BA Gold) levels and are open to passengers with status who are not flying in business class.

(Yes, Qatar operates a lounge for its Silver members, something virtually unheard of in the industry. Unfortunately it is NOT open to oneworld Ruby members, which means no entry to British Airways Bronze cardholders.)

These lounges can be used by elites who are flying Qatar Airways or another oneworld airline in Economy or on a ‘no lounge access’ Business Light cash ticket.

Whilst we have previously reviewed two of them:

• Qatar Airways Platinum Lounge review
• Qatar Airways Gold Lounge review

…. a fourth lounge has since opened, near The Orchard and Piers C, D and E in the Northern part of the terminal.

It is called the Platinum & Gold Lounge North.

Unlike the other three, this one features a shared space for oneworld Sapphire (BA Silver) and Emerald (BA Gold) members. It is also visually distinct, more similar to the open-air concept of the Al Mourjan lounges than the more typical rooms of the other status lounges.

Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North access requirements

As mentioned above, the Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North is for passengers who are not travelling in business class but are:

• oneworld Sapphire or
• oneworld Emerald

That includes Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold members and British Airways Club Gold and Silver members. You must be flying on a oneworld airline and you can bring one guest with you.

Where is the Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North?

The Platinum & Gold Lounge North is located at the other end of the terminal from where you come out of security if you are transiting or departing from Doha.

You have two options to get to it: either take the terminal train or you can walk, which takes about 10 minutes on the moving walkways.

You’ll want to follow directions for The Orchard or Gates C, D and E. Once you reach the end of the terminal trunk you should see signs for the lounge, followed by a set of escalators up.

The lounge is open 24 hours a day and is busiest overnight, when the majority of Qatar Airways’ flights depart.

Inside the Qatar Airways Platinum & Gold Lounge North

Rob and I spent about ten minutes in the lounge as part of our tour of all the Qatar Airways lounges at Doha, so this is by no means a full review. We were also there during the day when it is quieter. It should give you a good idea of what to expect, however.

As I mentioned, the Platinum & Gold Lounge North is totally different to the three other status lounges in the airport. This is because it was previously used as an overflow Al Mourjan lounge before Al Mourjan – The Garden opened.

Technically both lounges are on the same floor but the Al Mourjan lounge faces The Orchard tropical garden whilst this lounge faces the departure gates / terminal. It’s not quite as scenic but still retains that sense of scale and openness that both Al Mourjan lounges have as a result of being open to the rest of the terminal.

The lounge is slightly curved and features a range of seating. On the left hand side is a small light deli area whilst on the far right hand side you have the main buffet area.

Throughout the lounge you’ll find a range of seating, from restaurant-style seating near the dining areas to sofas, armchairs and loungers in between:

and

If you’re part of a bigger group then there are clusters of sofas arranged together:

There’s a staffed bar in the centre of the lounge from which you can order alcoholic drinks. There’s no champagne but they do serve Veuve Ambal Blanc de Blancs Brut and various other wines and basic spirits such as Smirnoff vodka and Johnnie Walker Red Label whisky.

The food offering is relatively basic, I’d say. We were there in the morning during breakfast service. I was impressed by the proper omelettes, rather than a vat of powdered scramble eggs, which come with chicken sausages and a mushroom sauce:

Foul medames and congee were also available in the hot section. This was accompanied by a continental breakfast with pastries and a small selection of fruit and cold cuts:

There were also three a la carte options:

• Chicken kabsa with tomato sauce
• Smoked salmon tartare on toasted sourdough
• Onion pulao with aloo gobi matar masala

You can see the full menu here.

I’m not sure if there’s a larger selection of food in the buffet later in the day and overnight, when Qatar Airways has its three main flight banks (5pm, 1am and 8am). There were only a handful of people during our visit so it probably doesn’t make sense for them to go all-out on the buffet during the morning.

Conclusion

Obviously this lounge is a step below the Al Mourjan business class lounges. That’s the entire reason for its existence.

What is interesting is that, in terms of style, it sits somewhere between the other Platinum Lounge Qatar operates and Al Mourjan, thanks to the lack of a ceiling and the sweeping terminal roof line. It is an even bigger step up from the (still excellent) Qatar Gold / oneworld Sapphire lounge.

The bottom line is that if you don’t have access to the ‘official’ Qatar Airways business class lounges due to your cash ticket being too cheap (all Avios business class tickets DO get you into the ‘official’ Al Mourjan lounge) or if you are flying in economy with British Airways Club status, this is a more than adequate replacement.

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (May 2025)

Here are the six options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

Your best value option (but no points):

The cheapest route to a Priority Pass airport lounge card is via the Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard.

The credit card has a fee of £15 per month, and comes with a Priority Pass which gives unlimited free access for the cardholder. If you add a free supplementary cardholder, they will also receive unlimited free access.

Unlike the version of Priority Pass you receive with American Express, the Lloyds Bank version also lets you access £18 airport restaurant credits.

Even better, the credit card has 0% FX fees and comes with 0.5% cashback. Full details are in my Lloyds Bank World Elite Mastercard review.

Lounge access via American Express cards:

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,500 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Eurostar, Lufthansa and Delta Air Lines lounges.  Our in-depth review of The Platinum Card from American Express is here.

You can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £24.  You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card review here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

Lounge access via HSBC Premier credit cards (Premier account holders only):

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network.  Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £290 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

Got a small business?

If you have a small business, consider The American Express Business Platinum Card which has the same lounge benefits as the personal Platinum card:

You should also consider the Capital on Tap Pro Visa credit card which has a lower fee and, as well as a Priority Pass for airport lounge access, also comes with Radison Rewards VIP hotel status:

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.