During my status run to Hong Kong, I returned to the US on ANA in business class and tried my first Star Alliance lounge in Hong Kong, the Singapore SilverKris Lounge. Despite Singapore’s great reputation, it disappointed.
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Singapore’s SilverKris Lounge In Hong Kong
Location/Checking In
Near gate 16 (to the right on the main terminal level when entering), the lounge is conveniently located for some Star Alliance flights though not all. I checked in with a friendly staff without further instructions and proceeded down the hall to the dining room and past the restrooms. The First Class lounge was closed for the night, though I wouldn’t have qualified for entry anyway. Of note, I checked in at about 11 PM ahead of a 12:30 AM flight. The lounge closes at half past midnight.
Food
The food in this lounge was lacking and disappearing. There were a couple of hot items which lacked much effort, and the cold items disappeared shortly after I sat down. A tray of sushi was out but consisted of little more than seaweed and rice. Finger sandwiches were wrapped in plastic but disappeared about ten minutes after I sat down so I didn’t have a chance to try them – I am not sure I would have enjoyed them if I did. A freezer of single-serve ice cream was half-full when I started in on my plate of rice and Americanized Sichuan chicken, by the time I was done they had been removed from service though the stock had not been exhausted. I requested one. My request was denied.
I chose to spare our readers from the ear-piercing evacuation of contents from the coffee machine which spat and howled for a solid five minutes. One visitor sitting next to me turned on the noise-canceling headphones he had been using, the red glow of the light matched my furious annoyance that this couldn’t be done shortly after we had all left a few minutes later.
The food was average at best, limited in choice and made me wish I had spent money dining outside the lounge but once past security there were no open food options.
Restrooms/Shower
For the entire duration of my visit, the bathrooms, both as far as I could tell, were closed. This included the showers. For the first hour, I waited patiently for them to open back up, there’s nothing wrong with cleaning them at any hour of the day. I was told back at the front desk that I had missed the window to take a shower and it would be unavailable. I would have preferred to take one before a night flight to Tokyo but the staff decided no one needed one. I exited the lounge to find a toilet prior to departure – that shouldn’t happen at any lounge.
Staff
The staff seemed fully indifferent to the guests and their experience. I understand it is close to closing time, that there is likely a lot to do before going home for the evening. But this staff seemed to disregard the customer experience at most every turn. Consider for a moment that I had to check out of my hotel many hours before arriving at the lounge. It was August and Hong Kong was hot. I spent an hour at the CityGate Outlets before heading to the airport and killed time at a Starbucks until checkin opened. A decent meal and a shower would have put me right before my flight to Tokyo. They couldn’t be bothered.
Alternatives
Hong Kong is home to Cathay Pacific and the amazing first class lounge, The Wing. Granted, as an American Airlines Executive Platinum I have been routinely spoiled by that lounge and especially the shower suites which are some of the best in the world. I could have visited the Plaza Premium lounge, but last time that was terribly disappointing and hot (it’s elevated above the floor level and the heat can be stifling).
I also could have tried the new American Express lounge which Matthew reviewed. But I wanted to try something new and I also wanted to give readers the experience that any other business class passenger would have gotten if they had flown on the same ANA flight to Tokyo Haneda that night.
I briefly flirted with the idea of booking a trip that I had no intention of taking to abuse my generous privileges from American Airlines Executive Platinum status while I still have it. But morals and Matthew’s suggestion this would not be an honorable notion kept me from doing so. I am not sure he was (nor my morals) were right in retrospect.
Doesn’t Stack Up
Singapore Airlines is held in such high esteem, and while I have not yet flown their product (I know it’s a mortal sin) I too expected a high-level experience. I didn’t expect a massage like one gets in Thai Airways First Class lounges in Bangkok, or even a manicure/pedicure level of service as one can receive in some American Express Centurion lounges (not that I’d get one). But I did expect more than I found.
Looking around at the lounge, it reminded me of the British Airways lounge in T5 at Chicago without the extravagant food options. It was just very plain, nothing special at all. I am sure that during some times of the day the lounge is simply overrun – at the end of a long day everyone just wants to go home. I understand that. But I still expect to be able to use the toilet inside of a 90-minute visit, I don’t expect a strobe light overhead nor the disgusting howl of the coffee machine excreting the bowels of a long shift to the point where noise-canceling headphones are required.
It just wasn’t good enough.
While I stopped in the lounge 90 minutes before closing time, does that justify the guest experience? Am I just jealous that I didn’t get to use Cathay Pacific’s The Wing?
There are also the UA and TG lounges – neither amazing but open air and light filled. May not have been open that late though.
Timing was tough, only CX was likely open that late.
“I briefly flirted with the idea of booking a trip that I had no intention of taking to abuse my generous privileges from American Airlines Executive Platinum status while I still have it. But morals and Matthew’s suggestion this would not be an honorable notion kept me from doing so. I am not sure he was (nor my morals) were right in retrospect.”
That really says quite a bit about you. And not in a good way. Clearly, Mathew’s sense of morals regarding this issue are superior to yours.
You’ve never flirted with an idea?
Nope. I find it cheap and tacky.
Writing about my experiences honestly and openly creates vulnerabilities that others may not share. I could have easily left my wavering consideration of booking another ticket solely to use the lounge out of the piece and avoided your ire. But I have found that readers respond to a more genuine approach, and it’s who I am – warts and all. I am an imperfect person who sometimes needs the valuable opinion of others, like Matthew, to correct my course.
That being said, this is a pretty minor issue and your comments seem overly angry and bitter.
So you’re expecting a slow clap for all that?
That fact that you were retroactively questioning your decision does make a person wonder if you will go ahead with it in the future.
I’m not overly bitter or angry. I just find the idea of making a fake premium booking just to secure lounge access to be a cheap and sleazy tactic, thats all.
I appreciate your open sharing. But I am curious why you think you made have made the wrong choice in retrospect?
Aaron you need to chill out. Booking a ticket purely for lounge access isn’t an ideal solution as Kyle acknowledged but needs must and it’s not exactly a deadly sin.
I’d agree you’re better off with UA or TG lounges at HKG. Singair has uneven lounges overseas – their one at LHR is OK, but that’s it, and similarly the other Star lounges there are usually much better.
I am sure it won’t be my last ever visit to a Singapore SilverKris lounge, but I’m not racing to make it happen again either.
I would have been pissed off too. One and a half hours before closing is NOT closing time. And refusing to give you an ice cream after they put them away early is just rude bullshit. They’re not paying for them! Why should they care at all, except that they couldn’t be bothered. Are jobs that easy to come by in Hong Kong… Or hard to fill with decent staff?
There seemed to be a general consensus that it was time to go home well before the lounge closed. It was a lack of effort that really should be addressed by management.
I was just there yesterday and the bathrooms were closed for maintenance. I would say the AMEX Lounge is a solid bet. Followed by United. On that side of the terminal there is a Plaza Premium First lounge. Priority Pass + HK200 gets you 1.5hrs. Food is hit or miss but the space is quiet and has good drinks.
Jack, the fact the bathrooms were out of service again (if not still) is terribly concerning. I consider the access to a shower and reasonable food options as the most important reasons for visiting a lounge. The lounge experience is part of the reason I buy or redeem for premium cabin tickets, not being able to use the restroom is just not good enough.
That’s not “Americanized Sichuan chicken,” it’s sweet and sour pork, which is a totally authentic and local dish to Hong Kong.
I checked my other photos and a tag for “chicken” appeared. I certainly hope the two aren’t confused by staff as some have religious and cultural restrictions from eating pork.
Sweet & sour pork loin chop is a common dish across China. The appearance of the meat in your photos definitely looked more like pork loin than chicken.
Of the *A lounges at HKG, i probably regard the SQ lounge as the best. No comparison the the CX lounges but better food (in my experience) than TG or UA, and where else can you order a Singapore Sling;-)
Good to know, I will make the AMEX lounge work next time… or fly oneworld.
Singapore Airlines lounges cater for Singapore Airlines customers, once the last SQ flight of the day has left everyone else is there on sufference and the staff just want to close. They’ve never been good alliance players but want all the advantages without the obligations.
IME there is no good *A lounge at HKG anyway.
I don’t know much of the background as I am new to Star Alliance, but it seemed pretty generic.
Used the SQ lounge in HKG last month for my SQ flight HKG-SIN, and was told the lounge actually closes immediately after my flight left at 7.55pm. Surprised to know that they still open till midnight!
Anyways the food and washroom and service were all good at that point of time.
Glad to hear it TanyaHaley. I would still try another lounge when flying again through HKG on a Star Alliance member as I didn’t find it particularly worthwhile even if the bathrooms had been open and service had been better. I guess I always thought that Singapore was special and this experience suggested that they were just average.
Hiya Kyle,
I was at this lounge in May of this year, middle of the day before an SQ flight. The food and service were way better than you experienced. Several self-serve hot dishes plus a couple of made-to-order bowls of, eg, seafood laksa and so on. Even though it was quite busy, service at the bar and around the lounge was speedy and friendly. I suspect Phil Duncan, above, is spot on about the lounge making effort only before SQ flights. I’m with you that what you got is terrible. If the lounge is open, it should be running at full steam right up to closing time.
Hmm, decor is a matter of taste but personally I thought the decor here was nice. As for the toilet situation, 100% agree that wasn’t acceptable, though I guess Singapore Airlines didn’t see the need to cater to partner airlines (their last flight, for San Francisco, leaves at 11:30 PM).
Personally I prefer the United lounge when visiting Hong Kong Airport. Not crowded, decent food selection, and newly renovated seats – it doesn’t hold a candle to any of the Cathay lounges, but it’s the best of the three IMO.
I’m compelled to leave a comment too.
I flew in SQ F from HKG-SFO in Jun-2017, and I had what I’d consider to be an above-satisfactory experience in this lounge. Admittedly, my flight was on SQ metal and my visit to the lounge was during what consensus seems to be the proper “operating hours” of the lounge. Furthermore, I recognize that Kyle’s experience was specific to the J / *Gold area.
During my stay, I was served a passable bowl of a-la-carte laksa, which definitely didn’t hurt my impression of the place.
Meanwhile, my wife and I immediately requested showers upon arrival and were told there was a significant wait. Nevertheless, we were proactively approached shortly thereafter and asked if we wanted to use the facilities. I’m not proud of this, but I get the feeling as an F passenger, they gave us preferential treatment and bumped someone else in the queue. At the very least, I took it to be an example of personalized service.
I actually thought the biggest failing of the lounge was not having facilities to print a boarding pass for a connecting flight in SFO (separate tickets). Given a short connection in SFO and a lack of desire to rely on a mobile boarding pass, I felt this situation wasn’t ideal. SQ lounge staff directed me to the Plaza Premium Lounge to try and find a printer, which was the biggest cluster I’d ever seen. I think it took me a full 15 minutes after I got in to find any chair to sit.
Beef curry in the Qantas lounge is my go to (yes, been to both Cathay lounges as well), almost as good as the curry at the Sakura lounge at NRT.
The Amex Centurion lounge at HKG is far, far superior I am surprised you didn’t give up after a few minutes in that SQ lounge and head over there.
In all fairness, you were there at almost closing time, there was not a big crowd to entertain that justified a full spread, you can’t fault them on that. I’ve been to this lounge for breakfast, lunch and dinner and their food while of limited selections was of good quality and they have a full bar serving top-shelf alcohol and champagne.