Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club at Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok International Airport [Review]

Chase and Capital One are trying to catch up to American Express, which has led the credit card lounge game for many years. When Chase announced its Sapphire Lounge by The Club offerings, there was understandable excitement.

The first of these lounges opened outside the U.S. — in Hong Kong — on October 25, 2022, surprising many people. My wife and I recently had a chance to visit Chase’s first Sapphire Lounge before a flight. From beautiful design choices to a variety of spaces within the lounge that suit different travelers, Chase provided a fantastic airport lounge product.

Here’s a look at what we found during our late-June 2024 visit.

Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club Location

The Chase Sapphire Lounge at Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok International Airport (HKG) is in Terminal 1’s West Hall, on level 7 near gate 40. It is upstairs and accessible by elevator or escalator.

If you’re departing from the East Hall, the lounge is accessible via airside connection. There’s a complimentary shuttle, or you can take a 15-minute walk to reach it.

We first saw a lounge logo, but that wasn’t the entrance.

We followed the sign at the top of the escalators to arrive at the lounge’s entrance.

Hot Tip:

Check out Upgraded Points’ detailed reviews of the Centurion Lounge Hong Kong, The Pier, Business Class Lounge, The Wing, Business Class Lounge, The Wing, First Class Lounge, and The Pier, First Class Lounge. We even have a trip report of 9 hours of lounge-hopping at HKG!

Gaining Entry to the Sapphire Lounge

The Sapphire Lounge in Hong Kong has unique entry rules. Chase Sapphire Lounges in the U.S. are accessible through Priority Pass, though you’ll get just 1 entry to those lounges per year if you’re using a Priority Pass membership from a non-Chase credit card.

If you’re using your Priority Pass membership from the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®, J.P. Morgan Reserve Card, or The Ritz-Carlton™ Credit Card, you’ll have unlimited access to Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club locations.

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

Apply Now(at Chase's secure site)

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

Welcome Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

60,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$1,200

Annual Fee

$550

APR

21.49% - 28.49% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Excellent (740-850)

Why We Like This Card

If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® is one of the best options out there.

The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access, with excellent point earning and redemption options.  Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.

Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel^SM immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
• 10x points on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025
• 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 through March 31, 2025

Cons

• $550 annual fee
• Does not offer any hotel elite status

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Card Highlights

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $120 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck^®
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 21.49% - 28.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

The Hong Kong Sapphire Lounge is an exception to these rules, as Priority Pass members get unlimited visits to this location each year. These are the same access privileges as those wielding Chase’s premium credit cards.

The Sapphire Lounge in Hong Kong is open from 6 a.m. to midnight daily, and children under 2 years old are admitted at no cost when accompanying an adult with access privileges. Otherwise, guest privileges depend on the card you’re using to gain access.

Access is only permitted up to 3 hours before your flight’s departure.

Hot Tip:

Want lounge access on your next trip? Check out our list of the best credit cards for airport lounge access.

First Impressions

I’ll be honest, my first impression was, “This is it?” The lounge’s design team did such a good job sectioning off the various parts — likely to limit noise carrying between rooms — that I didn’t realize there were additional spaces within the lounge until I made an effort to explore.

At first, it seemed like we’d walked into one of those dinky Priority Pass lounges with a few chairs and tables and everyone sitting around a communal bowl of mixed nuts that leaves you wondering why you made the effort to visit the lounge.

OK, it wasn’t that bad, but the lounge seemed rather small as we spilled into the main dining area and started perusing the buffet. But like a good novel, layer upon layer of the lounge unfolded throughout our stay. Our first impressions turned out to be wildly inaccurate in the best way possible—other than the staff, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Seating

As the lounge had multiple seating areas — and none with different colors or unique names by which to reference them — I’ll describe them by their location or the vibe they gave off.

Dining Area

This was the area closest to the main entrance. After scanning my Priority Pass card, we turned right into a small hallway with a drink station and wound up in the dining area. There, we found multiple tables with chairs and others with booth-style seating. The smallest tables sat just 2 people, while longer tables could accommodate up to 8 people.

This was the busiest part of the lounge during our visit from 8 to 10 a.m.

Bar Area

Turning left from the reception desk, additional seating was inside and outside a bar area. A handful of 4-person booths and some tables with chairs provided seating outside the bar’s enclosure.

Within the bar’s enclosure were barstools and knee-high tables with armchairs.

Behind the Bar Area

Passing through the bar area (or through the hallway to the restrooms), we passed between chairs at the edge of the balcony and colored glass walls on our left.

Inside the colored glass, I found multiple seating types: armchairs, benches, and quarter-circle booths.

Behind this seating area were a few privacy booths for making phone calls without disturbing other guests. I was happy to see people using these rather than intruding on everyone else with their Zoom calls.

Continuing down the hallway, I spilled into a further seating area with no one in it — perhaps a sign that most guests didn’t realize it existed. Here, I found numerous workstations in a wave-like cubicle setup.

Additionally, I found high-top workstations with 6 seats each overlooking the main hallway in the concourse below.

There also was a long, bench-style work area in this space.

Café Area

Orienting from the reception desk, the bar area was to the left of the dining area and its buffet. Turning right out of the restaurant led to another hallway with signs for a bathroom and seating, though there weren’t any chairs on that side of the walkway.

Following this hallway, I wound up in an area that felt like an upscale coffee shop or even a ritzy bar in Manhattan. This area also was empty.

This is where I found the unique enclosed booths in a beehive-esque shape — the ones in the lounge’s promotional materials. These booths have been highlighted in most of the photos I’ve seen of the Sapphire Lounge in Hong Kong, so it was interesting to see this element buried so deep into the lounge.

Food and Beverage

When we visited in the morning, the lounge was serving breakfast. Multiple elements were on offer, and it wasn’t until late in our visit that we fully realized all our options. We noticed other guests had food that wasn’t on the buffets, and there were QR codes for ordering food at some tables but not all.

We found multiple drink options. There were juices and multiple types of milk, including plant-based alternatives, as well as drinking glasses.

There also was an espresso machine (with a frothing wand) and numerous types of tea.

At the far right of the drink station was a soda machine with a touch screen that allowed us to choose the Coke, Sprite, or Fanta product we wanted.

Moving further into the dining area, I noticed 2 cold food stations. The first held cereals, yogurt, and granola, as well as fixings, including seeds and dried fruits.

Another station held cold cuts, salad ingredients, cheeses, and several types of fruit.

At the far end of the dining area (the other side of the tables from the cold food stations), a hot food bar had items including pancakes, noodles, and a few local dishes we couldn’t identify.

Beyond these options, there were QR codes on most (but not all) tables in the dining area. Scanning these took us to a menu for ordering eggs, soups, and more. The menu featured a vegan tofu mushroom roll that my wife loved so much she made me order some so she could have mine (lest the lounge tell her she couldn’t order them again).

Amenities

If I’m being honest, the Chase Sapphire Lounge in Hong Kong was a bit light on amenities. There was no kids room with a closing door to limit noise spilling out, no private area for nursing mothers, and no showers for guests. However, there were restrooms, a departure board, and Wi-Fi.

Internet

The lounge offered a private Wi-Fi network separate from the airport’s main wireless network. The password was available on signs posted around the lounge. We didn’t bother switching to this network because the airport’s internet still worked in the lounge.

Restrooms

Restrooms were available on both sides of the lounge near the bar area and the café area.

There was a step up into the hallway for both sets of restrooms, so although most of the lounge was wheelchair-accessible, the restrooms weren’t.

Departure Boards

Departure boards were available in several locations around the lounge, including near the cubicles, the café area, and the entrance. However, these didn’t indicate how long it would take to reach each gate.

Staff and Service

The staff’s service was just OK. We were greeted on arrival, but it wasn’t what I’d call “friendly” — just a greeting. While the check-in process was efficient, it didn’t include information about the lounge’s facilities or the various food and beverage options.

Moreover, at one point, we saw an employee watching us as we were confused about why other tables had a QR code but ours didn’t. We looked around at the food options and tried to figure out how people had food we didn’t see on the buffet. We were clearly lost. Instead of offering to help us, the employee marveled at our confusion. She could’ve offered to assist us but chose not to.

Lastly, we ordered food via QR code 3 times, but only once out of those 3 deliveries did someone say anything to us while putting the food on the table.

When leaving, we said goodbye to the people at the desk as we passed. Only 1 of the 2 employees acknowledged us. In summary, the staff members were present and brought the food we ordered, but I wouldn’t hire them to work in customer service if I started a restaurant or hotel.

Final Thoughts

Ever since the first Chase Sapphire Lounge opened in late 2022, I’ve been curious to visit one and see whether the hype was deserved. I didn’t expect that my first visit to a Sapphire Lounge would come nearly 2 years later and at the furthest location from my home, but I thought the look of the lounge was excellent. I also loved the sectional approach to the lounge, which I expect prevents noise from spilling over during busy periods (though that wasn’t an issue with the sparse guest count during our visit).

Staff was another story. We saw them cleaning, cooking, and bringing food to people, but I can’t say I ever saw them providing customer service. That’s a pretty big deficiency and not what I expected from this lounge.

This lounge is worth a visit, but you may have to hunt around and figure everything out for yourself if you do — or maybe not if you’ve read this review and understand the lounge’s offerings before you arrive.