The much awaited first class lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 1 should open from the week of 18 November 2019
Finally we are very near to the fanfare: the Qantas Singapore First Lounge is expected to open this month, in November.
The airline has earlier said that the lounge will be opened in mid to late November. Based on sources, the lounge should be opened from 18 November 2019 if there are no hiccups.
Official opening on 2 December
Based on a report by Executive Traveller, the official opening date of the lounge is set to be on 2 December 2019, and Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce will be present to officiate the opening.
However, according to some sources, there seems to be a staff event over the weekend of 16 & 17 November as a trial before the doors are opened to customers on 18 November, Monday.
Ever since Changi welcomed the Kangaroo route back to hop via Singapore, the existing Qantas business lounge in Singapore has been perpetually crowded, which was a vast difference from its previously serene and peaceful existence.
First forward a year later, the lounge is almost ready to welcome guests. The 240-seater lounge will feature a restaurant-style dining area, a cocktail bar, showers and plenty of seating. Unlike the Sydney and Melbourne lounges, there will however not be a spa.
Seating area – Qantas Singapore First Lounge
Here are some things you might want to know:
Who can access the lounge?
Apart from First class passengers travelling on Qantas, Qantas Frequent Flyer Platinum, Platinum One members can also gain access to the exclusive lounge when travelling on Qantas or Jetstar. Fellow oneworld Emerald-grade members can also use the lounge as long as they are flying on a oneworld flight.
Where is the lounge located?
The lounge is located near the D gates, which is on the opposite side of the terminal from the existing Business class lounge. For reference, it is located near the dnata lounge and Peach Garden restaurant.
What are the lounge’s hours?
The current Business lounge operates from 3.30pm till midnight, so we expect that the First class lounge will follow a similar operating hours.
An extended long weekend in Singapore usually means that the city will be half empty, with plenty of folks heading out to nearby destinations for the four-day break.
Given that I was not planning to jet off, I decided to check out Crowne Plaza Changi Airport for a holiday at home.
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Singapore (photo credit: Crowne Plaza)
The hotel
Opened in May 2008, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport is Changi Airport’s first full service hotel, with direct access to Terminal 3. The hotel first opened with 320 rooms, and a second extension was built in 2016, adding another 243 rooms to the hotel for a total of 563 rooms and suites. Crowne Plaza Changi Airport is owned by OUE Hospitality Trust.
The hotel is touted as a five-star hotel, complete with two restaurants, a sports bar, lobby lounge, meeting and banquet facilities. Recreational facilities include an outdoor pool, a 24-hour fitness centre, as well as an on-property spa. The hotel also offers a club lounge.
In recent years, the hotel has consistently won Skytrax’s best airport hotel award, having won the award five times in a row from 2015 to 2019.
Bruno Cristol, Crowne Plaza Changi AirportGeneral Managerreceiving the Skytrax Award for Best Airport Hotel Asia in 2019 (photo credit: AsiaTravelTips.com)
If you haven’t been to the room floors of the hotel, don’t let the dark interiors of the lower floors mislead you. Once up on level three, the floors are mostly open concept, with plenty of water flowing along side the corridors and ample greenery. I was very impressed at how the hotel manage to create a feel of an oasis through the use of natural light and greenery, and also make the entire property feel pretty cooling despite being in a naturally hot airport precinct.
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport – Swimming pool
Check-in
My experience with other Crowne Plaza properties around the world has always been quite good. I’m not sure if this is an airport hotel occurence or a long weekend effect, but the check-in process at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport turned out to be quite a nightmare.
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport – Check-in
When I got there at about 2pm, there were at least 10 people waiting to check in. At first glance, the queue situation was rather haphazard, with no clear signages where to queue, nor someone actively managing the lines. As I was an IHG Rewards Club elite member, I was queuing at the IHG priority check in queue, until a staff came and asked me to join the general queue. After I’ve moved, he told me that I could join the elite queue if I wanted to, but he would have to move another guest in front of me from the general queue. Obviously I wasn’t pleased. Eventually an agent attended to me about 20 minutes after I arrived.
To be fair, the check-in agent, Grazel, was efficient and friendly. She was also very apologetic for the long wait. Despite this, I was told that my room was only going to be ready at 3pm. As I had booked myself into a club room, Grazel then invited me to rest at the lounge first while I wait for my room, and that another staff Raymond will inform me when the room was ready.
So off to the lounge I went. Raymond, a staff from the lounge, was excellent. At 3pm when I checked in with him, he regretfully told me that my room was still not ready, and he will check on what he could do as soon as possible. In less than 10 minutes, he managed to get my room sorted, and even got me an upgrade to a suite. I was soon on my way to check out the room.
The room
Seating area for Suite rooms, with an extra bed that I didn’t ask for.
I have originally booked myself into the King Club room, essentially an entry-level king bed room with club lounge privileges. I was later upgraded to a suite as a goodwill gesture by the hotel for the delay in the availability of my room.
Even then when I got into the room, I found an extra bed in the suite, that I didn’t request for. I went back to the lounge and asked Raymond to help remove it. He was visibly embarrassed and very helpful in quickly arranging for it to be taken away.
Crowne Plaza has adorned their room with plenty of light oak and earthy coloured carpets, which hides its age well despite it being over a decade old.
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport King Suite – Bedroom
The 72 square-metre room is a full suite, with a separate living and bedroom. In the living room, there’s a large work desk, a full-sized couch that seats three, and a long bench that runs alongside the full-length windows. On the workstation, there is also a Bose Wave music system, a rare touch for a hotel room.
Bose Wave music system
There is also a small refreshment corner tucked away by the side of the living area, with the minibar, as well as coffee and tea facilities. Nespresso fans will be disappointed that there is no such machine within the room, as the choice of coffee maker was Caffe Cagliari, a Brazilian coffee brand, along with its own coffee pods.
Minibar and coffee machine
The bedroom was separated by a sliding door, with a king-sized bed amid a spacious room. There was another flat-screen television in the bedroom, as well as a walk-in wardrobe.
Adjacent to the bedroom was a spacious bathroom featuring a double vanity, perfect for couples travelling together. Along the window was a generous bathtub, as well as separate shower and toilet stalls. Thankfully or otherwise, the bathtub was next to a frosted window.
Spacious bathroom with bathtub and double vanity
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport uses ThisWorks amenities, a UK skincare brand that is probably most well known for its pillow mists, among a huge range of other products it carries. Founded by yoga teacher Kathy Phillips (go google her), it is touted as a range of products that “offers sleep aids and energizers power-packed with natural ingredients, botanicals and therapeutic essential oils that perform as promised and deliver noticeable, long-lasting results.”
Bathroom
What do I think about it? The scent is pleasant, but yet not overpowering. It does its job pretty well, and lather up rather easily. When I’m done, it didn’t leave my skin feeling too dry, which was good for me.
The Club Lounge
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport offers a club lounge on the third floor for select guests, including guests booked into Club rooms as well as suites. The lounge seats about 70 guests, with a mix of dining tables as well as armchairs and coffee table options.
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Club Lounge
Club lounge guests can enjoy complimentary continental breakfast at the lounge daily from 6.30am to 10am, as well as evening cocktails and snacks from 5.30pm to 8.30pm daily. Outside of these hours, the lounge offers all day non-alcoholic beverages, as well as a much smaller selection of snacks.
Afternoon tea – sweet and savoury snacks, along with soft drinks, coffee or tea
When I was there for evening cocktails, I was pretty impressed with the selection of food available. The lounge itself has a small kitchen next to it, which also serves the poolside bar as well.
Evening cocktails – Selection of food
Evening cocktails – Selection of food
Evening cocktails – Selection of beverages
Some of the food options available for the day included a salad bar, a caciaturie board, assorted cheeses and crackers, aglio olio, cheese croquette, samosas, spring rolls, roast beef, as well as an assortment of desserts. It’s a decent spread for a light dinner, if you so prefer. Unfortunately, I can’t say that the offering is delectable, not many of the items made me want to go back for seconds.
In the beverage department, the lounge offers up a selection of still wines, beer, spirits, soft drinks as well as coffee and tea. There was also a cocktail menu you can order off. I was slightly disappointed with the absence of a sparkling wine, but that’s a minor inconvenience if you are not particularly picky. The wines were of a decent standard, and at least you get a choice between a merlot or cabernet sauvignon.
Evening cocktails – Selection of food
The lounge began to fill up at about 6pm, with most of the tables being taken up by that time. With evening cocktails stretching till 8pm, the crowd starts to thin out from 7.30pm onwards, which was pretty much a good thing. Just before the end of the session, the staff came around to ask everyone for a last round of orders, which was a pretty nice touch on the service front.
The facilities
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport is a full service five star hotel, equipped with all the perks of a luxury hotel. Beyond a range of rooms (more about that later), the hotel is fully decked out on the recreation front, with a swimming pool, a 24-hour fitness centre and an in-house spa, all of which are located on level 3.
24-hour fitness centre
The swimming pool is opened up to 10pm daily, so an evening dip is always possible. Given the amount of greenery around the pool, unfortunately most of the pool is pretty much shaded, so the pool was cold most of the day, which might be unpalatable for some people. There are plenty of deck chairs around the pool with a good amount of sun, though.
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport – Swimming pool
For those who love a good steam bath, unfortunately there are none in the hotel. The spa is managed by an external provider, and doesn’t have any of the hydrotherapy facilities such as a jacuzzi or a steam room.
In the food and beverage department, there is a on-property bar, as well as two restaurants: Azur and Imperial Treasure. Breakfast for club room guests can be taken either in the lounge, or at Azur.
Personally I always prefer a bigger spread and I don’t mind the crowd, so I went to Azur for breakfast the next morning. If you mind the noise and crowd, you might be better off having breakfast at the lounge, which will be a lot quieter.
Given the high occupancy, the restaurant has actually set up some tables outside of the restaurant along the aisle, as well as the sports bar next door for guests. I definitely won’t be too happy if I had to eat along the corridor.
Plenty of seats but the restaurant is almost always full at breakfast hour
As an international cuisine restaurant, Azur serves up what I call a pretty standard affair of breakfast: your usual western breakfast offerings, along with a splattering of Asian fare, including a noodle station.
Cooked-to-order noodle station
I went straight for the nasi lemak with condiments, as well as a bowl of noodles. I also hovered around the pastries and cake sections, and the only thing that stood out was the automatic pancake making station. Apart from that, the breakfast wasn’t memorable.
Nasi lemak
Final thoughts
The property is actually a pretty amazing one for a staycation right at the airport. The rooms are timeless, and pretty well maintained for a decade-old property. The decor remains relevant today, I loved the way the architect used natural light and greenery to create a resort feel in a single-building hotel.
The service is almost perfect, albeit the poor first impression. After the hiccup, the service recovery is impeccable, and every touchpoint has been excellent.
Room service menu
Having said that, I personally didn’t find the club lounge and breakfast to be overly impressive, given that you will now have plenty of affordable options within Jewel Changi Airport and the terminal buildings itself. So, if you were to have to pay a hefty amount to upgrade, I’ll advise to skip on the upgrade and head into the airport instead for your meal fixes.
Plaza Premium operates a wide suite of lounges and airport transit hotel offerings around the world, and have been aggressively expanding in the last couple of years. Its footprint at Changi Airport is not small: it operates two lounges (one at Terminal 1 and 4 each), the Aerotel in Terminal 1 as well as a restaurant-lounge concept TGM at Terminal 2.
TGM at Changi Airport Terminal 2, Level 3
TGM, formerly known as The Green Market, has been around at Changi Airport for several years now. Located in Changi Airport Terminal 2, the space is on the third floor after immigration, right next to the food court.
In the strictest sense, TGM is not exactly a lounge, but rather a restaurant. As such, the restaurant-lounge outlet also accepts walk-in guests who may be there for a meal, so this place tends to get a little busy during meal times.
Given that it operates more like a restaurant rather than a lounge, TGM doesn’t have a large footprint. The restaurant only has booth and dining table seating, and you will be hard-pressed to look for an armchair to lounge at. Given the concept, the space makes it ideal for groups and most definitely suitable if you are expecting substantial food.
For my visit today, I’ve used my Priority Pass card, which entitles me to a complimentary meal at TGM. TGM has a ‘corporate menu’ from which you can select a bento set, as well as a soft drink, tea or coffee to go with your meal.
Once you enter, you can choose from the following bento sets:
Sashimi Bento Set
Salmon Butteryaki Bento Set
Beef Shogayaki Set
Tempura Bento Set
Chicken Teriyaki Set
Korean Rice Cake and Dumpling Soup Set
Saba Teriyaki Set
Unfortunately TGM does not offer complimentary alcoholic drinks, so if you are in the mood for a tipple you might want to check out the other Priority Pass lounges instead.
Alcoholic drinks menu
As I haven’t had lunch and was planning to fill up at TGM, I settle on the chicken teriyaki bento. The bento was pretty substantial: there was a side of gyoza, pork and radish, two croquettes, miso soup, rice and also some fruit.
Given that this is not a traditional lounge space, you aren’t going to get a lot of facility. In fact, the restaurant doesn’t even have its own restrooms, you will need to make a short trek to the public toilets next to the food court, so if you are travelling alone this may not be ideal, although the staff will be more than helpful to keep an eye on your belongings.
Chicken Teriyaki Bento Set
However, TGM is a good space if you need to get some work done. When I was there on a Saturday afternoon at about 3pm, there was hardly anyone in the restaurant thus making it a good respite from the crowd in the terminal.
Also, every table has access to a power socket, so if you need to charge your devices or plug in your laptop, this is a good space.
Final thoughts
Overall, TGM is a good place to hit if you (i) have an unlimited Priority Pass membership, and (ii) need a fuss-free meal before you get on your flight from Terminal 2. This is a much better dining option over the SATS Premier Lounge in Terminal 2, even though it doesn’t come with complimentary alcohol.
Having said this, if you need other lounge facilities, such as shower facilities or complimentary unlimited beverages, you will really be better off visiting the Plaza Premium Lounge at Terminal 1.
TGM booth sitting
Location and operating details
Location: Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2, Level 3 (beside food court) Access: Priority Pass or Dragon Pass, or pay-per-use Hours: 0600H to 0100H Food and beverage: Yes, one complimentary bento set and non-alcoholic beverage Alcohol: Chargeable Toilets: No Showers: No Business Centre: No
Spend up to three hours at this public area lounge with your Priority Pass or DragonPass
Three months after opening, Changi Lounge at Jewel Changi Airport is finally accepting third-party lounge pass programmes for admission.
If you are holding a valid Priority Pass or DragonPass membership (which is fairly easy to gain in Singapore as many credit cards offer one), you may use them at Changi Lounge with immediate effect.
Changi Lounge – Bar area
As this lounge is in the public area, you will be required to show a valid same-day boarding pass to be able to use the lounge. That unfortunately means you can’t just walk in and use the lounge anytime you are in Jewel!
For Priority Pass, you will only be able to access the lounge 4 hours before your flight (e.g. if your flight is at 5pm, you can only enter the lounge at 1pm), while for DragonPass, you can access it any time during the same day for a maximum of three hours per visit.
Walk-in rates
If you unfortunately do not hold any of the passes mentioned above, you can still use the lounge for a fee.
Three hour admissions are priced as follow:
Rates for three hours (SGD)
Adult
Child
Without shower
$38
$27
With shower
$50
$39
Nap pods are available for an add-on, which are $34 for the first hour and $20 per subsequent hour.
On my trip to Kuala Lumpur today, I decided to check out the SATS Premier Lounge in Terminal 2 today as I was travelling with Malaysia Airlines. As a oneworld Sapphire member, I had the use of the lounge when I travel with oneworld airlines so I thought I’d drop in to see what the lounge offered.
Changi Airport Terminal 2 has probably the weakest lounge offering out of all the terminals at Changi Airport. While the other terminals had several lounges, Terminal 2 only offers three: the SilverKris lounge is only available for Star Alliance and Singapore Airlines business and first class passengers; the DBS Asia Treasures lounge which is only accessible by DBS Treasures customers; as well as the SATS lounge which effectively served every other airline.
SATS Premier Lounge, Changi Airport Terminal 2
Access
Being the only other lounge apart from the Singapore Airlines-operated lounge, you will most likely receive access to this lounge if you were flying in business or first class with any of the airlines operating out of Terminal 2, including Malaysia Airlines, Air India and United Airlines. If you are flying with Scoot and purchased the lounge add-on, this will also be the lounge you’ll use.
Priority Pass members can also access the lounge.
The space & facility
The lounge is not huge, with a capacity of about 120 passengers at best. The space that it occupies is nominal as well. There is a main seating area that provides armchairs with side tables, complete with electrical sockets as well as USB charging ports.
Main seating area
Along one side of the lounge was a row of single-person cubicles or ‘productivity pods’, which serves as a workstation. Closer to the dining area there are two long tables, as well as some dining tables for two, available for use.
Dining area
When I stepped in at about 6pm in the evening, I was hard pressed for a seat. Almost all the armchairs were taken, and the only seating still available was at the long high tables. I took a seat at those, but it was neck-to-neck, I had complete strangers seated beside me on both sides.
In a small corner near the entrance, there was also a VIP seating area which was cordoned off. From the outside, it seemed like just a small lounge with armchair seating, with nothing special apart from its exclusivity.
Private VIP area
There was also two massage chairs in another corner, both of them which were taken up when I saw them. As I was leaving the lounge later, only one was occupied. Apparently they are pretty popular.
Massage chairs
The toilets were located within the lounge, and within each of the toilet were some shower cubicles. There was no towels available within the toilet cubicle itself, but if you needed one, they were available from the front desk.
Shower cubicles within the toilets; request for towels and toiletries at the front desk
Food & Beverage offerings
There was a buffet spread, offering a range of cold and hot items for the evening. The offering included:
Tomato Soup
Mee Goreng
BBQ Chicken
Mixed Vegetable
A chef’s special, which looked like basmati rice with an indian dhal or curry
Chef’s Choice
There was also a corner offering make-your-own mee soto, consisting of prepared bowls of noodles with shredded chicken and fishcakes. There was an instruction sheet on how to blanche the ingredients, and then a separate pot of broth.
Make-your-own mee soto
On the cold end, there’s a very sad looking salad bar, along with some cold cuts. There’s also a basket of bread, with an equally sad looking tray of baked cakes. Right beside it was also a big pot of mixed nuts and crackers, which seemed to be pretty popular with guests.
Salad bar
The beverage offering was a mix of dispenser drinks, and some other local canned drinks in the fridge next to the dispenser. There was also an ice and water dispenser machine between the two. The drink dispenser served up your usual Coca Cola, Coke Zero and also Sprite, but what’s in the fridge was pretty questionable: there was pineapple juice available, along with 100 Plus and tomato juice.
Fridge with beer and local drinks, as well as dispenser drinks
If you are after something alcoholic, there was a choice of Asahi and Tiger beer, both in cans, as well as red and white wines. Spirits wise, there was Johnnie Walker Black Label, Gordon’s gin as well as Smirnoff vodka.
Spirits and wines
I went to try some of the food, including the mee goreng, BBQ chicken and the mee soto. The mee goreng and BBQ chicken was really sad, and in my honest opinion if you are after quality food, you are better off dining at the food court instead.
The mee soto was saved by the broth, which was pretty tasty.
While trying to get some dispenser drink, I realised that there was no ice. I went to ask a staff, who sheepishly apologised and said they were out of ice at the moment.
The wines, on the other hand, was pretty crappy. I tried one of the red wines on offer – the Ochagavia Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot blend – which I immediately poured away after taking a sip.
Final thoughts
The lounge is a functional space, but definitely lacking a lot in quality in terms of its offering, from ambience, layout to the food and beverage options. My view is that the lounge is so busy and seemingly popular currently because it has no real competitor in the terminal, so many of the airlines are taking up only because there is no alternative.
What’s baffling is the fact that this particular lounge was awarded the Best Priority Pass Lounge in Asia Pacific in 2017. The actual experience is so far from its description, it’s really not worth mentioning.
If you are flying out of Terminal 2 and has access to this lounge, I’ll recommend that you use it only because you need a space to rest or to get some work done. For those flying with Star Alliance airlines, including Lufthansa, Swiss, United, Air India, you should head to the Krisflyer lounges instead.
For those after some decent food before your flights, you are honestly better off eating within the terminal before heading off to your flight. And if you are flying with Scoot and contemplating buying the lounge add-on, DON’T.
If you hold a Priority Pass membership, do check out TGM instead, which offers higher quality food and beverage options as compared to the SATS lounge.
Location and operating details
Location: Changi Airport Terminal 2, Transit Area (after immigration), Level 2 (closer to E pier) Hours: 24 hours Food and beverage: Yes Alcohol: Yes Showers: Yes Business Centre: No
