Review: American Express X Citi Bank Lounge Dhaka Hazrat Airport
Intro
Before my flight onboard Thai Airways from Dhaka to Bangkok, I had the opportunity to visit the American Express lounge located behind the Balaka Lounge. Usually, access is reserved for credit card holders with the two affiliated banks, but for some odd reason, the staff let me in.
This American Express X Citi Bank lounge is mightily similar to the Balaka lounge, albeit with nicer seating and a more vibrant decor. Once again, this isn't a lounge that I recommend accommodating extra time to spend here, but it is perfectly acceptable to get some work done for an hour or two.
Access+Location
The American Express X Citi Lounge at Dhaka airport is extremely easy to find. You simply head into the Balaka Lounge and right in front of you is an unmissable sign that says "Citi Bank X American Express Lounge".
However, when it comes to access, I am unsure of the rules, but my guess is they follow similar regulations to most of the AMEX or Citi lounge rules worldwide:
American Express Platinum Card Members
Citi Group Premium Card Members
(Maybe) Suite guests at the Intercontinental? The reason I say this is that this lounge is run by Intercontinental, and I imagine they have some sort of arrangement. Maybe?
Perhaps Emirates First Class customers get access as well? I am not sure which lounge they go to...
For some odd reason, I was let into the lounge without any of the credentials needed. Luck maybe?
Additionally, this lounge is also open 24 hours a day.
Seating
Stepping into the lounge I was mesmerized by the color scheme at hand. Intercontinental did a fantastic job designing this lounge with the gold and blue colors pairing together nicely.
Throughout my stay, it never became that busy, and thus the one-room layout is more than adequate for this lounge. The seats are lovely, there are plenty of power ports, and the service was great.
While still, part of the same room, in the back is a slightly cozier area featuring more of a family-designed seating area. Considering no one else was in the lounge, I settled into a corner to do blogging.
Food+Drink
Once again, this is where the American Express lounge really disappointed. On one hand, there were more available hot dishes in terms of food, but if you wanted a drink, you had to leave and head inside to the Balaka Lounge.
Additionally, if you wanted to have a beer you still had to pay, but also drink it outside of the lounge as they do not allow alcohol inside. On this day it was fine since I just had a single beer, but I'm not sure why this policy is enforced so harshly.
This brings me to my next point: there are no bathrooms in the lounge. If you are looking to use the toilet, you must head outside and use the restrooms in the Balaka Lounge. Yes, it's not too far away, it's just more the concept of this matter at hand.
Final Thoughts
The American Express X Citi Bank Lounge in Dhaka is definitely a step up over the Balaka Lounge with comfortable seating, a sleek design, free wifi, and more extensive food options. However, keep in mind that this is pretty much all the lounge has to offer. If you want to use the restroom or grab a drink, you are going to have to go outside into the Balaka Lounge to do so.
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