Your Ultimate Guide To The Best Pay-Per-Use Airport Lounges

Keen to access an airport lounge without the boarding pass? Turns out, you can experience how the other half live – without the hefty price tag.

Picture this: you are flying economy on a long-haul international flight and find yourself with hours to spare at the airport as you wait for your connecting flight. You’ve already walked all over the terminal, eaten your fill of airport food and browsed the endless duty-free products. You’ve managed to kill 50 minutes when you see a queue of high-flyers checking into the glamorous airline lounges and start to think, ‘Why can’t that be me?’

Thankfully, pay-per-use airport lounges are becoming increasingly popular throughout the world. These lounges are open to all passengers at a fee, and generally offer comfortable seats, shower facilities, extensive dining options, plus a bar and barista coffee.

Plaza Premium Lounge – Hong Kong International

Plaza Premium has four lounges at Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok International Airport. The lounge located near Gate 35 is an opulent hideaway from the concrete jungle of the busy terminal outside. With freshly made cuisine, luxe shower facilities and rest cabins, this lounge is a great place to relax and unwind before your flight.

Included in the two and five-hour lounge experience is a complimentary 10-minute massage.

Entry Fee: One hour is AU$62; Two hours AU$112; Five hours AU$149
Value: 4/5
Book: Here with Plaza Premium

You’ll find Plaza Premium Lounge at Hong Kong International

Plaza Premium Saphire – Jakarta

The Plaza Premium Saphire Lounge at Jakarta Airport is an amazing, modern lounge. With spacious shower suites, a noodle bar serving made-to-order dishes, a good buffet with an average selection of drinks, multiple seating options and large windows overlooking the airport, you are bound to feel indulged in this lounge.

Entry Fee: Two hours AU$58; Five hours AU$89;
Value: 4/5
Book: Here with Plaza Premium

The Plaza Premium Saphire Lounge is an amazing, modern lounge

Strata Lounge – Auckland International

As the official Auckland Airport-operated lounge, the spacious Strata Lounge is a great space to work or relax. The modern and bright lounge is well designed with zones for working, dining and relaxing.

An extensive selection of food and beverage options is provided for self-service, although the lounge lacks a bar and barista coffee. There are also five shower rooms available for use, allowing you to freshen up before your flight.

Entry Fee: Three hours for AU$57; Eight hours for AU$72;
Value: 4/5
Book: Here with Auckland Airport

The spacious Strata Lounge is a great space to work or relax

Plaza Premium – Melbourne

Although being located in a basement with no windows, Melbourne Airport’s Plaza Premium Lounge offers amazing food, a good range of beverages and a pleasant space to relax before your flight. The lounge has been designed with functionality in mind, making good use of the relatively small space available.

There are various seating options including table and booth seats in the dining area and armchairs and study nooks in the lounge area. With a bar, barista, buffet and à la carte dining, Plaza Premium doesn’t disappoint in terms of food and beverage options.

Entry Fee: Two hours AU$67; Five hours AU$78;
Value: 4/5
Book: Here with Plaza Premium

Plaza Premium Lounge – Singapore Changi Airport

One of the best pay-per-use lounges in Singapore Changi Airport is the Plaza Premium Lounge. Apart from the lounge’s smaller size and most of the alcohol being chargeable, this lounge is otherwise great. Outstanding a-la-carte dining options, spacious shower rooms, great airport views and multiple areas for relaxing, dining and working are some of the standout features of this lounge.

Entry Fee: Five hours AU$64; 10 hours AU$116;
Value: 3/5
Book: Here with Plaza Premium

One of the best pay-per-use lounges in Singapore is the Plaza Premium Lounge

The House – Melbourne

The House lounge at Melbourne Airport is operated by No1 Lounges for Etihad Airways. A contemporary design and full-service experience make The House a great place to wait before your flight. As well as a small buffet, there are two main meal services – breakfast and all-day dining.

Although the à la carte menu contains only a few options, items are of high quality. The lounge also provides a barista service, as well as the Etihad Bar, which contains more than 90 drinks. Luxury shower suites are available for those who wish to freshen up before their flight.

Entry Fee: Three hours for AU$80
Value: 3/5
Book: Save $5 by booking here

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The House – Sydney

Also operated by No1 Lounges for Etihad Airways, The House lounge at Sydney airport is similar to its Melbourne counterpart. With adequate seating, restaurant-style à la carte dining, an extensive serviced bar, barista coffee and great airport views, this lounge is a great place to start your journey.

For those in need of a freshen-up, luxury shower suites are available with L’Occitane products and fluffy white towels. This is truly a lounge you won’t want to leave.

Entry Fee: Three hours for AU$80
Value: 3/5
Book: Save $5 by booking here

Plaza Premium – Dubai International

With its subdued lighting and dark, neutral tones, the brand-new Plaza Premium Lounge at Dubai International is nothing short of spectacular. The massive lounge offers relaxation seats that can be converted into private napping areas, work stations, a cigar lounge and five shower suites.

The lounge offers a wide selection of freshly prepared Arabic, Asian and international dishes, and a great selection of beverages with brewed tea and coffee, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages from Aerobar.

Entry Fee: Three hours AU$79; Six hours AU$158.
Value: 3/5
Book: Here with Plaza Premium

Subdued lighting and dark, neutral tones in Dubai

Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

1. Easy access to good food

meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 — Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

2. Better sleep options

Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room — Sleep deeply with Novotel.

There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

3. More ways to move

woman hiking around queenstown new zealand — Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

4. Better connections

Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

5. Location is everything

Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld — Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.

Your ultimate guide to the best pay-per-use airport lounges