play_arrow
Anthony’s Philippines: “It was an Adventure” Jake Redman
play_arrow
Anthony’s Amazing Singapore: “Toe Dipping” Point of SE Asia Jake Redman
play_arrow
Anthony’s Ireland: Hellman’s Makes Ketchup Too Jake Redman
play_arrow
Dallas, Disney and Deals. Our 100th Episode. Jake Redman
play_arrow
AirBnB Cancels Some Cancelling & Jake Thinks Charlotte is a Beach Town Jake Redman
Lounge: HSBC Premier Lounge
Where: Istanbul (IST) – Atatürk Havalimani (IST), International Terminal
Access this lounge with {{priority}}
Seating: We all come in different shapes and sizes so the HSBC Premier Lounge gets points for having different styles of seating. Deep loungers, wide loungers, swivel chairs, you name it. Seats are arranged in a way that isn’t particularly cramped but because the space is so small it’s not unlikely that you won’t get the seat you want.
Cafe style seating might be a little awkward when the outer ring tables of this small area are full. Working around other espresso and soup enthusiasts makes it feel like the worlds tiniest food court seating area.
Food/Drink: 
There was an “okay” selection of pastries during our midday visit but other than soup, there were no good meal options. If you’re okay with a domestic US style lounge experience, you’ll be fine. Our not very rigid standards for food in an international style business lounge weren’t met.
Wi-fi/Connectivity: Codes for complimentary wi-fi are offered at the front desk. We were out before checking speed and reliability of the connection.
Service: Front desk staff weren’t mean but certainly not friendly. Check-in went smooth but without a word…card swipe, move along. Inside staff were quick to clean up but slow to stock food.
Summary: From the entrance to The HSBC Premier Lounge you can see a number of other options and just a few levels below, the much larger PrimeClass Lounge with a greater selection of food, seating and a larger bar.
Rating: 2 hops (of 5).
How to get in: If you’ve got a ton of cash and keep it locked up inside an HSBC vault you may qualify for Premiere Banking which is enough to get you in. If you’re not pro-athlete rich, a PriorityPass membership will get you in too.
Modhop Host & Founder Jake Redman brings years of global exploration and travel tips to the podcast and our videos at Modhop. Jake is also a Producer and Host for SiriusXM.
Review of: Reviewed by: Jake RedmanRating:3On February 7, 2014Last modified:December 30, 2023Summary:More DetailsHotel Name: Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Location: Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) {{orbitz2}} 3editor ratingMore Details
chronicfernweh on February 10, 2014
Jake, from my experience in Istanbul, the attitude is a cultural thing. You’ll find absolutely the same attitude in the Star Alliance’s or the Prime Lounge there. No smliles, no welcominng words, just delivery
modhop on February 10, 2014
We certainly had no problem with it. Just a very neutral beginning to our visit, similar to the concourse level PrimeClass lounge. How do you like the Prime and Star lounges?
chronicfernweh on February 10, 2014
I got my Gold status in Star Alliance in the middle of the year and before that I was using the Prime Lounge. For a less than 20 USD is a pretty good choice for a long layover.- good choice of snacks and drinks, showers, luggage lockers.
Star Alliance’s lounge is probably one of the best SA ones in Europe and the Middle East. It’s big, it has an very good choice of food and drinks, it has showers and rest rooms (accesible only for long-haul flights). I love it. IST is usualy a bad airport for short layovers because of frequent delays (it’s a overcrowded and overwhelmed airport) , but if you have more than 2h, the Star Alliance lounge is a very good solution.
modhop on March 8, 2014
Great info, thanks!
shah on February 16, 2017
shahzada, 02/15/2017. Today after long flight I was went to HSBC lounge Istanbul , I am a frequent traveler , I found this lounge is not friendly with NON-TURKISH passengers, not very busy as compared to other lounges infront of it manly because of unfriendly staff and not good quality of food . will not recommend to international travelers.