The 10 worst-rated airport lounges in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and where to go instead

The lowest-rated lounges in this part of the world are not, mostly, terrible rooms. Hong Kong has none in the bottom ten. What the bottom of the table shows is a pattern: Priority Pass contract lounges in mainland China that are crowded and basic, and airline home lounges at Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Taipei that score well on food and then lose points on crowding, exclusivity or service. Several of them are the best room their passengers can get, which matters more to you at the gate than a ranking does.

How I picked them

Only lounges with an overall rating built from at least 8 rated metrics qualified, and every one was checked as open on the site. That rule removes a lot. More than 70 mainland lounges, most of them Priority Pass and DragonPass contract rooms at Pudong, Hongqiao, Daxing, Hangzhou, Zhengzhou and Kunming, have only one or two rated metrics and sit at 1.0 to 2.5 overall. Some of them may well be worse than anything below, but one or two scores is not enough to call a lounge the worst in China, so they are left out until we have rated them properly. Nothing here is a nap pod, spa or dining credit.

Ties are broken by the lowest individual scores. That mattered at the bottom of the list: four lounges sit on 3.6, and the tie-break left out the International First/Business Class Lounge at Chengdu Tianfu, whose lowest score is a 3. Ratings are explained in our methodology.

The two that earn their place

1. VIP Lounge No. 25, Hangzhou (2.3). The only lounge in the region that rates below 2.5 on a full set of metrics. It is in the Terminal 4 international zone, up an escalator to the 5th floor after security, open 06:20 to 23:00. Food is the high point at 3, with set breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets and a noodle and wonton station. Seating, crowding, service, drinks, Wi-Fi and exclusivity all score 2. The record says the dining room fills at mealtimes and the metal seats are hard going on a long wait. The Priority Pass guest policy listed for it is unusually loose, unlimited guests per cardholder, which may help explain the crowding. I would like to send you somewhere better, but I can't: no other Hangzhou lounge on the site has more than one rated metric, and none of those rates above 2.0. Check the Hangzhou leaderboard before you fly, but plan on 25 being what there is.

2. VIP Lounge No. 69, Shanghai Pudong (2.8). An airport-run contract lounge on the upper floor near Gate 69 in Terminal 2, international side. The food is decent (4) and the apron views are good (4). Quiet, drinks, workspace and exclusivity all score 2, and it has an indoor smoking area, which the lounge record calls unusual for Pudong. The fix is in the same terminal: China Eastern's No. 77 Lounge, opposite Gate 77, takes the same Priority Pass and Plaza Premium access and rates 3.6. It is on this list too, at No. 8, which tells you how thin Pudong's card-lounge options are. If you are flying oneworld, the Cathay Pacific Lounge by Gate 69 rates 3.8 and beats both.

Hub lounges that miss on one or two things

3. China Southern International Lounge, Beijing Daxing (3.1). Quiet (4) and comfortable (seating 4), with food at 2 and views at 2. It serves China Southern's international departures, with Plaza Premium selling walk-in entry, and there are no boarding announcements, so keep an eye on the screens. There is no better-rated lounge for international departures at Daxing on the site. China Southern's domestic VIP Lounge 1 looks like the better kitchen, but it is domestic-only and has a single rated metric.

4. China Eastern No. 36 Lounge, Shanghai Pudong (3.1). The Terminal 1 international lounge, on the 2nd floor near security checkpoints 10 and 11, open 05:00 to 23:59. Seating and food score 4, exclusivity 2, and there is one shower. Priority Pass works here only if you are flying China Eastern, Shanghai Airlines, China United or another SkyTeam carrier. No rated lounge in Terminal 1 scores higher. No. 77 (3.6) is the better China Eastern room with the same card access, but it is in Terminal 2.

5. China Airlines Dynasty Lounge, Taipei Taoyuan (3.2). The Terminal 1 Zone A lounge opened in 2015, and its food, service, power and workspace all score 4, with three showers. It is here because of views (1) and crowding (2). For SkyTeam passengers there is no better-rated alternative at Taoyuan. If you are flying Star Alliance, EVA's The Star Lounge in Terminal 2 rates 3.7, though that is a different alliance and not an alternative for China Airlines passengers.

6. Air China Business Class Lounge, Beijing Capital (3.3). The Star Alliance hub lounge in T3E, one floor above departures, open 05:30 to 02:00. Drinks, seating and Wi-Fi score 4 and exclusivity 2; the record says power outlets are scarce and it fills before the late-night long-haul bank. Star Alliance first-class passengers can use the Air China International First Class Lounge instead (3.6, No. 9 below). With business-class tickets or Gold status, this lounge is the one you get. oneworld passengers have the renovated Cathay Pacific Lounge near Gate E20, which rates 4.3 from six metrics.

7. China Southern Sky Pearl Lounge (International, First/Business), Guangzhou (3.5). The surprise on the list. It scores 5 for food and 5 for service, the best pair of scores anywhere on this list. It is dragged down by exclusivity (2) and showers (2): Amex Platinum and Centurion cardholders get in, and so do Priority Pass members flying China Southern. Guangzhou's best lounge, the new Star Alliance Lounge (4.6), is in Terminal 3 and only for Star Alliance premium and Gold passengers, so it is not an option from Terminal 2. If you are flying from T2 international, this is still the room I would choose.

The 3.6 tie

8. China Eastern No. 77 Lounge, Shanghai Pudong (3.6). Views score 5, and food, seating, quiet and showers score 4. Coffee, Wi-Fi and exclusivity all score 2, which is why it lost the tie-break. It is open around the clock, and for Priority Pass holders in Terminal 2 it is still the best choice. The Cathay Pacific Lounge (3.8) is better if you are flying oneworld.

9. Air China International First Class Lounge, Beijing Capital (3.6). Exclusivity 5, power 5, a mezzanine over the T3E duty-free hall, renovated in 2017. Service and showers score 2, which is a poor result for a first-class lounge. Star Alliance first-class passengers have nothing better at Capital. oneworld travellers have Cathay's 4.3 lounge in the same terminal.

10. EVA Air The Infinity Lounge, Taipei Taoyuan (3.6). Showers and Wi-Fi score 5, and the LED-lit interior is still a talking point. It scores 2 for crowding. The Star Lounge, behind the same reception, rates 3.7 and is the room for Star Alliance Gold members. The two are close enough that I would pick by how busy each looks when you arrive.

Hong Kong and the rest of the series

Hong Kong's lowest qualifying lounges are the Kyra Lounge at Gate 40 at 3.7 and Plaza Premium First at Gate 35 at 3.8, and neither made the ten. Hong Kong has the strongest lounge selection in the region, and the Hong Kong leaderboard shows how wide that lead is.

For the rest of the region, see the Japan and South Korea, Southeast Asia and wider Asia lists in this series.