The 10 worst-rated airport lounges in the Middle East, and where to go instead

The Gulf hubs have some of the best airport lounges anywhere, which is exactly why the bad ones stand out. At Dubai or Doha you are rarely stuck in a weak lounge. Usually a much better one is a few minutes away, it takes the same card, and nobody told you. Jeddah and Tel Aviv are different, and I'll get to them.

How I picked these: I started with every lounge we list in the region and kept only the ones that are open and have an overall score built from at least 8 rated metrics. Nine rated lounges fall short of that bar, and two more have no ratings yet. Three Tel Aviv lounges show 1.0 on a single metric, which is too little to rank. The more notable exclusion is the Etihad U.S. Preclearance Lounge in Abu Dhabi, which scores 2.7 on seven metrics and would otherwise sit at #2. Ties are broken by the weakest individual scores. All scores are Lounge Frog's own ratings, explained on our methodology page. The Pearl Lounge in Abu Dhabi, at 3.8, just missed the list.

Dubai: five Priority Pass rooms, five better ones nearby

Half the list is in Dubai International. All five are lounges you are most likely to end up in with a Priority Pass card, and in every case the same card gets you into something better in the same concourse. If you remember one thing from this piece, make it this: at DXB, go to the Marhaba lounges or the Ahlan Business Class Lounge, not the smaller Ahlan rooms.

#2, Ahlan Lounge (D13), 2.8. It's a small airside room near gate D13 in Terminal 1. Food, drinks and service are decent at 4 each. Everything about the space is poor: crowding, workspace, views, exclusivity and its single shower all score 2. Concourse D has two far better Priority Pass options. The Ahlan Business Class Lounge on Level 2 above the gates rates 4.5 with two showers. The Marhaba Lounge (D), on the arrivals level, also rates 4.5 and has four showers.

#3, SkyTeam Lounge, 2.9. An alliance lounge built in 2016 for SkyTeam carriers flying out of Concourse D. It has comfortable seating (4) but coffee, drinks, workspace and exclusivity all sit at 2. Priority Pass members can only get in between 02:00 and 20:00. If you're an Elite Plus member on a SkyTeam flight, it is your alliance lounge and you may decide that is enough. With Priority Pass, walk down to the Marhaba Lounge (D) at 4.5.

#4, Plaza Premium Lounge (A), 3.1. This Terminal 3 lounge opened in 2020 between gates A2 and A3, up a lift to Level 4. It has no showers, workspace and exclusivity score 2, and Priority Pass visits are capped at two hours. The Marhaba Lounge (A), also between A2 and A3, rates 4.6. It has four showers, the Priority Pass cap there is three hours, and it scores 5 on crowding, quiet and seating. I can't think of a reason to choose the Plaza Premium room if you hold Priority Pass.

#6, Ahlan Lounge (A), 3.5. This one is fine in most respects: food, coffee, seating and quiet all score 4. It ranks this low mainly because it has no showers, its views score 1 and exclusivity scores 2. It is up on Level 6 of Concourse A, and the same Marhaba Lounge (A) at 4.6 is the better choice.

#10, Ahlan Lounge at B, 3.7. Service here scores 5, and the room is quieter and less crowded than the other Ahlans. The entrance is inside a tapas bar near gate B26, and there are no showers. The Marhaba Lounge (B) near B21 rates 4.7, tied for the highest Priority Pass score in Dubai. It has four showers and scores 5 for food, drinks and space.

For all of these, the DXB leaderboard is worth a look before you fly. Our UAE best-lounges list covers the other end of the table.

Doha: rooms for people a step below the best

Hamad International has no bad lounges in the ordinary sense. The two on this list are there because they are the lounges you're given when you don't qualify for the main ones.

#7, Platinum Lounge (South), 3.5. This is where Qatar Privilege Club Platinum and oneworld Emerald members go when they fly economy. It is next to gate A1. Food, drinks, cleanliness and restrooms all score 4, but it has no showers and nothing scores above 4. If you're flying in business class you have Al Mourjan Business Lounge (South) at 4.6. Emeralds in economy don't have a better oneworld option. If you hold LoungeKey or DragonPass, or are willing to pay, the Oryx Lounge (South) at 4.8 is better.

#8, Al Maha Lounge (South), 3.7. This lounge has some of the widest score ranges on the list. Food, coffee, service, showers, workspace, views and cleanliness all score 5. Crowding scores 1, and seating and quiet score 2. It's a nice room that is often too full to enjoy. Priority Pass access here ended on 15 May 2026, so you now need LoungeKey, DragonPass or cash. The Oryx Lounge (South) takes the same two networks and is on the same level of the south Duty Free Plaza. It rates 4.8 and scores 5 for crowding and quiet. Go there instead.

Jeddah and Tel Aviv: nowhere better to go

The last three are a different problem. One of them is the worst-rated lounge in the region, and at all three airports we don't list anything clearly better for the same ticket or card.

#1, Plaza Premium Lounge (International Departures), Jeddah, 2.5. It's the lowest score in the region by a clear margin. Views score 1. Cleanliness, drinks, service, workspace and exclusivity all score 2. The Wi-Fi and restrooms are good, at 4 each. It is open around the clock near gate 39 in Terminal 1, with a two-hour stay limit. It's the only Priority Pass lounge we list at Jeddah, so I don't have a better Priority Pass option to send you to. If you're flying Saudia in business class or hold SkyTeam Elite Plus, the Saudia AlFursan Lounge in the same terminal rates 3.7.

#9, Saudia AlFursan Lounge, Jeddah, 3.7. It opened in 2021 and is huge, with capacity for 450 people. Food, coffee and power all score 5. Its Wi-Fi scores 1, drinks score 2 and there is no bar. That costs it a lot if you need to work. For Saudia premium passengers there is no better room at Jeddah in our listings, so plan to tether to your phone.

#5, King David Lounge, Tel Aviv, 3.3. This is EL AL's flagship lounge in Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion. EL AL reopened it in March 2025 after a renovation that added a cocktail bar, new seating and more power outlets. Our ratings were entered in September 2026, after the renovation. They give it 4 for food, coffee, seating, quiet, power and views, but 2 for cleanliness, service, drinks and workspace. It is the only lounge with a meaningful rating that we list at Tel Aviv, so there's no rated alternative to recommend. If you're flying EL AL business class, you're using it either way.

Elsewhere in the series

This is one of twenty regional lists published together. Similar problems turn up in the Central and Eastern Europe and Turkey list, the India and South Asia list and the Asia list.