Our wonderful trip to Germany and Switzerland was coming to a close and it was time to head back stateside. We had an early morning flight from Zurich and, after a stop at the check-in counters, we were off to the lounge.
Marhaba Lounge Zurich Location
Zurich Airport has three terminals all connected airside. After clearing security, and navigating through the duty free maze, follow the signage towards the B Gates. As you approach a set of escalators, you’ll see signage pointing towards the left for both the Marhaba and Aspire lounges. Around the corner you’ll see an elevator and a set of stairs leading up one level to the lounge entrances.
At the top of the stairs, the Marhaba Lounge entrance is located to your left while the entrance to the Aspire Lounge is located to your right.
Marhaba Lounge Zurich Hours of Operation
The Marhaba Lounge in Zurich is currently open between 5:15a and 8:00p each day.
Marhaba Lounge Zurich Entry Requirements
The Marhaba Lounge serves as the contract lounge for many airlines at Zurich airport including Air France, KLM, Emirates, and Qatar for their business class and elite passengers. nWe had access thanks to our KLM Business Class tickets. The lounge can also be accessed via Priority Pass and a number of other lounge pass options. However, during our visit, the lounge was limited to airline contract passengers only due to capacity constraints.
The lounge agents asked for our boarding passes and quickly checked us in. They also provided us with the Wi-Fi code.
Marhaba Lounge Zurich Layout
The lounge itself was very small and I can imagine it gets filled to capacity multiple times a day. It was laid out as a square and, to the left upon entering was the food and beverage area. Behind that, there were some cafe style tables and chairs as well as a few groupings of loveseats and chairs surrounding some smaller tables.
In the back of the lounge there were a few more couches and chairs with a few tiny tables randomly scattered about. There was also a conference table and a large window that overlooked the inside of the terminal.
Back towards the reception desk, there were some high top bar tables that were standing room only. There were a few trees ( I couldn’t tell if they were real or fake at the early hour) in this area as well. There were a few lounge chairs behind the curtains in the background, though all of these were occupied during the duration of our visit.
Finally, in the back right side of the space, there were a set of four, semi-private, cocoon chairs that looked rather comfortable.
With the lounge being on the small side, it was no surprise that there were no restrooms located in the lounge. Guests were directed to the restrooms out in the concourse instead.
Food and Beverage
Though the lounge was small, it had a decent food and beverage direction. There was a cooler filled with soda, water and beer that was self-service. There was also a coffeemaker that was similar to ones found in most major lounges.
The back wall of the buffet area included a self-service bar with liquor though they weren’t very high quality.
Underneath the liquor, there was a small selection of tea, a water tap, a few wines in a bucket on ice, and a large selection of breads and grains.
In a case next to the oats and granola, there was a refrigerated cooler that had yoghurt, cheese, cold cuts, fruit, juice, and some pre-made sandwiches.
Atmosphere
Though the lounge was packed full, we managed to find a seat on the left size against the wall. Contrary to our KLM Crown Lounge experience in Amsterdam, this lounge was absolute chaos. Kids were running around everywhere which, in a small lounge, was very noticeable. Perhaps the most disruptive, but entertaining, thing was the older gentleman arguing with the check-in agent that his Delta Platinum status meant he could access the lounge. They went back and forth for 15 minutes or so and I’m not sure what they ended up doing but the guy did end up in the lounge.
It seemed like a decent chunk of people in the lounge were also on our KLM flight which ended up taking a fairly significant delay. There was a lot of conversation amongst us as to the state of our connections which only added to the early morning chaos.
Summary
The Marhaba Lounge in Zurich was small and crowded which made the experience less than desirable. It was better than waiting in the terminal but we may have been better off grabbing a cup of coffee and finding an empty gate area.
In This Trip Report
- Introduction: The Black Forest and a Trip Across Switzerland
- KLM B787-9 World Business Class (AUS-AMS)
- KLM Crown Lounge 25 Amsterdam (AMS)
- KLM Cityhopper E190 EuroBusiness (AMS-FRA)
- Frankfurt to Badenweiler via Deutsche Bahn
- Park Hotel and Spa KATHARINA Badenweiler
- Exploring Badenweiler
- Badenweiler to Montreux via Swiss Federal Railways
- Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic, Autograph Collection Montreux
- Exploring Montreux
- Montreux to Zermatt via Swiss Federal Railways
- Chalet Hotel Schönegg Zermatt
- Exploring Zermatt
- Zermatt to Zurich via Swiss Federal Railways
- Neues Schloss Privat Hotel Zurich, Autograph Collection
- Exploring Zurich
- A Day Trip to Liechtenstein
- Marhaba Lounge Zurich (ZRH)
- KLM B737-800 Business Class (ZRH-AMS)
- KLM Crown Lounge 52 Amsterdam (AMS)
- KLM B787-9 World Business Class (AMS-AUS)
