I Got Bumped To The 'World's Best Business Class' On Qatar Airways & Here's How It Holds Up

The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.

Most people would jump at any opportunity to be upgraded on a long-haul flight — especially when it means going from economy to sitting in some of the best airline seats that money can buy.

That's exactly what happened to me on a recent Qatar Airlines flight, when a stroke of luck gave me a chance to try what's considered to be the best business-class seat in the world right now.

My initial flight departing from Toronto to Doha was delayed by over four hours, and I was a bit annoyed when I realized I would most likely miss my connecting flight from Hamad International Airport.

I spent most of my flight awake and feeling anxious about my connection, although the crying babies in economy didn't help things either.

After a long 13-hour flight, we finally landed in Doha. I'd missed my connection and so had many other passengers, and we all ended up swarming the transfer desks while trying to figure out alternate plans.

It turns out my hours of stress were futile because as soon as I got to the transfer desk, the Qatar Airways employee informed me that not only would I be placed on the next flight out to Lahore, but I was also being upgraded to business class for free.

The news made the five-hour layover ahead of me far more bearable because I could also take full advantage of the luxurious Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge.

The inside of the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge.Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

The only access to the lounge is via an elevator which opens right up to the entrance, where a Qatar Airways employee greets you and escorts you to the front desk to get checked into the lounge.

Once I entered, another employee gave me a quick rundown of all the facilities and services I could take advantage of while I was there, including a sleeping pod, shower and gourmet chef.

The first thing I did was drop off my stuff at the concierge service. Then I took a seat in the lounge with a glass of red wine.

Did I mention that you get bottomless wine in the lounge, and all the bottles are expensive vintage wines that you'd usually have to drop a lot of money for?

As a wine lover, this was probably the best part of the lounge experience. You best believe I tried every single wine available, and I may or may not have left the lounge a little tipsy.

The wine selection at the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge.Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

Bottles included a 2017 Rock Bare McLaren Shiraz, a 2018 Josef Chromy Pepik Pinot Noir, a 2018 Dampt Frères Chablis 1er Cru' Vaucoupin' 2018 and many, many more vintage wines.

My favourite was the 2014 Château Cantemerle Haut-Médoc Grand Cru Classé which regularly retails for around $60 a bottle!

There are also plenty of cold cans of beer if wine isn't your thing.

The wine selection at the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge.Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

If you don't drink alcohol, then don't fret because the lounge serves a wide array of non-alcoholic beverages, including unlimited sparkling water, freshly squeezed juices, smoothies, teas and coffee.

There were coffee machines dotted all around the lounge, which served you anything from an espresso to a cappuccino within seconds.

The beverage station at the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge.Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

If you think the drinks were impressive, then the food will blow you away because the lounge even had its very own sushi chef who banged out some pretty nifty rolls for the passengers, including some that had caviar!

The chef's counter at the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge.Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

The fresh sushi made for me by the chef at the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge.Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

There were plenty of other food options to choose from, including a buffet and an a la carte menu featuring dishes like steaks, tacos and pasta.

Or you could do what I did and go for both.

I started at the buffet, where I got a seasonal vegetable soup with croutons and a drizzle of olive oil.

The seasonal soup at the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge.Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

After I was done with the soup, I picked up a little bit of everything offered at the buffet, including pesto pasta, herb-crusted lamb chops, butter chicken and my absolute favourite Arab dish called maklouba.

From the menu, I ordered a steak which was served with asparagus, sweet potato and a delicious sauce.

The steak and asparagus at the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge.Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

During the meal, a Qatar Airways employee constantly topped up my wine and freshly squeezed orange juice, making me feel like I had a personal butler service.

The freshly squeezed orange juice at the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge.Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

It wouldn't be a complete experience at the Qatari lounge if I didn't eat some Arab food, so I decided to head back to the buffet for some hummus, tabouleh, and a falafel sandwich.

The hummus, tabouleh and falafel sandwich at the the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge restaurant. Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

If you thought I was done there, then you're wrong because I, of course, finished off with dessert.

The buffet dessert had several confectionaries to pick from. I went with the matcha yuzu panda cotta, the lemon meringue pie, the vanilla custard and the almond chocolate mouse cakes.

The desserts and cappuccino at the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge.Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

It was at this point that I felt grateful for the sweatpants I wore as my airport outfit.

It's safe to say, I was stuffed. So I decided to walk around and explore the rest of the lounge, where I found out they had a playroom for children, a smoking room for smokers and even a TV room!

The snack and coffee station at the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge.Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

A secluded seating area at the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge.Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

Soon enough it was time for my flight and I headed over to my gate, where an airport employee escorted me through a separate entrance to my business class seat.

And yes, Qatar Airways lives up to its title as the world's best business class. I was blown away!

The seats were more like mini rooms and even came with a door, so I could have complete privacy on the flight while I slept on my seat that reclined into a bed.

The business class seat on Qatar Airways. Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

As soon as I got settled in my seat, a flight attendant served me a lemon mint refresher drink and handed me a hot towel to clean my hands.

The blanket, hot towel, menues and lemon mint beverage served to me on Qatar Airways business class. Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

While waiting to take off, I explored their three-course food menu and the wine menu… obviously.

Before they delivered my food, the flight attendant dropped off a bowl of warmed-up mixed nuts with a glass of Bordeaux wine.

The warm mixed nuts and wine served to me on Qatar Airways business class. Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

Then I was served a basket of fresh bread with butter and balsamic chilli oil, and it was probably the best bread I have ever consumed in my life.

The bread basket, butter and balsamic red chilli oil served to me on Qatar Airways business class. Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

For starters, I went for the Arab meze platter, which came with hummus, baba ganoush, tabouleh and khubz bread.

The Arab meze starter served to me on Qatar Airways business class. Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

After that, I was served mains, and I went for the butter prawn curry with daal, okra curry and saffron rice.

The main dish served to me on Qatar Airways business class. Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

For dessert, I went for the chai-infused bread pudding with pistachio, and yes, it was just as fancy as it sounds.

The dessert served to me on Qatar Airways business class. Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

But by far, the best part about the flight had to be the enormous washroom, which was much cleaner than the economy class equivalent.

The washroom on Qatar Airways business class. Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

I spent the rest of my flight sleeping in the pyjama set they gave me at the beginning of the flight and arrived in Lahore entirely well-rested.

Oh, and before we landed, they gave me a box of Laderach chocolate!

The Laderach chocolate given to me on Qatar Airways business class. Sameen Chaudhry | Narcity

So if you were planning on treating yourself to business class on a Qatar Airways flight, please do. You won't regret it.

If dropping a couple of grand on a flight ticket is not your thing, then you can always take advantage of the business lounge at a small fee if you find yourself in Hamad International Airport for a layover. The bottomless wine selection alone makes it worth the money!