Using my BMW White Card at the Plaza Premium Lounge

One of the perks of the BMW White Card is the complimentary use of the Plaza Premium Lounges, available at selected airports around Malaysia. Last week I decided to try the lounge at the Johor Senai airport on the way home from one of my trips to the yard. Since it was still Ramadhan back then, it I wasn't the food that attracted me. Rather, it was the shower facility that I wanted to try out.

After a long day of meetings and site visit at Pasir Gudang, I welcomed the idea of being able to take a shower before boarding the airplane. Imagine walking around site during fasting month - my throat was parched and my body was icky and sweaty. Also, I was heading for buka puasa at the Sama Sama Hotel near KLIA as soon as I touched down KL, so I desperately needed a shower to freshen up for the benefit of my colleagues who were dining with me! 

Before that, here's a lovely Lego model of the project I am working on right now. Pretty creative, right?

Proud to work towards installing the first TLP in Malaysia.

The model is placed in the client office at the yard.

Site visit during fasting month. Definitely not something I want to do again!

We left the site at 430pm - by the time we got through the traffic, we arrived at the airport just slightly under an hour later. Check-in was smooth and I immediately headed to the Plaza Premium Lounge, located on the first floor, just beside the escalator after the luggage scan and immigration check point. I simply had to flash my BMW White Card. They registered my details, checked my boarding pass and I had to sign a receipt that stated I was using my card for entry. 

The lounge was practically empty except for one person watching TV while another was working on his laptop while munching on lounge snacks. I asked for a towel to shower but was quite surprised when they immediately replied that they had "just run out towels". However, I was quite adamant about taking a shower, so I urged them to check whether they had hand towels which I could use. They then checked - and barely two minutes after, they handed me a towel saying that they "found" one. Really! I had a feeling that they didn't want me to shower or messing their shower room - I mean, how can a practically deserted lounge like that run out of towels??!! Quite illogical if you ask me.

Entrance to the lounge.

Light snacks, and a very comfortable high table which you can use to work on your laptop while eating.

Part of the lounge area - completely deserted.

Anyway, I grabbed my towel and headed to the ladies. The sink area is actually separated by a door from the toilet and shower room. Since there were no ladies in sight in the lounge, I actually locked the door after the sink area, giving me full privacy and use of the toilet and shower room. The shower room was dry and clean, and it came with a water heater. There was also a soap dispenser in the shower room, but since I had my toiletries with me I didn't need to use it. 

The sink area and the door leading to the toilet and shower room.

The shower room - water heater included!

After a quick shower, I changed into clean clothes, applied make up then went back into the lounge sitting area. There, I plugged in my laptop, settled down and used the free wi-fi to update my blog. Soon after that, the lounge staff announced that my flight was ready for boarding.

Blogging! And this is how the BMW White Card looks like.

The BMW White Card is given free to BMW owners who purchased their car from an authorized dealer (such as Auto Bavaria, Ingress) and is valid for 3 years. I think you can choose to extend your membership after the 3rd year by paying a nominal fee. Other than using it at the Plaza Premium Lounge, I have used it previously to buy discounted tickets to Aquaria, Petrosains and even to get a discount for food at Serai and Alexis. I have also used it to gain free entry to the CIMB Classic golf tournament (and saw Tiger Woods close up)!

Anyway, here are a list of Plaza Premium Lounges within Malaysia where you can use your BMW White Card:

• Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)
• Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2)
• Kota Kinabalu International Airport
• Kuching International Airport
• Penang International Airport
• Langkawi International Airport
• Senai International Airport

My transportation home. Even after MH370 and MH17, I am still loyal to MAS.