This month, I had the occasion to visit the American Express Centurion Lounge at Mc Carran International Las Vegas Airport. (I also recently visited the Centurion Lounge in New York at La Guardia Airport).
I really liked Las Vegas American Express Centurion Lounge. I came up with a list of 5 ways the Amex Centurion Clubs are better than the domestic airport lounges I’ve been to. Photos below are all from the Las Vegas American Express Centurion Club.
1. Hot prepared meals – Not only are meals at the Centurion Club well-prepared and delicious, but the menus are prepared by chefs, some with culinary awards. And there’s a good selection of healthy food. How can a club that serves only stale cookies or goldfish even compare to this? Yes, some clubs have improved their selection – Delta Sky Club is one such club. And, yes, the Alaska Boardroom has pancakes for breakfast and soup later on. But, in my opinion, none of these other clubs can hold a candle to the Amex Centurion Club!
2. Toilets – yes, toilets. Toto toilets. Though they don’t have all of the bells and whistles (and spritzing and heated seats) that some of the fancy Toto toilets have in Japan, Totos are still a notch above the rest. When Won’t Run and I went to Japan, it was hard to get him to leave. Why? Because he never wanted to leave his Toto!
3. Comfy chairs, Chaises, Pillows and Ottomans – Most of the airport lounges have an industrial feel to them. Not so with the Centurion Club. The seating is really comfortable! Welcome to my living room.
4. Crazy Good Art – There were wonderful photographs hung on the walls of famous musicians. Below is a slideshow of the photos (I hope it works!). Can you guess all of them?
-
- 10
-
- 9
-
- 8
-
- 5
-
- 6
-
- 7
-
- 4
-
- 3
-
- 2
-
- 1
5. Real Bar Serving Top-Shelf Alcohol – while most airport lounges have bars and serve some alcoholic beverages, they are serving less and less of the better stuff without charge. In fact, they are charging a hefty price for the good liquor. Not so with the Centurion Club. It’s included. And the bartenders really know how to mix some good drinks and even specialty drinks!
What are your favorite domestic US Airport lounges?
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
Your blog and writing is getting more interesting. Keep it up!
thanks John. I’m working hard at this. I welcome your comments, suggestions, etc.
I agree with your list but want to point out that these clubs are all less than two years old. They *should* feel new and clean and not industrial or dated like most airline clubs (which are older and more heavily used).
I visit the Centurion Lounge in DFW at least 2x a week. Back before FourSquare was killed, I was the mayor of the DFW CL and the agents at the front desk know me by name. I’m there a lot.
The drinks are nice, the atmosphere is nice, but I have to say the food is getting old. I really wish they’d rotate the menus by day of the week or something so it’s not the same thing every day for six to nine months (I’ve been told this is the frequency that the DFW CL changes the menu). Granted, I’m probably in the minority of frequency of visits, but more frequent menu changes are needed.
Justin, I was at the Las Vegas Centurion on a Thursday night and the following Sunday night. I did notice the same food. I just changed it up, taking different items the second visit, but I could see where the same menu might get old week after week without change. (Amex are you reading this?)