A Visit to the American Express Centurion Lounge in Vegas
by Krish Patel
American Express joined the airport lounge industry in 2013 with its first outpost at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Still today, the Centurion Lounge in LAS is among one of the issuer’s most busy lounges that is almost always operating on a waitlist. Finding an open seat in the lounge can be very difficult. Plus, it’s one of the smaller lounges in the Amex portfolio, making it even more crowded among cardholders during peak hours.
Las Vegas Centurion Lounge Location and Access
The Centurion Lounge by American Express is located airside in Concourse D, right across from gate D1. If you’re flying JetBlue or American, then this lounge is convenient because it’s very close to the gates of both airlines. However, the lounge is slightly farther from the Delta, United, and Alaska gates, making it less accessible for some travelers. When I arrived at the lounge, a waitlist had already formed, so I had to wait outside for 15 to 20 minutes. It’s best practice to add your name to the lounge waitlist via the Amex app before getting to the airport. This way, it’s more likely to be guaranteed a spot in the lounge.
Cardholders with the Platinum Card from American Express (personal, corporate, or business version) can enter the lounge and bring two additional guests. In addition, travelers with the invite-only Centurion (Black) Card and Delta SkyMiles Reserve (when flying on a same-day Delta ticket) can get in.
Las Vegas Centurion Lounge Seating, Layout, Amenities, and Ambiance
Once you enter the lounge’s reception area, you’ll notice the brown wooden wall surrounding the space. It’s an incredibly stunning color that compliments the accent lights well.
After turning left, there’s a comfortable seating area with carpeted flooring and blue and gray furniture. Displayed on the wall is the watchdog painting, a common touch in all Centurion Lounges. There were various photos and orb lights that could be found hanging in the space.
You’ll notice that there are quite a few variants of furniture to choose from, including lounge chairs, plush armchairs, and communal coffee tables surrounded by three or four seats.
Making your way deeper into the seating area, you’ll notice several cozy-looking cubicles complete with throw pillows and various blue couches. This central seating area turned out to be the most crowded part of the lounge.
Off to the side in the lounge was a multi-purpose room for families with children and a dedicated seating area for Centurion guests. Both spaces were almost empty during my visit.
Seating spaces continue along the outer end of the lounge, with a conference table, phone room, and more cozy couches. You’ll notice Amex’s signature lounge aesthetic, with a wall of vintage suitcases and slightly darker upholstery. Similarly to the main seating area, most of the furniture was occupied. Even though the lounge was expanded from 9,000 to 13,400 square feet a few years ago, it’s still not enough area considering the amount of people using it.
Las Vegas Centurion Lounge Food and Drink
Situated towards the back corner of the lounge is the dining area, which includes a bar, buffet, drinks station, and cafeteria-style seating. There are many dining tables scattered near the buffet, including high and low-top platforms. Above the dining area is a wooden ceiling with spaced-out planks.
During my visit, breakfast was being served. Options included scrambled eggs, pastries, sausage, french toast, fruit, pancakes, and scones. The drinks station featured dispensers for juice and iced tea, as well as a coffee machine. Overall, the food selection is adequate for an airport lounge, but nothing exciting to write home about. I’ve seen a more inspiring breakfast spread at the Amex Lounge in New York LaGuardia, which came with a better choice of foods. The options here, on the other hand, were almost comparable to what I’d expect in an American Admirals Club.
The bars in Centurion Lounges are usually very beautiful, with this one being no exception. I loved the vintage travel decorations packed onto the various shelves, as well as the hanging light fixtures.
Overall Thoughts
The American Express Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas is the issuer’s most basic lounge I’ve visited. While I enjoyed the ambiance, the food options aren’t as extensive as other Centurion Lounges, and the amount of seating didn’t seem sufficient for the number of travelers using the lounge. Amenities in the space are also quite basic, with the only two notable ones being the family room and modern bathrooms. Expanding the lounge and perhaps adding more facilities such as shower suites and larger seating areas would be nice. But if that were to happen, Vegas would be without a Centurion Lounge for some time.