With a three and a half hour layover after our United flight from Austin, we headed to Concourse C and the American Express Centurion Lounge. With the many reports of crowding throughout the AmEx lounge system, and my own, prior experiences at the Denver lounge, I was interested to see what the wait and atmosphere would look like.
Location
The American Express Centurion Lounge Denver is located in Concourse C near Gate C46. The lounge can be accessed from any concourse via the intra-concourse train. The lounge is located one level up from the concourse and can be accessed via a set of escalators. The lounge is easy to spot thanks to the large American Express signage hanging over the Concourse.
Hours of Operation
The lounge is currently open between the hours of 5:00a-10:00p, which covers many of the departures from the airport.
Entry Requirements
The Centurion Lounge can be accessed by AmEx Centurion and Platinum Cardholders (Personal, Business, and Corporate). Platinum cardholders that spend more than $75,000 on their card during the year can bring two guests into the lounge free of charge, otherwise a $50 guest fee applies. Delta AmEx Reserve cardholders (Personal and Business) can access the lounge when flying on a same day Delta flight.
When we arrived at the lounge the line to get in was completely full. It was so bad that someone had to hit the emergency stop on the escalator as there was nowhere left to stand. Once we made it to the front we were told that they were on a 30-45 minute waitlist. Mrs. ATX Jetsetter needed to make a call so we waited it out in a nearby, deserted gate.
The waitlist went faster than advertised and we received a text 20 minutes later saying that it was our turn. When we returned to the lounge, the line had gotten even worse and was now stretching down the concourse.
Layout
Immediately at the top of the escalators is the Member Services desk. From there, the lounge forms a U shape, encircling the atrium of the concourse below. After passing the desk, you can go left or right. To the left is a row of 2 and 4 person seating areas set along a corridor.
This eventually leads past a beverage station to the buffet area. The beverage station features water on tap, tea, and coffee machines. Unfortunately, the coffee maker wasn’t working during our visit, though drip coffee was still available.
The buffet area features a self serve area with hot and cold dishes as well as a made to order station that rotates throughout the day. At the rear of the lounge, adjacent to the buffet area is a large U shaped bar.
Circling around to the other side of the lounge, there’s another corridor with some seats similar to what greeted us upon entry.
This side of the lounge closely mirrors the other but, instead of a buffet area, this space features a craft beer bar that features a rotating selection of local Colorado beers.
In the same space as the craft beer bar is a selection of games including tabletop shuffleboard, pool, and oversized checkers and Connect Four. You can pick up the game pieces from the bartender.
Though the lounge was pretty full and on a pretty long waitlist, I found that the agents were doing a good job of controlling the flow which meant there were enough available seats in the lounge for everyone there. We grabbed a table near the buffet at first and then migrated to another table by the windows once the crowds thinned out.
Food and Beverage
When we arrived at the lounge, breakfast was on offer. At one end of the buffet was a choice of cereal as well as oatmeal.
Further down the buffet was a selection of fruit, hot dishes including bacon, potatoes, powdered eggs, and biscuits. Finally, at the end, was a selection of breakfast pastries that had been pretty well picked over by the time we got there.
Across from the self service buffet was a build your own omelette station manned by a member of the lounge staff. There were multiple items you could add to your omelette and it was cooked on the spot.
Mrs. ATX Jetsetter went with the omelette which she said was quite good. I had some items from the self service buffet and, aside from the bacon, it was mediocre.
Since we had such a long layover, breakfast was swapped out for lunch the next time we went by. The self service buffet had a salad bar set up as well as some vegetables, lentils, rice and a pork dish available. At the end of the buffet there was a selection of desserts as well as some rock hard dinner rolls. Not pictured was the potato soup on offer. The omelette station had been shut down and hadn’t yet been replaced with the lunch offering.
Since I was still pretty full from breakfast, I just grabbed a cup of soup and some lentils while Mrs. ATX Jetsetter sampled the desserts.
Atmosphere
For a few years Denver was essentially my second home and I flew to or through Denver almost weekly last year so I know the lounge well. This visit was one of the busiest I’ve ever had which isn’t surprising due to the crowding issues we’ve seen recently. The Denver lounge has a great layout, though the hallways can get tight during peak times, and features great views of the Concourse C ramp. While there aren’t many different airlines visible, it is great if you want to look at Southwest 737s.
Also, since I’d spent so much time in the lounge over the past few years, I’ve gotten to know a number of the staff members and it was great getting to see all of them again. The staff at this lounge, especially all of the bartenders, are fantastic and make a chaotic lounge experience more enjoyable.
Summary
When the Denver Centurion Lounge first opened it was one of the largest in the system and rarely saw massive crowds. Now, with the massive growth at DEN and the crowding issues across the system, there is almost always a wait. The experience inside the lounge was good as usual, but don’t expect to be able to pop in for a quick visit between flights at peak times.
In This Trip Report
