American Express will open one of its Centurion lounges at Denver International Airport (DEN) sometime in 2019, making the best domestic lounge network even larger. It’s still unclear exactly when the newest Centurion Lounge may open in the Mile-High City, but like other American Express lounges, it will put most domestic clubs to shame.
The plans call for a premium bar and a separate “tasting area” for beer and wine. There will be shower suites, areas to squeeze in a nap, family rooms, and even a spa and wellness center. At 14,650 square feet, it will be the second-largest Centurion Lounge, behind only the upcoming lounge at JFK International set to open in early 2019.
The Denver lounge is set to be located in Concourse C, home to Alaska, Southwest, Spirit, and Allegiant. But no matter what airline you’re flying, the lounge should be easy to access at DEN because the concourses are connected airside.
By the time it opens, this Denver lounge will be the credit card company’s 10th domestic station. American Express recently opened its first international lounge at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). Other Centurion lounges are at Dallas (DFW), Houston (IAH), Las Vegas (LAS), New York (LGA), Philadelphia (PHL), Miami (MIA), Seattle (SEA) and San Francisco (SFO).
Domestic lounges are generally nothing to write home about, though that's slowly changing. American Airlines has new Flagship lounges, Delta’s SkyClub renovations are ongoing and United Polaris lounges are creeping forward. However, Centurion Lounges are almost always worth a stop before your flight or during a layover. Every lounge has high-speed WiFi and free food that far outpaces the standard lounge fare.
Get Into Centurion Lounges with the American Express Platinum Card
The American Express Platinum Card comes with one of richest sets of travel perks of any premier travel rewards card. Along with top-dollar travel credits and free Global Entry, the Platinum Card opens up thousands of airport lounges worldwide for you. You get into Centurion Lounges for free and can bring two guests as well.
The card also comes with a membership to Priority Pass, which has a global network of 1,000 lounges as well as partnerships with many airport restaurants. Again, two free guests can accompany you into the lounges.
You can also get into Delta SkyClubs with the Platinum Card so long as you’re flying Delta that day, though that comes with no guesting privileges. And finally, you can access some one-off independent lounges like the fantastic MSP Escape Lounge.
Bottom Line
At $550 a year, the card comes with a steep fee. But if you’re a frequent traveler, perks like these make it easily worth it. Normally this card gets you 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $5,000 in 3 months. But now may be the best time to apply, as some users are eligible for a whopping 150,000 point bonus through CardMatch.