Ultimate Travel Secrets

The American Express Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas is one of our favorites to visit.  First off, you’re in Las Vegas.  Second off, it’s a fantastic lounge to go to, wind down and have some drinks and/or some heavy appetizers, coffee, basically whatever tickles your fancy in a really nice environment.

I just have to interject here that sitting at the Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas compared to sitting at the gate area chaos are two completely separate worlds.

 

Here’s why.

How does sitting at an incredibly loud gate in Vegas where children are playing chase between your luggage and all of the other people are knocking you out of the way because they are in a hurry to get somewhere sound? No good?

Now imagine sitting in a nice zen environment sipping on your drink of choice, having a gourmet meal and spreading out a bit.

Which would you rather? When you leave the Centurion Lounge, you will be much happier and more relaxed than you can imagine.

Where is the Centurion Lounge Las Vegas and how do i get in?

The American Express Centurion Lounge is in the D Terminal at McCarran International Airport and you can easily access it whether you are at Terminal 1 or Terminal 3.  If you are in Terminal 1, all you have to do is take the tram out to Terminal 3, go up the escalators and look for signs for Centurion Lounge.  Even easier is to know the entrance is across from Gate D-1.

Upon arrival, you will be kindly greeted and asked for your current boarding pass, your id (valid drivers license or passport) and your American Express Platinum Card (personal or business.) If you don’t already have one of these cards, click here to get yours.

Platinum Card members are allowed 2 guests per visit to the Centurion Lounge at no charge.  If you want to host more than 2 guests, there is a charge of $50 per person.

Update on Recent changes to Centurion Lounge Policies

There have been some recent changes in the American Express policy concerning Centurion Lounges  and they are enforcing these rules pretty strictly.  Their reasoning is to limit overcrowding.

So here’s the scoop:

• It used to be that you could enter the Centurion Lounge upon arrival into a city.  That is no longer the case.
• American Express has also implemented a rule stating that you cannot enter the lounge more than 3 hours before your scheduled flight.  Which means if you are travelling internationally and have a longer layover than 3 hours, you will have to find something else to do for awhile.  We were actually turned away in Miami a few months ago.  It was 3 hours and 15 minutes until our flight…
• You can now only retrieve one drink at the bar.  So you can order 2 if you are with a companion.  But they have to go to the bar and physically get it.

Everything else seems to be as it was in the past.

what are the benefits of the centurion lounge las vegas?

A full bar is there for your pleasure.  The bartenders here are knowledgeable and super accommodating.   No, you don’t have to pay for drinks but they really appreciate kindness and tips!

The head chef at the Centurion Lounge Las Vegas is James Beard nominee, Kim Canteenwalla.  And Kim obviously knows how to make some really yummy gourmet food!

The buffet style food is stocked regularly so everything is fresh, clean and quite delicious!  The gourmet food on the bar is changed 3 times throughout the day so depending on the time you come, you can have breakfast, lunch or dinner.  The American Express Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas is open 5AM-11PM daily.  Hours vary in different Centurion Lounge locations FYI.

My fresh margarita made by Justin, the bartender, is as tasty as any you would get from the mexican joints out in the terminal!

If you would rather have wine or bubbles, they have that too!

I enjoyed this nice pinot noir from the Wairau River in New Zealand.  What’s cool is we were just at this winery to do a tasting about 2 months ago!  More on that in a later post!

If you don’t just want a glass of red wine by itself, do what I do and eat a really tasty Chocolate Chip Cookie with it!

And by the way, here’s a tip from experience! If you see them put out chocolate chip cookies and you want one (or more) I would highly recommend going ahead and snagging them then because those things disappear like dust in the wind!

As you have probably already gathered, I am obviously a big fan of the Centurion Lounge Las Vegas: Complimentary food that has always been on point, well made drinks, high speed wifi and high levels of service.  It absolutely lives up to the American Express Standard of Excellence!

Additionally, there’s a designated work space area, private cubby areas, an amazing coffee machine, flight monitors, a separate sound proofed children’s play room and even a shower suite for weary travelers needing to freshen up.

other American Express Centurion Lounges

Despite the recent changes that American Express has made to their policies for the Centurion Lounges, there is still a massive amount of value in being able to enjoy them (they are opening 6 new Centurion Lounges in the next year for a total of 16 lounges.) They are really beefing up their coverage across the world.

Here is the lineup:

• Las Vegas (LAS)
• Miami (MIA)
• San Francisco (SFO)
• Seattle (SEA)
• Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW)
• Houston (IAH)
• New York (LGA)
• Philadelphia (PHL)
• Hong Kong (HKG)
• Sydney (SYD)
• Phoenix (PHX) opening November 2019
• New York (JFK) projected open by June 2020
• London (LHR) projected open by June 2020
• Denver (DEN) projected open late 2020
• Los Angeles (LAX) projected open late 2020
• Charlotte (CLT) projected open late 2020

I calculate that it’s about $100 credit each time my husband and I go to a Centurion Lounge because we both get to eat a full meal and have a few drinks. On top of that, it’s a place to go for respite whether you are on vacation or working.

And in case you’re wondering, the reason I put that value on it is because before we had access to the Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas, we literally used to sit at the Mexican Restaurant in Terminal 1, have appetizers and drinks…and usually spent about $100 before we left to go home to Nashville.

So at first glance the American Express Platinum Card has what seems to be a hefty fee of $550 per year. But with the Centurion Lounge access, the $200 per year travel credit plus all the other credits and perks associated with having the American Express Platinum Card, it’s pretty much a no brainer because it pays for itself. Click here to check out all of the benefits and see if this card is right for you.

 

 

 

For more on going on your next Bucket List Trip for less, take this <totally free> 5 Day Bucket List Travel Challenge!

 

 

What is your Centurion Lounge experience? Share it in the comments below!