Trip Report: American Express Centurion Lounge at LAS

***This is part 19 of my "Camels, Bats, and Bloggers" trip report detailing a recent trip to Dubai and Seychelles, with a final stop in Las Vegas to attend the 2014 BAcon conference hosted by BoardingArea***

1. Introduction - Camels, Bats, and Bloggers
2. Emirates Lounge at SFO
3. Emirates First Class San Francisco to Dubai
4. Conrad Dubai
5. Old Dubai, Ski Dubai, and At the Top
6. Emirates Terminal B First Class Lounge at DXB
7. Emirates First Class Dubai to Mahe, Seychelles
8. Four Seasons Seychelles
9. Air Seychelles Economy Class Mahe to Praslin
10. Raffles Praslin Seychelles
11. Island Hopping - La Digue
12. Island Hopping - Praslin, Cousine, Curieuse, St. Pierre
13. Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort and Spa
14. Emirates Business Class Mahe, Seychelles to Dubai
15. 7-Star Luxury at the Burj Al Arab
16. British Airways Lounge at DXB
17. Cathay Pacific Business Class Dubai to Los Angeles via Hong Kong
18. 2014 BAcon Conference in Las Vegas + Mandalay Bay Hotel
19. American Express Centurion Lounge at LAS
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With a couple hours to kill before our final flight home, we made our way over to the American Express Centurion Lounge located near gate D1 in Concourse D at Las Vegas airport. This would be my first visit to a Centurion lounge and was excited to see what the hype was all about.

American Express Centurion Lounge at LAS

All of the bloggers at BAcon were given complimentary access to the lounge, but we also had the American Express Platinum card which would have given us access to the lounge. There was an interesting vertical garden inside featuring the American Express logo.

The LAS Centurion Lounge was unlike any domestic lounge I'd been to. It featured extremely stylish decor, and while many other lounges which can feel like dungeons, this one was filled with natural light. Sundays are one of the busiest days at this lounge, and it was hard to find seating at first.

The lounge is centered around the bar and buffet area, which featured additional restaurant-style seating.

Since people were coming and going frequently, after hovering for a few minutes we eventually scored a comfortable booth with perfect views of the TV in order to keep track of all the NFL action.

The food at the lounge is really top-notch. Each of the Centurion Lounge menu's are curated by a celebrity chef, and Scott Conant takes credit for the menu at LAS. Among the hot food, there was a pasta dish along with roasted potatoes. Having watched Scott critique countless numbers of contestant's pasta on Chopped, I was ready to do the same to him, but the pasta was cooked perfectly and really delicious.

There was also a fancy salad bar featuring things like kale and quinoa, along with a selection of sandwiches.

But this guy absolutely stole the show - an amazing lamb meat pie covered in yogurt sauce. I simply lost control, and couldn't even tell you how many I ate. It's one of the best things I've eaten at an airport, and would have been happy to order this at any restaurant.

There are some international lounges that are worth going to the airport early for, and it's extremely rare to fine a domestic lounge that falls into that category. In my experiences, along with the Emirates Lounge at SFO, the Centurion Lounge at LAS is simply one of the best lounges you'll find in the US, and can't wait for the opening of the Centurion Lounge at SFO in early November!

Amex Centurion Lounge at SFO Partnering with 3-Michelin Star Chef

American Express has been aggressively expanding its network of Centurion Lounges across the country, with SFO one of the next to open, scheduled for late 2014. There is still a bit of speculation if the lounge will be land-side or air-side, but it will be located above the premium security checkpoint above gate 75 which is near the walkway between Terminal 3/International Terminal. According to its website, access to the lounges is available to "All American Express  Members with a valid American Express Charge or Credit Card". However, while access for Platinum or Centurion card holders is free, there is a $50 charge for other cardholders.

On the topic of food, American Express also recently announced that Chef Christopher Kostow from the Three Michelin Starred The Restaurant at Meadowood will be joining the list of celebrity chefs that are curating and designing menus for the network of Centurion Lounges.



The celebrity chef concept intrigues me - on the one hand, I understand that its mutually beneficial from the marketing and PR perspective to both the chef, and in this case American Express. But in general, I haven't seen these partnerships translate into better food since after all, we're talking about mass-produced food that's served either at an airport or on-board the plane. One notable exception was my recent experience on Cathay Pacific where the "Tosca" menu designed by celebrity chef Pino Lavarra from the Ritz Carlton, Hong Kong was fantastic and among some of the best food I've ever had in the air.

In an interview with Conde Nast, Chef Kostow didn't give away much in terms of what to expect, other than the fact that the food will be "delicious and restorative and awesome." It will be interesting to hear more details on this closer to opening, and look forward to spending some time chowing down in the lounge later this year.

How has the food been at other Centurion Lounges; are the Celebrity Chef partnerships translating into better food?