Upgraded AMEX Centurion Lounge Opens at Seattle Airport

American Express is rolling out the red carpet for eligible travelers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) with an expansive and luxurious new Centurion lounge that pays tribute to the region’s landscape, cuisine, and coffee culture.

The original American Express lounge at the airport opened in 2015 in a bijou 5,000-square-foot space. At 14,000 square feet, the upgraded lounge is nearly triple that size, with ample room for guests to “relax and recharge,” said Pablo Rivero, vice president & general manager at AmEx Global Lounge Experiences.

Inside, travelers have various seating options, including communal desks, high tables, noise-buffering pod workstations, and private phone rooms. Nearly all seats are equipped with power outlets. They can also use the lounge’s expanded restrooms and shower room.

Photo: Courtesy of AMEX

The lounge is centered around a 40-square foot mural of the Seattle skyline, created by Haitian-American mix-media artist Harold Caudio from thousands of coffee beans from local roasters Caffè Umbria. The windows also offer panoramic views of the airfield and the Olympic Mountains.

While they take in the view, guests can enjoy American Express’s first-ever full-service coffee bar, where baristas will prepare espresso beverages, cold brew, and rotating seasonal specialty coffee drinks with beans from Caffè Umbria.

If they want to chill out rather than caffeinate, they can visit a wellness-themed bar with made-to-order fruit smoothies and small-batch brewed kombucha from local business Seeking Ferments. Also on offer are healthy snacks, including gluten-free blueberry scones, Greek chicken and mint yogurt power bowls, and capers and pesto sandwiches.

For travelers who want a heartier meal before takeoff, a full buffet serves ‘Seattle Soul’ food, designed by Chef Kristi Brown, the executive chef at the city’s hip Communion Restaurant and Bar.

Brown’s cuisine uses fresh local ingredients and pays tribute to traditional soul food flavors and methods as well as those from other communities in the Pacific Northwest, including Southeast Asia and East and West Africa. Menu highlights include the Trinidadian Spiced Pork Belly, Trinidadian Spiced Pork Belly, and ‘Peach Cobbla’ French Toast.

These are dishes “that have not only been elemental to my upbringing but also nod to the local Seattle culture,” Brown said. “We wanted to create a menu that’s both dynamic and delicious, where one feels right at home, even while they travel.”

The food can be enjoyed in the lounge’s lavish dining room, outfitted with teal leather booths and wallpaper inspired by the region’s waterways.

The lounge is open to customers with American Express Platinum credit cards, including the Business Platinum card, for three hours before their flight departure. Additionally, travelers with Delta SkyMiles Reserve or Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business American Express cards can also gain entry when booked on Delta flights.

As of February 1, 2023, only the primary cardholder and authorized users enjoy complimentary lounge access. Their guests will have to pay an entry fee of $50.

American Express is upgrading its entire network of 40 Centurion Lounges worldwide and recently cut the ribbon on a revamped space at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). It will also open new lounges at Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington D.C. and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport (ATL) in 2023 and 2024, respectively.