10 years later: What's next for Amex's Centurion Lounge network

16.10.2023 - 14:23 / thepointsguy.com / Audrey Hendley

In terms of airport lounges, American Express is undeniably a trailblazer.

The card issuer opened its first Centurion Lounge in Las Vegas in 2013, and it has since welcomed cardmembers into the blue doors of 26 more outposts.

While airlines have long operated branded clubs for their frequent flyers, Amex was the first of the major card issuers to build a proprietary network of airport lounges.

Now, 10 years later, Amex is facing some growing competition from Capital One and Chase. But despite that, it's still planning another exciting decade of expansion and growth.

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Centurion Lounge, TPG spoke with Audrey Hendley, president of American Express Travel, to hear her reflections on the past decade and her take on where things are headed next.

Over the past 10 years, the Centurion Lounge network has undergone two pivotal changes.

The changes started when the issuer revised its design philosophy for its clubs. Instead of simply building luxurious spaces in major airports, Amex has focused on integrating local elements into each of its lounges, Hendley said.

This transition started to become apparent toward the end of the decade in recently opened spaces in New York, Charlotte and Los Angeles. However, it's something that has been on the Amex team's mind since the start.

"Every lounge is different. Every lounge now has a touch of the local experience," Hendley said as she explained the transition toward a more locally influenced design philosophy.

In her mind, this local design is one of the key differentiators from airline-branded lounges, and it's something that cardmembers are especially excited about, she said.

In addition to infusing local touches in lounge design, Amex also made a strategic decision in July 2021 to integrate all existing Centurion-branded worldwide lounges into the broader Centurion Lounge portfolio.

For years, Amex had two different "flavors" of Centurion Lounges. Those in the U.S. were typically newer and nicer, while those outside the U.S. (except for London and Hong Kong) had generally seen better days.

In order to quickly grow the Centurion Lounge network, Amex folded these 12 international outposts into the Centurion Lounge network with a full rebrand and renovation, Hendley added.

Currently, the issuer operates 27 lounges worldwide, with plans to add a couple more in the coming years. (More on that below.)

Amex was already thinking about a redesign and expansion in the early days, but it wasn't until 2021 that the issuer started facing some real competition with the opening of the first Capital One Lounge in Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

While Amex enjoyed an eight-year monopoly, the airport lounge wars are now more