The issuer may also have the biggest news for travelers since the American Express opened its first centurion lounge ever.
Amex is making its debut with a brand new lounge concept that will work with the existing Centurion lounge.
Called the “Centurion Lounge”, these new boutique outposts will be dedicated to dining experiences and provide travelers with a faster and more intimate experience than the existing Centurion Lounges.
Additionally, Amex is overhauling all of its domestic lounge dining experiences, including the existing Centurion Lounges and the upcoming Sidecar Outposts, but here are more.
Despite the slightest detail, Amex said the squash outpost will be designed similar to speaking. The issuer will add the Sidecar location to the airport at the airport that operates the existing Centurion lounge, meaning the outpost can help reduce the congestion of the existing Centurion lounge.
The focus in this space will be to quickly bite or drink in the advanced space on the way to the flight. To be consistent with this topic, access will be limited to only 90 minutes after you leave the flight.
The first sanitary machine will open in Las Vegas next year, given that Las Vegas is also suitable for AMEX, as Vegas is also home to the issuer’s first ever centurion lounge.
Audrey Hendley, president of Express Travel, said that while the Sidecar location will not boast of many amenities, they will provide bathroom facilities.
“When we surveyed customers, we asked them what they wanted in the lounge experience. They wanted good food, they wanted good Wi-Fi… They also wanted to use the toilet, they wanted to refresh in various ways. I think that’s important.”
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There is no description yet on where Amex might open the edge, but Hendry said the product was deliberately designed for space-constrained airports.
“Currently, we are working on this concept, but as airports get busier, they don’t necessarily have more space [for full-size lounges],” she shared.
Apart from the timing restrictions, access to sidecar outposts will be the same as the rest of the Centurion Lounge network.
In terms of catering, Amex will introduce its so-called cooking group later on July 29.
This new dining concept will be launched nationwide in 15 centurion lounges in the United States.
In the past, Amex worked with local chefs to curate menus in every centurion lounge. Through the cooking group, the issuer will introduce a fixed lineup of four chefs who will be run by Amex’s rest and catering products.
The chef list includes Kwame Onwuachi, Mashama Bailey, Mike Solomonov and Sarah Grueneberg.
Additionally, Amex has worked with Harrison Ginsberg as the attorney curator of the lounge, who may be known for leading one of New York City’s most popular cocktail bars, the exaggerated concept.
Despite the introduction of the cooking group, Amex will still offer many locally inspired lounge staples such as soups, salads and entrees. But what is changing is some of the signature dishes in each lounge.
Also, there will be more consistency on the AMEX network in terms of what you eat at your buffet. This may be good news for travelers who value consistency. But for other more adventurous travelers, it may not be as attractive as the existing setup.
Please note that Amex confirms that it will not change the dining concept in its Centurion lounge. Buffet service remains the main way for travelers to enjoy their food.
All of these investments will continue to heat up as competition for credit card brands’ airport lounges. Despite Amex’s nearly a decade beginning, Chase and Capital One closed the gap in building the airport lounge Cardembers really wanted to visit.
Interestingly, the two big competitors have different dining options – both offer a wide variety of à la carte options besides the buffet. Amex doesn’t usually offer any order-based meals, and I’m a little surprised that this hasn’t changed to keep up with the competition.
That said, just as Chase has spearheaded its in-house dining experts in an obsession to help curate dining options for the lounge, Amex is now doing the same with its 2019 re-acquisition.
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