From time to time, we have guest posts from our readers. This one is presented by one of our longtime readers, Jaydeep Mahasamudram, who recently got in on the excellent Cathay Pacific First Class fares. He had the opportunity to visit the American Express Centurion Lounge in Hong Kong, which was the first proprietary lounge of American Express outside the USA to get the Centurion Lounge tag.

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The Amex Lounge Hong Kong is located in Hong Kong Airport’s Terminal 1. On Level 7 near Gate 60, as you walk past Cathay Pacific’s The Bridge, you take the elevator on the right side one level up from the main concourse building. If you are taking the people mover, the lounge is located near the first stop and is easily accessible from there. The lounge is open daily between 5:30 a.m. until 12:30 a.m. United, Emirates and Thai Airways lounges are all in the vicinity.

Access to the American Express Centurion Lounge is limited to cardholders of the American Express Platinum Card and the American Express Centurion card, as well as two guests. This is per card and not per account, so a supplementary card holder can guest in 2 people as well which works well for families.

This however doesn’t work for any other American Express Credit Cards, like the American Express Platinum Reserve Card, American Express Platinum Travel Card, etc. There is no pay-to-use option.

Just past the classic blue glass doors is the now familiar “living wall” behind a marble reception desk that American Express has adopted across most of its lounge locations worldwide, and is a welcome touch. The friendly agent swiped my card and handed it back with the Wi-Fi password.

A long hallway connects the reception area to the lounge proper and you’ll pass the meeting (seats upto 4 people) and conference rooms (seats upto 8 people) on your right.

As you get around the corner, you notice a painting with the Amex dog, Mr.Blue. The main lounge area is to right and is fairly large at 8000 sq. ft. (as a point of comparison lounges at Las Vegas, Dallas FortWorth & Houston come in at around ~8000-9000 sq. ft.) so this is the average size of an American Express Centurion Lounge.

There are a few high stools by the bar and other seating options scattered throughout. By the side are more sets of chairs arranged in groups around a low-centre table, with a TV along the wall. There is another area with a tall table and high chairs along the edge, with lovely views of the ramp.

At the far end of the lounge is the buffet area with a few adjacent dining tables. There was a good mix of Western and Asian options for the buffet.

To the left of the dining area is another glass door which leads to the Centurion area, this is a lounge within the lounge, exclusive to Centurion Card holders. This area features an à la carte menu designed by Chef Lau Yiu Fai of Yan Toh Heen at the Intercontinental Hong Kong. It has a different wine and Champagne selection compared to the open area.

Cocktails featured on the menu in the Centurion Area are curated by renowned mixologist Jim Meehan of Please Don’t Tell, NYC fame which now has a new location in the Mandarin Oriental, HK. The regular lounge too carries Mumm NV Champagne (few other places offer real Champagne in a credit card lounge!), and the signature American Express ‘Blue Door’ cocktail. A separate “secret” Centurion bar menu is often the case.

The right side of the dining area leads to the bathrooms and shower area, there are two shower rooms available stocked with L’Occitane amenities and a rainhead shower.

Lunch and dinner options are served from 11:30am onward. There was a good choice of cold options, with mesclun, artichoke, fruit and kale salads to choose from.

On the hot side, there was good seafood spread, with a baked crab shell stuffed with shrimp, mussels in coconut curry and pasta with shrimp and lobster sauce. Also, on the menu was a beef cheek stew.

For dessert, there were some macarons and fruit cake and Movenpick ice cream!

I got here around 1 pm after spending some time at the The Wing First Lounge which is located at the other end of the terminal near the early gates, I did not try out much here, as I still had plans to head to the Pier lounge and did not want to stuff myself before the flight. But what I did try tasted delicious as one has come to expect form an Amex Centurion lounge.

By the side of the buffet is a drink station with soft drinks and Twinings tea. For those who care, they carry San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna water.

Along another wall is the espresso machine, and by the other side of the bar counter is a pair of juice dispensers and a candy dispenser, probably to quieten up the occasional annoying kid.

Bottom Line

Hong Kong is one of the few Centurion Lounges outside of the United States and design-wise ranks ahead of most other Centurion Lounges. While on the smaller side and fairly crowded during the time I spent here, the great views and the food selection make up for it.

For those who aren’t flying oneworld same day, The Centurion Lounge is a great place to hang around before a long-haul flight, with amenities like a full bar, conference room, shower suites and the renowned American Express Member Services to help with hotel, restaurant and flight reservations etc.

Have you been to the American Express Centurion Lounge? How has been your experience there?

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If you would like to access the American Express Centurion Lounges across the globe, you can do so by signing up for the American Express Platinum Card, which comes with 110,000 Membership Rewards points using this exclusive link. Check the list of American Express Lounges worldwide here.