Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to visit the new American Express Centurion Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). The lounge is the first Asian iteration of Amex's popular Centurion Lounge network, and overall, it's very impressive.
The lounge, located in HKG's Terminal 1, first opened on October 2. It sits on the upper level of the terminal, accessed via an escalator near Gate 60, right near the United Club in the terminal.
In total, the lounge is 8,000 square feet, which makes it feel pretty spacious. As a point of comparison, the lounge at Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) is 9,000 square feet, which will soon be expanding to 12,000 square feet. The smallest domestic Centurion Lounge is Seattle's, at just about 4,500 square feet after its expansion.
Like any other Centurion Lounge, you can enter this HKG location if you're a cardholder of the Platinum Card® from American Express, the Business Platinum Card® from American Express, the Corporate Platinum Card or the Centurion Card. Unique to this lounge is a dedicated room for Centurion Members, which is only accessible by them and their guests. As a Centurion Member, I went inside... and I want to take you with me. Below is a video tour from my Facebook Live. (If you're only interested in the tour of the Centurion area, skip ahead to around the 5:20-minute mark.)
Once inside the main lounge, Centurion Members can get access to the exclusive area of the open-air lounge. One of the complaints with many Centurion Lounges is that they can often experience overcrowding. So as a Centurion Member, I'm happy to know that I'll always have a place to go that'll be quiet and comfortable.
In this part of the lounge, you can expect to find even more amenities than there are in the regular lounge (yes, it's possible!). There's a complimentary à la carte menu designed by Michelin-star chef Lau Yiu Fai of Yan Toh Heen at the InterContinental Hong Kong. Everything I tried was delicious. The main part of the lounge also offers buffet-style options with both locally inspired Asian dishes like a dim sum breakfast, as well as Western classics like gnocchi Pomodoro.
There's also a more premium wine and Champagne selection, which, of course, is also complimentary. Drink options for both sections feature custom cocktails created by renowned mixologist Jim Meehan and wine selections picked by Anthony Giglio. All of the cocktails I tried were phenomenal.
Overall, the lounge is a great way to escape the hectic nature of the terminal. Even though HKG (and the Centurion Lounge) are open concept, I wasn't bothered at all by the noise from downstairs — and I was there during the evening rush.
Even if you're not a Centurion Member, the Lounge itself is a great option, as it comes with all of the great amenities and services you know and love from the other Centurion Lounges. Such as a full premium bar, working spaces including a private phone room and conference room, a private shower suite that's outfitted with L'Occitane amenities and an on-site American Express Member Services representative to help you with your travel needs like booking restaurant reservations, booking a car or even helping you find lost luggage.
If you're in HKG, I highly recommend checking out the Centurion Lounge — especially if you're a Centurion Member. The lounge is a great place to kick back and relax before a long-haul (or short-haul) flight. Now that American Express changed its entrance policy, you'll need to be a cardholder of either of the Platinum cards or the Centurion Card in order to get access. And don't forget, there's one more lounge launching soon; Philadelphia is opening this month.
