American Airlines rolls out sleek new Admirals Club lounge at Denver
American Airlines is making its mark at Denver International Airport (DEN).
The Fort Worth-based carrier debuted its new Admirals Club there on Wednesday, making it the third lounge to follow American's new design concept seen at airports serving Newark and Washington, D.C.
The new lounge is 6,000 square feet and has 114 seats.
Though Denver is not a hub for American, the city is an important one for the airline, according to a senior manager at American. The senior manager added that American receives significant footfall in its lounge at Denver International Airport — the world's third-busiest airport in 2022.
The new lounge is also part of American's sweeping project to revamp its lounges at airports across the country.
How to get in: The ultimate guide to American Airlines Admirals Club access
Location, hours and access
The Admirals Club lounge is on the upper mezzanine of Denver's Terminal C, between gates 30 and 32, and is open daily from 4:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
American previously had an Admirals Club lounge in Denver's Terminal A but has since moved operations to Terminal C, meaning customers had to take the airport's shuttle to trek between terminals if they wanted to spend time in a lounge before a flight.
With the new lounge in Terminal C, flyers will now have access to a lounge that's closer to the gates.
Passengers have quite a few ways to access the lounge, whether through elite status or an eligible credit card. Check out this guide for more about accessing American Airlines Admirals Club lounges.
A continuation of themes from Newark and DC
The new Denver lounge features many similarities to American's new lounge aesthetic that the carrier debuted at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and later at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). However, the Denver location also includes some local touches.
The Denver lounge features sleek furniture similar to that in the Newark and D.C. lounges. The Denver lounge also has the same style of industrial metal beams adorning the Living Room Pavillion as in the Newark lounge.
American continued the same fireplace motif in Denver, giving the space a cozier and homier ambience.
The Denver Admirals Club also took cues from Newark's cherry blossoms, modified with a local touch to include a set of Aspen trees on the walls as you enter the restrooms.
American aimed to make passengers walking through the new lounge feel "a sense of discovery" with the layout, separating the dining and lounging areas, according to the senior manager at American.
The lounge also contains a few local homages to Denver and Colorado. For example, the ceiling of the living room pavilion is painted black with stars dotting the area, resembling a starry night sky.
The carpets of the living room area feature a blue and gray ridged pattern, a tribute to the Rocky Mountains.
Art of the Rocky Mountains and the Eastern Plains hang in the dining area. From there, guests have a clear view of the airfield to see planes take off while grabbing a quick bite.
Chipotle chicken tacos and black bean sliders
The Denver Admirals Club includes a full-service bar that features a selection of wine, beer and cocktails, along with a small buffet that changes throughout the day. Like Newark, menu items at the Denver lounge play off the local cuisine of the Mile High City.
During my visit, I was able to get a sampling of the lounge's all-day offerings and a cocktail — all of which were delicious. I tried the Colorado Bulldog, a cocktail made with vodka, coffee liqueur, cream and cola. It was smooth yet didn't feel heavy with the cream.
American has long struggled with its food offerings in its lounges. However, it has significantly stepped up its dish selection with each of these new lounges.
Raphael Girardoni, American's managing director of customer experience, product and design, said the carrier plans to bring the same level of quality to its food offerings across all its lounges by 2024.
In each of these lounges, Girardoni said American will curate regionally inspired menus with locally sourced ingredients.
"Our new food options give customers the ability to choose from a wide range of options," Girardoni said. "We want to always make sure that we have healthy and nourishing items available, but also more indulgent in filling items."
Besides an assortment of salads and charcuterie, the Denver Admirals Club lounge also offers black bean hummus, a locally prepared salsa, chipotle chicken tacos and black bean sliders — all of which I found to be packed with flavor.
For dessert, American's menu in Denver had macarons, snickerdoodle cookies and rocky road brownies. The rocky road brownies were the highlight of the desserts, with pillowy marshmallows drenched in chocolate sitting atop the brownies that had a fudge-like consistency.
A communal feel
Perhaps the only con of American's new Admirals Club lounge in Denver is its lack of private space, which can be a disadvantage for any flyers who may need to take work meetings or phone calls from the lounge.
There is a set of seats at the back of the living room area with partial dividers, but they don't afford much privacy. The dining area also has booths, which allow for some seclusion, but most of the seating within the lounge is open.
Despite the lack of privacy, the lounge provides plenty of seating. Each seat contains USB ports and outlets on both sides, making them easy to find.
Bottom line
American's Admirals Club lounge in Denver is a stunning new addition and one that continues to set a high bar for the carrier. Like the Newark and D.C. lounges, the Denver lounge is a cozy and comfortable place to unwind or catch up on work before a flight.
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The food is also delicious and is perhaps some of American's best lounge offerings — the food and cocktails at Denver even trumped those at Newark.
Given its streak of success in D.C., Newark and now Denver, we're excited to see where American takes its new lounge concept next.
Related reading:
- Your ultimate guide to American Airlines AAdvantage
- Best credit cards for American Airlines flyers
- What is American Airlines elite status worth?
- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
- The best credit cards to reach elite status
- Everything you need to know about flying basic economy on American Airlines
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