American Express Centurion Lounge — Attraction in Denver

I have been to this lounge many times, and it has the same rules as any other centurion lounge. This lounge opens at 5am. And if you want to make the most of your time, start lining up anywhere from 30 minutes for 15 minutes before as there is always a line. If you are coming mid morning, check the app, as you may have to wait on the waitlist before coming in as it is at capacity, or they are just managing the inflow of people. We have had to be on the waitlist a couple of times and luckily it hasn’t been more than 20 minutes for us, but I have heard of people waiting more than an hour on the waitlist. So when you are on the train over, check the app and it will tell you if you need to join the waitlist. If not, when you arrive there is a person at the bottom of the escalator telling people how to join the waitlist and confirming those who have been called back. The people checking me in are always nice and welcome me back. They provide the wifi password for you. It is located in the C terminal. So if you have a southwest airlines flight, this is your terminal. All other airlines you will have to take the train to and from the C terminal for the lounge so allot yourself some extra time if you are flying United or something in the B terminal or A terminal. The bar does not open until 7am and the hot breakfast does not come out until 8am. Therefore in the morning you just have continental style breakfast items such as oatmeal, yogurt, and fruit. Your drink options are coffee machines, tea, or water. You can get juice from the bar. There is also a chai latte dispenser on the other side of the lounge from entering. At 7am when the bar opens until 10:30am it is only breakfast cocktails, beer, or mimosas (again, centurion lounge wide rule). So if you want vodka, you need to add a splash of orange juice or cranberry juice. If you want prosecco, you have to add a splash of orange juice. You can also get bloody mary’s, and can have beer though. You can also get cold brew coffee at the bar. You can get it with a shot of baileys in it as well, or you can just ask for a shot of baileys for your hot coffee (which you get yourself at the machine). Everything else you have to wait until 10:30am. Another rule that many people do not know is the bar is one drink per ID per person at a time. So one person can order for 2 people if they have both of the ID’s. Otherwise you order one drink at a time and everyone has to show their ID regardless of age (another centurion wide rule). So if you go up to the bar with your ID ready and know what menu they are serving at the time, you are already a pro. After 10:30am it is a regular bar and everything is fair game. It is an open bar, but some people choose to tip as well. Once 8am hits, the hot food comes out such as scrambled eggs, the omelet station made to order, biscuits and gravy, potatoes, and sausage, in addition to the other continental breakfast items still out. At 11am they start the lunch food, and they have a quesadilla station made to order. There is also another smaller bar with a huge beer selection around to the other side of the lounge towards the corner too, so check that one out as it normally has shorter lines and a larger beer selection. However the main bar has two bartenders, each with their own line (2 lines) so they can serve people quick as well. The bartenders are always very friendly, and have to constantly remind people of the ID rule, no matter your age. The bathrooms are large and clean. They also sometimes have a snack mix of some kind somewhere throughout the lounge and they sometimes have Ziploc bags for you to take some snack to go as well, so keep an eye out for that. Overall we try to arrive to the airport early for our flights to have some time here...

Wait times are ridiculous. We walked up to the booth and checked in our family of 4. Several people who checked in after us were let in within minutes. We just felt like we were delayed due to the fact we had small children with us. And if you read other reviews, there seems to be some discrimination going on here as other have stated the same. We eventually ask why are people are checking in after us and passing us in line, then they finally let is in. We get inside and there are plenty of tables and seats open. I walk by the shower room and notice the door is wide open and decide to go in and change clothes as other lounges are "first come first serve". Janitors see me walk in, as I noticed them as well. Then within a minute or so, they bang on the door and unlock it. I rush to the door and immediately lock it back while loudly saying "Occupied". They proceed to unlock it again, as as I am half-dressed/exposed and noticed that others can see me. Quite embarrassing. So, I put my foot at the base of the door and finish dressing. Then ask why they did that. They procced to tell me, in broken english, it has to be cleaned first, then i could not understand the rest. No apologies, nothing while acting like security. etc. None of them apologized for forcing themselves into the shower room. There was a language barrier, but I understood enough. So, i go get the manager to ask how they have the right to unlock the door with someone in there. He took their side and they probably didn't know I was in there. I explained they saw me walk in. Then said there is a sign on the door that says "see staff" and i have to make an appointment first. Not in a sincere tone, or with any compassion due to my confusion. No apology, or prefessionalism even after I said I did not notice the sign when I entered due to the angle of the door. Sign or No sign, you do not unlock a locked door, twice, after seeing someone go into a shower or bathroom. And how do they know or not know if i had permission to go in? He (the manager) also said the door closes and locks automatically and that is why they kept unlocking it. Which it does not, as it was wide open and unlocked. I ask him to come follow me and show me that is the case. We walk over to the shower room and I proceed into the bathroom. Instead of letting me show him what happens, he states "No! Im not doing this!" Well, what do you know he pulls the door closed ( notoce he jad to PULL the door to close it, because it doesn't close, then it didn't lock automatically. Hmmm. But instead of apologizing, he makes me feel like and idiot and embarrasses me in front of the janitorial staff. So, i go speak with Elizabeth Luyties ( head manager) and she was very professional and courteous. She apologized and asked explained how things normally work at this lounge in a very soft and serving demeanor. She asked if there was anything she could do to help after I explained the situation. It would have been totally different if the 1st manager would have just apologized and explained in a calm manner how things work, like Elizabeth did, and had a sincere serving attitude. But he acted like a bouncer at a club and I was some drunk problem that needed to be put in their place. With all that said, just be sure to read all these reviews before you decide to go to the lounge and set your expectations accordingly. If i was the the extreme type of person, this could be a lawsuit waiting to happen. But hopefully Elizabeth will manage her staff properly, they will learn and adjust to this mishap, and give some grace to future customers who have never been in this...

As a longtime American Express cardholder and frequent traveler who has visited many Centurion Lounges, I can confidently say that the Denver location is a complete embarrassment to the brand.

From the moment we arrived, the experience was a disaster. We were quoted a 30-minute wait time to enter but ended up waiting nearly 50 minutes. Once we made it up the escalator, there was another line of about 20 people waiting to check in. Despite there being four check-in stations, only one was staffed, with a single employee doing her best to manage the crowd. Meanwhile, the manager stood behind her, doing absolutely nothing to assist—no directing the line, no opening another station, no helping the visibly overwhelmed staff. His presence was completely useless and set the tone for the incompetence we experienced throughout.

Once we finally got inside, it was clear the lounge was wildly overcrowded. There wasn’t a single seat available, forcing us to circle the space multiple times before finding somewhere to sit. Adding to the chaos, the bathroom line extended into the seating area, creating a completely unwelcoming atmosphere. This was particularly frustrating considering we had spent an additional $100 to bring in two guests for what we thought would be a premium experience.

The worst part of our visit, however, was how appallingly my friend—who was celebrating his 40th birthday—was treated. When he went to the bar for a celebratory beer, the bartender refused to serve him because his ID had expired that day. While this might technically follow policy, the enforcement was unnecessarily aggressive. His wife ordered a beer, but the bartender and manager began monitoring their table like hawks to ensure he wasn’t drinking her beer.

The manager’s behavior went from indifferent to outright hostile. While I was checking out the food situation (which was good but had limited options), he came over to our table, took my friend’s wife’s beer, and informed them that they were banned from drinking. This wasn’t just petty—it was humiliating and entirely uncalled for. Meanwhile, this same manager continued to stroll aimlessly around the lounge, ignoring staff who clearly needed support and doing nothing to improve the guest experience.

This lounge is an absolute disgrace. Between the disorganized check-in process, lack of seating, subpar amenities, and the unprofessional, power-tripping manager, this was one of the worst travel experiences I’ve ever had.

American Express should be ashamed to have its name associated with this disaster of a lounge. I will actively avoid the Denver Centurion Lounge in the future and recommend others...