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Review: American Express Centurion Lounge, George Bush International Airport, Houston, Texas, USA

This review is of the American Express Centurion Lounge in George Bush International Airport Houston. For our experiences at other American Express Centurion Lounges, please see our reviews of the American Express Centurion Lounge Seattle Tacoma International Airport, the American Express Centurion Lounge Las Vegas, the American Express Centurion Lounge Dallas Fort Worth or the American Express Centurion Lounge San Francisco.

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Stepping off the plane into the George Bush International Airport, I ended up in the newer part of the airport at E18. It was only my third time through this particular airport. Either the airport has upped its game or it’s a part of the airport that I wasn’t familiar with. It turns out it was a part of the airport that I had never been to. All in all, a pleasant space and I’d actually wander down to this wing if I had lots of extra time to kill on my next visit through.

Accessing the Lounge:

I found my way over to the D concourse where the American Express Centurion Lounge was located. The entry to it is well hidden and they have sign posted it reasonably well. It’s located immediately behind a duty free store.

I bypassed the attractive elevator under construction and headed down one level to a darker windowless area. Just around the corner was the reception. A friendly agent confirmed that I was on a same day connecting itin as I was just early of the 3 hour window. After those formalities, I was allowed access.

Inside the American Express Centurion Lounge:

It was my first visit to one of the original Centurion Lounges. It had a reasonable seating area similar to the other lounges in the usual attractive colourful styling. It would almost be nicer if the Centurion Lounges actually looked a little more unique and different than one another. The main drawback was the lack of available light in this dungeon area which reminded me of the old United Red Carpet Club in Seattle under the N Satellite Terminal that was a dark and dreary place.

There were the usual small salads and snacks available, but not enough to substitute a meal. The bar had the usual wine varieties, along with the same wines as available in the Seattle Centurion.

While I was seated in the lounge, the hosts made a public address announcement to report that the sole remaining elevator had gotten stuck. The only way out was through a fire door to the public side, meaning that visitors had to re-clear security. It sent a stack of people scurrying to the door, leaving the lounge in quiet isolation. I ended up staying about 50 minutes, and even that wasn’t enough to keep me entertained.

During that time, the airport authority managed to get the elevator working so I headed down to the C concourse to the nearest Priority Pass restaurant. I walked past the international gates where there were a few Star Alliance airframes parked between flights in the Texas sun. I eventually came along to the George Bush statute of the past president of which the airport is named after.

I ended up down at “Landry’s Seafood” near gate C34 for dinner, another Priority Pass restaurant. I wasn’t feeling too fishy at this point so ended up ordering Shrimp Fettucine Alfredo; comfort food to say the least. The Priority Pass restaurant option is a great future. It’s too bad it’s being removed and I hope it will return one day.

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