After establishing itself as one of the most popular American Express Centurion Lounges, the Seattle Tacoma International Airport Centurion Lounge expanded into a brand new location that is three times the size of its old location. With the old lounge being exceptionally compact and over crowded for a premium airport lounge, would the new lounge offer any additional features or space? Read on to see how our in depth experience of the Centurion Lounge Seattle fared.

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This post is one chapter on my trip to the Republic of the Maldives. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and Air Canada’s Aeroplan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Review: The All New American Express Centurion Lounge, Seattle Tacoma International Airport, Washington, USA

American Express has finally upgraded their lounge offering in Seattle Tacoma International Airport. We’ve visited the past American Express Centurion Studio Seattle several times. It was usually a crowded experience.

MrsWT73 got a sneak peak into the new lounge space a few days after it had opened. On this visit, we’d get the opportunity to conduct a full review.

We arrived into Seattle on an Alaska Airlines Vancouver – Seattle flight. While I’ve reviewed that short flight dozens of times before, I won’t be doing so again.

Locating the Lounge:

The American Express Centurion Lounge has relocated from the Seattle – Tacoma “B” Gates concourse. The new lounge access point is now located in the Seattle Tacoma International Airport Main Terminal right across from the TSA security check points and the food court seating.

The all new American Express Centurion Lounge Seattle is a little more difficult to find. Without noticing the American Express branding on the second floor elevator shaft, or with the knowledge that many of the Centurion Lounges are accessed through glass elevators, you’d be hard pressed to know the new Seattle Centurion Lounge is hiding on the second floor of the Main Terminal Concourse.

The new Centurion Lounge location is great for departing Seattle Tacoma International Airport travellers, but it is slightly less convenient for connecting travellers like us.

Visiting the lounge requires accessing the main concourse and if you’re in an outer gate when you arrive, you’ll need to walk or take a SEA Underground Train into the Main Terminal. On the bright side, having the lounge in the Main Terminal makes the lounge accessible to more travellers, since it’s located in a common terminal that’s not dedicated to any one specific carrier.

Accessing the Lounge:

We took the elevator up to the second floor, and arrived to the American Express Centurion Lounge Reception. There was no line when we arrived and we were attended to immediately.

Access to the American Express Centurion Lounge network is granted through an American Express Platinum Card, or a American Express Centurion Card.

Effective February 1, 2023, there have been a few changes to the access policy. Primary Cardholders get free access. The United States Platinum Card and United States Business Platinum Card Members will be charged a $50 USD fee for each guest (or $30 for children aged 2 through 17).

United States Platinum Card and U.S. Business Platinum Card Members will qualify for Complimentary Guest Access for up to two guests per visit after spending $75.000 in eligible purchases on their Platinum Account between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 and in each calendar, year thereafter.

Fortunately, international American Express Platinum Cardholders still get a free guest. As a result, I was able to guest in MrsWT73 without her having to present her own American Express Platinum Card.

American Express has also recently adjusted guest rates for visitors to the lounge. The New Guest Rates For All Paid Guests are as follows:

• Guests aged 18+ are $50 each
• Guests aged 2-17 are $30 each
• Guests below age 2 are free
• Guest rates apply to all paid guests regardless of card type or country of issue.

We had no wait to enter the lounge when we arrived in the early evening at 8 PM. The all new lounge finally offers extended hours and is open to a much more normal 11 PM. This was a vast improvement and a welcome extension from the previous lounge hours that some how got away with closing at 7 PM throughout most of the pandemic years.

Inside The American Express Centurion Lounge:

The all new American Express Centurion Lounge is a massive generational improvement that addresses many of the shortfalls of the past crowded and compact Seattle Centurion Studio Lounge experience.

Bar Service:

Immediately upon entering, the all new American Express Centurion Lounge Seattle you’ll find table and chair along with bar seating located along the right hand side behind the reception. The area, and its bar space are nicely decorated with a high lighting display.

The light colour and seating surfaces will probably not wear as well in a high turnover area. However, it sure looks sharp when it’s new and adds brightness to otherwise dark airport areas.

The bar seating remains popular, with easy access to entertainment through television screens above the full service bar.

Dedicated Centurion Card Holder Seating:

Opposite from the bar and its seating area, there was a reserved seating area for Centurion Card holders. This space represents the closest seating near the front for Centurion Card Holders. The seating space offered Seattle Tacoma Main Terminal Concourse views from on top of the mezzanine.

Moving past the bar and Centurion Lounge seating, I found myself at the Seattle Centurion Lounges’ very first Coffee Bar.

Blue Roast Coffee Bar:

The American Express Centurion Lounge has developed the Blue Roast coffee bar that has been designed for the coffee loving crowd in Seattle. As a city that brought us Starbucks’ Coffee and Seattle’s Best Coffee, it seems appropriate that a flagship lounge in Seattle offer a great coffee concept.

Food Service Buffet Area:

Moving further into the lounge beyond the coffee bar, a long narrow hallway leads to a primary table dining area that happens to be located next to the food service buffet. Along with any American Express Centurion Lounge, the buffet offers a great selection of food with chair and booth seating.

Lounge Seating:

Continuing past the buffet, almost all the traditional lounge seating is located at the very rear of the lounge floor plan. Passing along a short hallway with loungers, a further left turn brings to a longer lounge seating room that offers traditional lounge seating.

The traditional lounge space at the rear of the lounge is large enough that it offers heaps of seating combinations. Between couches, occasional chairs and communal work tables, there is seating for every style of traveler.

The main lounge seating area is split into two separate rooms. The furthest room offers flexible communal seating that is suitable for working, along with a quieter work environment

The main lounge room offered a combination of short lounge chairs, and high back lounge chairs typically found in a Delta Sky Club. While I’m not always a fan of the high back chairs, they do work in high density seating environments.

Most travellers might miss this traditional lounge seating space unless they were really looking for it. You’ll have to navigate through two turns and be well into the depth of the lounge prior to getting to this lounge area.

The traditional lounge seating was completely deserted in the early evening, making this a comfortable and quiet place to pass the time.

By any measure, the all new American Express Centurion Lounge Seattle is a substantial improvement over the past lounge’s limited space constraints.

By offering a much larger footprint, the new lounge remedies the previous weakness of the lack of space found in the old compact lounge. It will also offer a much quicker intake into the lounge, and likely eliminate the queues that were present at the old Centurion Lounge Studio space.

Food and Beverage:

The American Express Centurion Lounge Seattle offered a terrific buffet with a variety of foods. Despite it being a later visit around 8 PM, there was still enough food available to satisfy our taste buds for a later dinner.

Food Hot Buffet:

Tonights dinner menu offered a smoky kale salad, a dirty rice featuring chicken with pork, a roasted sweet potato with coconut lemon grass curry, a simple jasmine rice, and if that wasn’t enough, a blackened chicken cobb salad.

In addition to the main entrees, there were also vegetarian caprese sandwiches, and PM Power Bowls with chicken & quinoa with mint yoghurt and red pickled onion. On top of all that, there were hearty smoothies with rolled oats, banana yoghurts and cinnamon. Clearly, you’re not going to be short food dining at this Centurion Lounge with enough food offered to substitute an actual meal from the terminal.

Full Bar Service:

Over at the full service bar, the lounge offered an excellent selection of interesting cocktails. Today’s offerings had an emphasis on whisky based drinks. I enjoyed a Matcha Tonic with top shelf Botanist Gin, Fever Tree Tonic and Matcha.

Along with an excellent cocktail list, the American Express Centurion Lounge offered a great wine list. Along with five white wines, two sparking wines and five red wines, there was something for everyone on the list.

I enjoyed braised chicken snack as a late dinner and a Matcha Gin & Tonic, prior to getting onto our Alaska Airlines First Class Seattle – San Francisco flight.

In Summary:

The all new American Express Centurion Lounge Seattle is a much more comfortable version of the Centurion Lounge. The all new version offers many more options for seating. It’s larger size will result in less line queuing at the entrance, and it’s visitors will likely be much more content while they pass their time away.

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If you’ve visited the all new American Express Centurion Lounge Seattle, did you enjoy the new surroundings?

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