The American Express Centurion Lounge in Philadelphia Airport is a very welcome addition to what is an underwhelming selection of lounges that we had access to (Minute Suites and Delta Sky Club PHL were the two others).
We were very excited to go to Philadelphia – not just to walk around this historic city and see the sites, but also to see the relatively new American Express Centurion Lounge PHL at Philadelphia International Airport.
Here’s our Philadelphia Centurion Lounge Review.
Philadelphia Centurion Lounge Location
The Centurion Lounge PHL is located in the A terminal airside, near Gate A14. It’s not difficult to find at all, as it really stands out in the terminal.
You’ll locate it fairly easily.
Checking in
In order to access any American Express Centurion Lounge, you have to either have an Amex Platinum Card or be a Centurion Member.
The good news is that each person who gets access to the lounge is able to bring up to two guests with him or her.
The best part about this policy, in our opinion, is that the Centurion Lounge is much less crowded than, say, a Priority Pass lounge or even a Delta Sky Club lounge with their more liberal entrance policies.
Sky Clubs may be restricted and not allow guests, but a lot of people can access them.
And Priority Pass lounges allow multiple guests in many instances.
Once we entered the Lounge, two smiling women greeted us at the check-in desk. The first thing you notice is that they actually seem to be proud to work here and certainly enjoy it.
They were excited to tell us about this newer lounge, what we could do here, and what was available.
It was a very inviting experience from the get-go. Check-in took just a couple of minutes or less.
Halef gave them his Amex Platinum card, told them I was his guest, and we were in.
Note on accessibility. If you’re using a wheelchair or a scooter, you won’t have any issues with the Centurion Lounge in Philadelphia.
There is plenty of space to maneuver and the restrooms are accessible.
PHL Centurion Lounge layout
This is not a large lounge. Even though I knew it was only going to be around 6,500 square feet (600 square meters), it seemed a bit smaller than I expected.
But that was OK. It still felt larger than other lounges because of the number of people who were here.
There is plenty of seating space for guests, either in front of the bar area or in a more secluded lounge area behind the bar.
The room behind the bar has a variety of seating – from a board room-style table to high private chairs, and even a good-sized separate room where you can take a private phone meeting if you need to.
The lounge was very tastefully appointed. And that seems to be one of the main things that sets Amex lounges apart from the other lounges at PHL.
They just get everything right.
Everything is very detailed in its design.
Food and drinks
One of the other things that sets this lounge apart is the quality of the food. While we personally don’t have too much of a problem with eating regular lounge food, this was different.
Everything here is the product of Michael Solomonov, The Centurion Lounge Executive Chef. Solomonov is a James Beard Award winning Israeli chef who is quite well-known in Philadelphia.
You can find out more about Michael Solomonov right here.
Food
Solomonov’s creations were quite delicious. During our visit, the menu included:
- Moroccan stew
- Lamb & Beet meatballs
- Charred Eggplant and Tomatoes
- White Beans and Red Peppers
- Rice Pilaf
All except the meatballs (and possibly the stew) were vegetarian.
The highlight for both me and Halef though was dessert – specifically the Passionfruit Malabi.
It is incredible.
I had one of these. I think Halef had two (possibly 3)! The tartness of the passionfruit combined with the custard base was simply delicious and left you wanting more.
It’s the kind of thing that, were it self-serve from a giant bowl, you’d look around to make sure no one was looking and help yourself to a huge portion!
There were also plenty of salads and other things for people who wanted a lighter meal.
Other desserts included cookies and squares (I recommend the gooey soft chocolate chips cookies!)
It was definitely the best food I have eaten at a lounge and the staff kept it replenished through our several hour visit.
Great job by Michael Solomonov!
The bar
At a normal airport lounge, you can expect either a full- or self-serve bar with free and premium options. If you want a vodka soda, it’s free, unless you order a high end vodka.
Unlike many airline lounges, there is no “You can have basic alcohol, but you pay for premium here.”
Not so at American Express Centurion Lounges. All of the beers, wines, and spirits are free. If you want one of the special drinks from the menu, no worries. Consider it done.
These drinks were developed by one of the nation’s top mixologists, Jim Meehan.
The bar’s specialty drink list is created for Philadelphia only. So if you’ve already been to an Amex Centurion Lounge elsewhere, expect an entirely different list of specialty drinks here.
On tap, the Centurion Lounge PHL has a couple of local beers, including a nice IPA, which I appreciated.
Tipping: It’s pretty much standard around the United States to tip $1 a drink. So be prepared to bring some $1 bills with you.
Hot beverage station
The Centurion Lounge PHL has a high-end coffee machine that can prepare just about any hot coffee beverage you like. Espresso, macchiato, cappuccino, lattes, and more.
And the coffee is very good.
I rarely drink more than one coffee a day, but I found myself coming back here a few times during our stay.
I’m not a huge tea drinker myself, but they appear to have a large selection of teas, so they probably have most of the teas anyone would ever want.
The staff is awesome
One thing you will notice immediately here is how friendly everyone is. At the bar, they’ll learn and remember your name and what you drink. They’ll always smile.
Their objective is 100% service, which is a good thing to point out in our PHL Centurion Lounge Review.
Amenities at Centurion Lounge PHL
Restrooms
The restrooms (at least the men’s) here are very nicely designed and there is an attendant that cleans them often. But they are also small.
That would only be a problem if the lounge was packed, which it is not. There is a baby changing station inside the men’s restroom.
Wi-Fi
Password protected and very fast for the Centurion Lounge in Philadelphia Airport.
I was not disappointed at all.
Showers
There is a shower here, but it was not yet open (as of January 2017). I expect they’ll open it soon.
Phone room
There is a private room you can use if you need privacy during a business call, etc.
Business Amenities
Other than the phone room, we didn’t see any business amenities like printers and copiers.
However, we’ve been told they do exist!
The Philadelphia Centurion Lounge hours is 5 AM – 9 PM daily.
American Express Centurion Lounge Reviews
We’ve visited a few other Amex Centurion Lounges around the United States and the world. Overall, it is a great system of airport business lounges.
Here are some other reviews:
- Mexico City Centurion Club
- Miami Centurion Lounge
- San Francisco Centurion Lounge
- Seattle Centurion Lounge
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Michael is originally from Canada but now resides in Atlanta, GA with his husband, Halef, who also writes here. He is a Couchsurfing expert. Michael has traveled to over 50 countries learning how to experience more for less as he travels.
Minute Suites at Philadelphia Airport Review – Priority Pass Room
In July we flew Z RH’PHL – RSW. We were very happy at the Layover at PHL as we were going to finally experience the PHL centaurion Lounge. We were extremely disappointed; small area highly overcrowded to the extent that we had to look for quite a while for two seats together. The food which were were reading so much about, was actually below mediocre. Being from the Middle East I was used to the type of food that was offerd, however they were way below par. Highly disappointed, over crowded and noisy and the only saving grace was the wonderful staff. Never again.
Sorry to hear that, Daniel. I understand what you mean about the amount of space. Our experience was quite different than yours. We enjoyed it. But not as much as we hoped from a Centurion lounge.