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First look: Centurion Lounge at SFO [photos]

Centurion Lounge

SFO’s new American Express Centurion Lounge is located on the far west end of Terminal 3, behind security (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The new American Express Centurion Lounge at San Francisco International Airport’s Terminal 3 opens on Thursday, November 6.

It joins three other Centurion lounges at New York LaGuardia, Dallas Ft Worth and Las Vegas McCarran airports.  A spokesperson told TravelSkills that the next Centurion Lounge will open at Miami International in the first half of 2015. She also said that Amex is working on securing space at several other airports.

The SFO Centurion Lounge is located in Terminal 3 (United) behind security. This means that it is easily accessible for travelers in Terminal 3 or the International Terminal Boarding Area G. But it is going to be inconvenient for passengers flying in or out of the airport’s other terminals because getting there requires an extra trip through the T3 security gauntlet. At SFO, Terminal 3 is not connected on the airside to Terminal 2 (American, Virgin America) or Terminal 1 (Delta, US Airways, Southwest).

American Express invited TravelSkills in for a sneak-peek at the lounge which included a sit down dinner prepared by Chef Christopher Kostow, who will oversee the lounge’s full kitchen. The menu items he prepared for this special meal were similar to those that will be on offer at the lounge. (see photos below.) All Centurion lounges offer a full hot buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner. SEE MENU

What’s unique about the San Francisco lounge is its wine wall. Members get a paper chit with a bar code when they check in. This chit entitles them to five small pours of wine from an automated dispenser (See photos below.) Wave the chit under a reader, push a button, and get your pour. Very cool! There’s also a full complimentary bar stocked with call brand booze and beer. There’s a single shower, a quiet nook with chaise lounges for napping, a small business center that pays homage to Bay Arean Steve Jobs and a big bright & colorful living room space. Thankfully, there’s a glassed in “family room” for kids.

And before we get started with photos, here’s a link that explains who gets in Centurion lounges. (It’s free for Amex Platinum and Centurion card holders only- this does not include Delta/Amex Platinum card holders. Anyone else with any type of Amex Card gets in for $50.) See the screen grab at the bottom of this post for more details.

Free Rides to SFO! To celebrate the opening of The Centurion Lounge at SFO, American Express is working with Uber to give Amex card holders a complimentary Black Car ride to the airport. On November 6 Amex cardhholders who have any Amex card as their selected method of payment can enter the promo code CENTURIONSFO in the Uber app to receive a complimentary Black Car ride from San Francisco to SFO.

Now let’s take a look! Leave your comments below, please… 

Extra Bonus! Here’s an easy way to top off your Chase Ultimate Rewards balance with 20,000 points!

Centurion Lounge

All Centurion Lounges sport a “living wall” (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

Centurion Lounge

Check in here to enter. Only Platinum and Centurion cardmembers get in free. All others pay $50 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

Centurion Lounge

A big bright “living room: area with windows that overlook Terminal 3. Sorry, no views out to runways. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

Centurion Lounge

The SFO lounge’s most distinguishing feature is this wine wall. Each member gets 5 free pours (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

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Wave this chit under a reader and then choose your pour. Very cool! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

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Wine expert Anthony Giglio shows how to pick your pour. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

Centurion Lounge

An all Mac business center pays homage to Steve Jobs. Nice touch! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

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The glassed in family room for kiddies (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 Extra Bonus! Here’s an easy way to top off your Chase Ultimate Rewards balance with 20,000 points!

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A full kitchen staffed by chefs serving hot meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

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Eat your hot meal or sip on your wine here. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

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Full bar with plenty of nice call brands and beer (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

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A nook for napping (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

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Plenty of color pops…and room to sit down (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Centurion Lounge

Looking down from the lounge which is located on the mezzanine level– accessible by this staircase or a glass elevator. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

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A nice sit down dinner for special guests included menu items likely to be served (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

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“Slow roasted pork shoulder apple lees vinegar” paired nicely with a big fat Somerston Estate red blend from Napa (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

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Chestnut pudding with roasted chocolate for dessert (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

 

Centurion Lounge

–Chris McGinnis

Extra Bonus! Here’s an easy way to top off your Chase Ultimate Rewards balance with 20,000 points!

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Comments

  1. I almost spend a whole day in this lounge. I agree, the lounge is a bit small! It does get very busy. The food is ok, but not great. I understand that it is an airport lounge, however the hipe that was made prior to opening with 3 star michelin chef, made me hope for a little more. However, the bar and the wine selections are excellent!! Overal I would give it a 3 1/2 star out 5.

  2. Good feedback! Thanks! I noticed that the lounge was very crowded in Las Vegas, too. I agree about the coffee… seems strange… but rules are rules, I s’pose. –Chris

  3. First visit to the new SFO Centurion Lounge today. The upsides were the food and wine quality (certainly a plus compared to the United Club). But there were some unpleasant surprises, too. First, the lounge is surprisingly small, and as a result, it was more crowded feeling and chaotic than the terminal. Second, they refuse to provide any to-go cups for coffee. They claimed that it was an airport requirement that airline and credit card clubs don’t allow any food/bev to exit the club to avoid competing with terminal food operators, but this clearly isn’t true since the airline clubs do allow coffee to be carried out. I know this is a small issue, and I understand that they don’t want folks boxing up food to carry out onto planes, but to disallow a cup of coffee to be carried out of the club onto a plane is ridiculous!

  5. “But it is going to be inconvenient for passengers flying in or out of
    the airport’s other terminals because getting there requires an extra
    trip through the T3 security gauntlet.”

    I thought you can’t get through security if your flight isn’t leaving from that terminal. Basically if I’m flying Delta, I wouldn’t be able to skip over to Terminal 3 and go through security there just to try the lounge?

  6. I travel ~50K miles a year, and have a Platinum card, so I’m not sure what your “exclusivity” point is.

    Its annual fee is $450, but there’s an annual $200 airline credit which effectively reduces the fee to $250. Plus there are benefits like free Global Entry ($100), free SPG Gold, and a few other things which make it much more reasonable in practice. I’d also peg the meal at a Centurion Lounge to easily be worth $20, it’s really high-class food with free premium drinks, so if you use it a bunch of times you’re getting close to the card paying for itself.

    No, it’s not cheap, but it’s also not as ridiculous as you put it. Note that the Preferred Rewards Gold that you mention will give you access to the lounge with a day-of-use fee, and it has other benefits over the Platinum (mostly, better points earning).

  9. Hey SJ: The Platinum Card is $450 per year and offers several other perks in addition to Centurion Club that make sense for frequent travelers. And don’t forget that if you don’t want the plat card, you can enter w your Gold Amex but pay $50 fee

  11. I have several hours to kill waiting on a red-eye back East in December, so it may be worth a trip from Terminal 2 to check out the new lounge. Thanks for sharing!

  12. Oh boy, that is what we all need, another very exclusive place in which none of us qualify to get into.
    I pay $200 a year for a Gold American Express card which I am now trying to realize the difference between that and a Green Amex which is much cheaper.

    I have been offered a platinum card but it’s like $750 a year, something that just can’t be justified to get perks like going into the Centurion Club the twice a year I visit SFO.

    Again another item for the rich or well traveled guy that is a very expensive perk that is hard to justify. Maybe one day they will have a nice club for the average, middle class guy that only travels 50,000 miles a year???

  13. $50 for a day pass is pretty standard at most lounges. Plus it looks like there is decent food included too. I’m looking forward to my next trip through SFO.

    If I’m traveling with my 12-year old son, do I pay $50 for him too?

  15. I’ve used the landside connector several times.. Hoping for an airside connector one of these days! 🙂

  16. You can still access it, you just have to exit and go through security again. Given PreCheck lines in T2 are very short and there’s a landside connector that takes just a few minutes, I think it just might be manageable if not super-convenient.

    More specifically: looks like it’s near gates 74-75, very close to the International Terminal, so it’s “on the way” from the BART station if you walk. If I had to guess, from there to T2 security is ~10 minutes of walking, and PreCheck in my experience has been 5 minutes.

    I’m flying AA in December, I will likely go to the airport a bit earlier to check this out and grab some food. 🙂

    Chris: do you know of any future plans for an airside connector between T3 and T2? I’m aware of the T2-T1…

  17. Looks great! Hopefully they open a connector to T2 so those of us on AA can access the lounge.

  18. Yep… from T&Cs: “Platinum Card Members may bring immediate family (spouse or domestic partner and their children under 18) OR up to two (2) companions into The Centurion Lounge.”

  21. LOL P! There’s a full bar with booze beer and wine so you can get your fill when the fog rolls in. Bearded guy was a photographer set up to take gifs for attendees to post on social media. 🙂 — chris

  22. Nice report. 2 questions:
    1) What happens when you need more than 5 glasses of wine, when, you know, it’s fogged in?
    2) Is the bearded guy a staple in the family room?

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