Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links below. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
On the way home from a recent business trip in Portland, I had a connection at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) with time to visit both the Delta Sky Club® (I had previously reviewed this location here) and The Centurion® Lounge by American Express. I had never been to this location as the previous spot in the airport was outgrown and replaced with this lounge. Before that, it was a Centurion® Studio (which is code for a smaller Centurion® Lounge).
American Express was the first credit card issuer to open a US lounge back in 2013. The concept was novel at the time, but both Capital One (review here) and Chase (review here) have opened their own lounges since with many more locations planned in the future.
Access
An elevator near the food court provides access to the lounge. Access to the Centurion® Lounge is given to customers carrying The Platinum Card® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, The Centurion® Card, the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Card, or the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business Card. Cardholders are entitled to bring two guests (or immediate family with a Centurion® Card) as long as they spend over $75,000 a year on their card. If that threshold is not hit then only the cardholder can enter for free with a fee of $50 per guest ($30 for children ages 2-17) per visit. Unlimited access changes in 2025 with visits being limited based on the card type held.
Anthony’s Take: The Centurion® Lounges have been some of my favorites since they opened. American Express continues to offer a great experience with restaurant-quality food and cocktails, comfortable spaces to work and relax, and other amenities that vary by location. The new Seattle location is now one of my favorites. I loved how open the space was and the amenities offered (including a made-to-order coffee bar). The lounge overlooks the food court and has an airy feeling with lots of natural light and without closed-in walls.
Bar
When entering the lounge, you’ll find the bar on the right and before the buffet. Unlike most airline lounges, all alcohol here is complimentary. This includes premium spirits and wines. American Express even has cocktail menus that vary by location.
Iced Tea and Blood Orange Fresca were found at the end of the buffet.
A station with a coffee machine, drip coffee, water, and condiments was across from the buffet.
Green juice shots were also on the buffet.
One unique feature of the Seattle lounge is the inclusion of a Blue Roast coffee bar with curated small bites and barista-prepared cafe drinks and smoothies.
You can order any of these items at no charge.
Small bites can also be ordered here.
Food
The menus don’t change very often, but the food is consistently tasty and high quality. There are multiple hot dishes, salads, soup, and a few desserts on offer. While I was there, the staff changed between meals so it was a mixture of breakfast and lunch.
Penne Pasta
Roasted Beets
Charred Broccoli and Cauliflower
Roasted Winter Root Vegetables
Curry Fried Rice
Trinidadian Chicken
Salad ingredients
Pasta Salad and Carrot Slaw
Pasta e Ceci Soup
Chicken and Orzo Soup
Chocolate Croissant
Apple Pie Tarts
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Seating & Decor
The lounge was not crowded during my visit and there was plenty of seating in all sorts of configurations for working, socializing, and lounging. As mentioned above, the space has tons of natural light throughout.
I loved looking out at the planes while working.
The area near the bar had tons of tables for dining. Some were reserved for Centurion® cardholders.
The space along the wall across from the buffet also provided a good amount of seats.
More seating areas were found past the buffet.
This included one spot with a conference table and several pods for individual guests.
A phone booth was also nearby.
Displays like this one are signatures of the The Centurion® Lounge by American Express.
This art depicts Seattle.
More seating nearby (with a photo of Bing Crosby).
Amenities
The Centurion® Lounge by American Express at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) features a shower suite, free Wi-Fi, all of the food and beverages listed above (including the Blue Roast coffee bar, and a private room that could be reserved. I snapped a quick photo and an attendant chased me out. I tried to get more information, but was only told that it’s private. The shower suite was occupied during my entire visit.
Overall Impression:
This is now one of my favorite Centurion® Lounges. The food and drinks were great and it was not overly crowded. The natural light is a welcome change to other lounges (like the basement-feeling Centurion® Lounge at LAX).
Anthony’s Credit Card Pick: I love the lounges where The Platinum Card® from American Express grants me access. It has had a prominent place in my wallet for many years now. While it does have an annual fee of $695, it provides many travel benefits and will always be my go-to for lounge access (both Delta Sky Clubs® and Centurion® Lounges) and booking airfare from the airlines to earn 5x points (up to $500,000 per calendar year booked directly with passenger airlines or through American Express Travel). Learn more. Rates & Fees. Terms apply.
All information about The Centurion® Card has been collected independently by The Bulkhead Seat.
User Generated Content Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
2 comments
Um, your photo of Frank Sinatra is Bing Crosby. Sinatra didn’t smoke a pipe, which was Crosby’s signature prop.
You’re correct. Fixed. Thanks!