Review of AmEx Centurion Lounge at Ronald Reagan Airport

Afar partners with CreditCards.com and may receive a commission from card issuers. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Compensation may impact how an offer is presented. Our coverage is independent and objective and has not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are entirely those of the Afar editorial team.

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.

American Express this week inaugurated its 29th Centurion Lounge, situated within Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). This impressive new location spans nearly 12,000 square feet, offering travelers ample space to eat, drink, work, relax, and explore. Its contemporary design aligns with other recent Centurion Lounges, such as the one in Atlanta, and rivals the innovative spaces created by Capital One and Chase, which are also enhancing airport experiences for today’s credit card loyalists.

The Centurion Lounge at DCA is now open Sunday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET and on Saturdays from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET. It is in a repurposed outdoor seating area off the main departure hall in Terminal 2 near the B Gates (which serve Delta flights). After a four-year transformation, the space gleams like a jewel box, with glass walls offering views of the terminal, the Potomac River, and the airfield. The lounge features a variety of seating areas designed primarily for solo travelers seeking privacy. It includes a spacious dining area with bar seating, as well as numerous stylish nooks for working, with artisan cocktails in hand. Exceptional food is a hallmark of the DCA lounge, with celebrity chefs from other Centurion locations—chef Michelle Bernstein from Miami, chef Ravi Kapur from San Francisco, and chef Michael Solomonov from Philadelphia—curating a sumptuous buffet menu.

Terminal 2 passengers can access the lounge from Gates B, C, D, and E, serving airlines such as American, Alaska, Delta, JetBlue, and United. However, passengers departing from Terminal 1, Gate A, which services Air Canada, Frontier, and Southwest, do not have access.

This week I had the opportunity to preview AmEx’s latest lounge, I’m already planning to arrive early for my next flight from DCA to spend some extra time here. Here’s what you need to know about the new Centurion Lounge at DCA, including how to gain entry.

Food, glorious food

“We all travel for food nowadays, so it was very important for us to bring a strong food component to our newest lounge,” says Audrey Hendley, president of American Express Travel. Different from other Centurion Lounges, which place a sole local chef at the helm, the DCA lounge combines the talents of three celebrity chefs from other outposts to create an eclectic, ever-changing spread. Combining forces—and talents—are Chefs Michelle Bernstein, Ravi Kapur, and Michael Solomonov—who craft the menus at Centurion Lounges in Miami, San Francisco, and Philadelphia, respectively. The result: a foodie-forward celebration of Israeli, Hawaiian, and Latin flavors that reflects the cultural melting pot that is Washington, D.C. Menu highlights from Summer 2024 include shabazi-spiced salmon with pomegranate BBQ sauce; tamari-honey–glazed tofu and pineapple; and cherry malabi for dessert. Thankfully, the lounge provides large dinner plates versus the small side plates all too common in lounges, so you won’t need to stack your plate a half-foot high. However, once you try the cuisine, you’ll likely go back for seconds.

Craft cocktails and local wine

As with all Centurion Lounge outposts, noted mixologist Jim Meehan has engineered cocktails specifically with D.C. in mind, the most exciting of which is the Haku Hanami, honoring both D.C.’s iconic cherry blossoms and the city’s Japanese diaspora. This slick martini features cherry blossom–infused Haku vodka, Dolin Blanc vermouth, and Luxardo maraschino liqueur, garnished with three brandied cherries.

Similarly, Centurion Lounge Wine Director Anthony Giglio has handpicked wines for the space, including a white blend from nearby Monticello, Virginia, and a Barboursville Cabernet Franc Reserve also from Virginia wine country. (Not to worry if you’re not ready for Virginia wines; seven varietals from more familiar locales such as Sonoma Valley and Tuscany are also on the wine menu.)

Inspiring art and design

The Centurion Lounge in D.C. wows at first sight. Behind a double-story glass facade lies a massive living wall strewn with local and exotic flora, fronted by a wooden staircase leading to the second-story entry desk. Scan your Platinum or Centurion Card and head left to first admire an art gallery and lounge, home to 10 original pieces of art by local Washingtonians, commissioned specifically for the lounge. A standout is a printed canvas of the Capitol Building by Maggie O’Neill, famed for her pop impressionist paintings of D.C. landmarks. Another is a modern interpretation of the watchdog, one of AmEx’s first brand symbols circa the 19th century, which was assembled as a collage from archival pieces of historic Amex moments, including brochures and advertisements. QR codes have been deftly placed under all 10 gallery pieces, as well as next to other works and photo prints throughout the lounge, to allow patrons to learn more about the inspiration behind every piece of art.

Beyond the entry gallery, the lounge branches out to a series of cohesive spaces, bound by an intentionally pared-back aesthetic that channels a stylish and tranquil study (for peak work performance). A total of 250 seats are scattered throughout, delightfully mixing and matching different seat designs in gray and royal blue; many overlook glass walls with a view. At the core of the lounge is a principal dining area, above which hangs a sprawling meta-lighting fixture comprising 260 lanterns inspired by D.C.’s original circa-1791 boundary markers (scan the QR code to go deep into this lesson in art and history) and collectively emulating the shape of the Potomac River.

Within the lounge’s central points are a collection of small multiuse rooms for phone calls and working quietly, plus other private rooms exclusive to Centurion cardholders.

Showers, power, and Wi-Fi

For the rare transit passenger through DCA or someone who simply wants to freshen up preflight, the lounge has a single vast shower suite, inclusive of a vanity and makeup area. Throughout the lounge are plenty of power outlets that fit 120-volts plugs, including many on the floor in the main dining area. High-speed Wi-Fi is complimentary.

How to access the Washington, D.C., Centurion Lounge

The Centurion Lounge at ATL is free to enter on the day of travel, regardless of airline or class flown, for those with The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. Each guest entry will cost $50 per person (or $30 for children aged 2 through 17, $0 for those under 2, with proof of age) when entering with an eligible cardholder. Those with a Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card or a Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card can visit Centurion Lounges for free when flying on a same-day Delta-marketed or Delta-operated flight. They can bring up to two guests maximum, for $50 each.

While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they are subject to change at any time and might have changed or may no longer be available.