- Introduction: Four Times Across The Atlantic
- Review: ITA Airways Business Class A350 (MIA-FCO)
- Review: ITA Airways Lounge Rome Airport (FCO)
- Review: Prima Vista Lounge Rome Airport (FCO)
- Review: ITA Airways Business Class A320 (FCO-CAI)
- Changing Terminals At Cairo Airport: Still Complicated
- Review: EgyptAir Lounge Cairo Airport (CAI)
- My Rough Night At Cairo Airport, Made Better By EgyptAir’s Osama
- Review: EgyptAir Business Class 787 (CAI-CDG)
- Review: Sheraton Paris Airport (CDG)
- Review: YOTELAIR Paris Airport Priority Pass Lounge (CDG)
- Review: Air France Lounge Paris Airport (CDG)
- Review: New Air France Business Class 777-300ER (CDG-JFK)
- Review: Hyatt Regency JFK At Resorts World New York
- Review: AA & BA Greenwich Lounge New York (JFK)
- Review: AA & BA Soho Lounge New York (JFK)
- Review: AA & BA Chelsea Lounge New York (JFK)
- Review: Amex Centurion Lounge New York (JFK)
- Review: British Airways Lounge Newark Airport (EWR)
- Review: New British Airways First Class 777 (EWR-LHR)
- Review: Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel (LHR)
- Review: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse London Heathrow (LHR)
- Review: Amex Centurion Lounge London Heathrow (LHR)
- Review: No1 Lounge London Heathrow (LHR)
- Review: Virgin Atlantic A330neo Upper Class Business Class (LHR-MIA)
- Is Virgin Atlantic’s Retreat Suite Worth It?
During my recent review trip, I had the chance to visit the Amex Centurion Lounge London Heathrow. I was excited to check out this lounge, as it’s the newest purpose-built Centurion Lounge outside the United States.
I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by this lounge — it has great design, friendly service, and a pretty good selection of food and drinks. Design-wise it even felt a bit nicer than most US Centurion Lounges, and the food presentation was also a bit different. Let’s get into the review…
In this post:
Amex Centurion Lounge Heathrow location
The Centurion Lounge Heathrow is located in Terminal 3. This terminal is used by a variety of airlines, including Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, and more (in some cases airlines use multiple terminals). Note that transferring between terminals at Heathrow isn’t easy, so I’d only plan on using this lounge if you’re departing from the terminal.
Once you clear security, walk through the duty free “maze” and follow the “Flight Connection” route in the direction of the “Lounge A” area.
Just pass the main shopping and dining area, and then toward the end of the main part of the terminal that features a bunch of seating, you’ll see the lifts leading to the Centurion Lounge.
You’ll then want to take one of the elevators up a level, and then you’ll find the entrance to the Centurion Lounge right there — you can’t miss it.
Below is a map showing roughly where in the terminal the Centurion Lounge is located.
Amex Centurion Lounge Heathrow hours
The Centurion Lounge Heathrow is currently open daily from 5:30AM until 9PM. It’s among the earlier lounges in the terminal to open, though it does close a bit before some other lounges.
Amex Centurion Lounge Heathrow entry requirements
This Centurion Lounge Heathrow has the same access policies as all Amex Centurion Lounges. Amex Centurion Lounges can be accessed by those who have any of the following cards:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express (review)
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (review)
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card (review)
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card (review)
- Amex Centurion Card
When it comes to accessing Amex Centurion Lounges, there are some terms to be aware of:
- You need a same day boarding pass to access Centurion Lounges, and in the case of Delta Reserve cardmembers, the boarding pass needs to be for travel on Delta
- You can access Centurion Lounges up to three hours before departure, unless you’re connecting, in which case you can access earlier
- You can’t access Centurion Lounges on arrival, or with a standby or non-revenue standby ticket
- If you’re guesting people into Centurion Lounges, you need to stay with them the entire time they’re in the lounge
Note that guesting policies differ based on the card you have, where it’s issued, and how much you spend on it, and you can read more about that here.
Amex Centurion Lounge Heathrow layout & seating
The Centurion Lounge Heathrow is roughly 7,000 square feet (650 square meters). While it has several of the signature Centurion Lounge design elements, I think it feels a bit more luxurious than most of the US locations. The one downside is that the lounge has no windows or natural light, which is a shame, since several lounges in Terminal 3 have amazing views.
The lounge is set along one main corridor. When you enter the lounge and turn right, you’ll see the dining area, which features a beautiful bar, several cafe-style tables with two seats each, and communal high-top seating.
The next biggest room is deeper into the lounge and to the right. This area has a pretty awesome design, with a fun couch, several seating nooks, and some fun semi-private seats. As you’ll find in all Centurion Lounges, there’s the signature Amex luggage wall, along with a wall-mounted TV.
Then inside the entrance to the lounge and to the right is a slightly smaller room, featuring some workstations, a communal table, and some more seating options.
This area also has a couple of private phone booths, each of which has a door.
Lastly, the back left of the lounge has a special area that’s roped off, which is reserved for Centurion Card members.
While the lounge has the distinct Centurion Lounge decor, it does feel a bit more elevated to me than the other locations, with lots of thoughtful touches.
Amex Centurion Lounge Heathrow food & drinks
The buffet setup felt different to what you’ll find in other Centurion Lounges, but not in a bad way. I found the food selection to be more extensive, and at least based on my preferences, to be better. The lounge’s food selection is curated by Assaf Granit of Coal Office in London.
At breakfast time, the selection included a large selection of fruit and yogurt, salad, cheese, several types of parfaits, a variety of pastries, muffins, bread, cereal, and more than half a dozen hot dishes. Everything looked quite tasty.
Hot dishes included shakshuka, grilled cauliflower, scrambled eggs, potato rosti, cannellini beans, bacon, and pork sausage.
There was also a self-serve coffee bar, with an espresso machine and some Twinings tea. Sadly there was no barista-made coffee.
There was also a station with a water fountain and some filtered coffee.
There was also a British-inspired tea cart with immune booster drinks, mango infused coconut water, and peach iced tea.
While I didn’t have any alcohol while visiting the lounge, wine and cocktails are available from a bartender. You can find that selection below.
Amex Centurion Lounge Heathrow bathrooms & showers
The Centurion Lounge Heathrow bathrooms are down a hall in the very back of the lounge.
The men’s room had two sinks and three stalls, and was well maintained.
There were also some shower suites. These were elegant, and each featured a walk-in shower, sink, and toilet. Personally I wish that the shower had a door rather than only a glass partition that covers less than half of the shower space, but this seems to be a common practice.
Bottom line
The Amex Centurion Lounge London Heathrow is elegant, and might just be my favorite lounge in the network that I’ve visited to date. It has a beautiful design with lots of cozy sitting areas, and a good selection of food and drinks.
The catch is that I’m not sure under what circumstances I’d visit this lounge, as an elite member and/or premium cabin passenger. If I were flying with oneworld, I’d rather visit the Qantas Lounge or Cathay Pacific Lounge, while if I were flying with SkyTeam, I’d rather visit the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse.
That doesn’t change the fact that this is an excellent Centurion Lounge, but obviously lounge competition is a little different at an airport like Charlotte or Denver than at an airport like London Heathrow.
What do you make of the Centurion Lounge Heathrow?
While it was nice to find a little respite from the main hall of T3, the Lounge was nothing fabulous. It was down a grubby hallway.
The lounge felt a bit like a cafeteria and was crammed with travelers and their luggage. It felt chaotic. Food was “meh” and the options were fairly limited.
One bright light: Staff are hard working and kind, trying to accommodate travelers and minimize the chaos.
Amex - I know you can do better!!!
I wonder how this is reinforced : "If you’re guesting people into Centurion Lounges, you need to stay with them the entire time they’re in the lounge" , even if I pay $50 for each of my guests? Can I not leave the lounge after I check my guests in? I am flying to a different destination 2 hours ahead of my guests.
I found it to be a pleasant lounge and was glad I was able to use it, but beware that it's very difficult to find and if you should leave it to go and have a walkabout, it will be difficult to return to as well
Ben…Brits call the dark beans on a breakfast plate “baked” beans.
Americans call that general type of preparation "baked beans" too. No need to reply about how UK and US baked beans differ.
"Cannellini" is a type of bean, like "kidney" or "navy".
Many types of white beans can be used in preparing baked beans, so Ben may be correct too!
I must say you had a much better visit than me. It was completely rammed when I was there back in the summer, could hardly get a seat. Food was mediocre and it was annoying how even simple drinks like fruit juice had to be requested from the bartender. No natural light and a pretty rubbish entrance too. I certainly won't be rushing back, lots of other nicer lounges in T3 IME.
I fully agree with Alan! I visited the Centurion Lounge and it was hot, overcrowded, and with a strong, bad smell of bad/cheap food. I decided to leave after a few minutes.
Perhaps the novelty has worn off over many visits to the Virgin Clubhouse or the limited menu there - especially at breakfast, but I actually like to go to the Centurion lounge if hungry @ T3 instead as the food is much better, broader selection and the very-well kept buffet allows me to choose. Crispy, smokey bacon is rare in the UK and this lounge has it!
If just for a cocktail and maybe a deli counter nibble, then the Clubhouse is much better.
I tried this lounge out a few weeks ago and generally agree with the assessment. As someone who doesn't have elite status with any airline and doesn't usually travel in a premium cabin, it was nice to have.
The first half dozen pictures the tables and chairs look awfully close together, I could imagine with carry on bags and if the lounge gets busy this could be quite cramped? Otherwise looks nice but lack of windows is a shame given even some of the priority pass lounges have windows from recollection (if you can get in!)
I have to agree with you, Ben. Amex's layout is quite nice. But, in T3, I'd rather go to the Cathay Pacific first class lounge when flying a One World airline. Talking with others who have a choice, they have the same answer. For those who have only One World business class lounge access, I'd recommend the Cathay Pacific business class lounge. Nice and likely not crowded.
Such a shame this is in T3. It would have been so much more effective in literally any other airport terminal in London.
looks nice, although not having windows is a big minus. Also the bathrooms (like every Centurion lounge I have been to) are too small for the capacity.
Ben, just fyi to your readers, no special Centurion seating, or reserved area, but the check in agent was helpful in finding a space for my family and I when the lounge was packed.
As a side question, do you know if centurion card members have access to the LH FCL A given the FCL B is still closed? Connecting in FRA from US to Non-Schengen