![]() ![]() Traveling in comfort and style, though, can sometimes be much pricier than we bargained for.American Express opened a Centurion lounge in Hong Kong several weeks ago. There’s no doubt that traveling has continued to get cheaper. These services do come at a cost, though, and that cost played a big role in why we’re seeing such a boost in the number of travelers seeking discounted business class flights in recent years. More often than not, this has led to more extensive, more glamorous services, like those you’ll find in Cathay Pacific’s lounges in HKG. As international business travel continues to boom, airlines and others have been putting an even greater focus on catering to their high-margin business clients. Hong Kong is the only Centurion Lounge outside of the United States, though that’s expected to change. The food and drinks were so-so, the design and amenities were not at all special, and I never got the warm, fuzzy feeling I get in so many other lounges. I can’t say I was impressed by the Centurion Lounge at HKG. The bartender, Lance, made me an excellent pina colada, though-despite it being five o’clock somewhere-I decided to keep it virgin and maximize my shot at avoiding jet lag. Meehan recently opened a PDT location in Hong Kong (Central), too, yet another New York transplant bullish on the Hong Kong food scene. Cocktails here are the brainchild of mixologist extraordinaire Jim Meehan, who earned his stripes at PDT, his renowned bar in Manhattan’s East Village. Unlike some other lounges, you can grab a drink at any time in the Hong Kong Centurion lounge. Lunch and dinner options, which include leek and potato soup, gnocchi with pomodoro sauce and b eef bourguignon, are served from 11:30am onward. Given that my flight to London was departing in about ninety minutes, plus I still wanted to check out Cathay Pacific’s newest lounge in HKG, The Deck, I only had a few things here in the Centurion lounge: some Moroccan couscous salad (average, quite dry), a pair of shrimp dumplings (excellent), and a few slices of capocollo and salami Milano. I’m not a Centurion cardholder myself-rumor has it that you need to earn at least $1 million annually before even being considered for a Centurion card invitation-but it’s certainly something to aspire to.īreakfast is served from 5:30-11:30am, and offers a mix of Western and Asian dishes. The menu there is designed by Chef Lau Yiu Fai of Yan Toh Heen at the Intercontinental Hong Kong, with a wider drink menu than the rest of the lounge, too. ![]() There’s an extra section of the lounge that Centurion cardmembers, though not Platinum cardmembers, have access to. All in all, the lounge seats about sixty people comfortably, including the row of stools at the bar. The overall design is modern yet unspectacular, a fairly standard application of marble tabletops and uninspiring finishes. There’s a semi-private high counter for pecking out emails in the left corner, plus a few dozen wire chairs scattered throughout the dining and bar area. Once you’re inside, you’ll pass a conference room (seating for 8), a meeting room (seating for 4) and a private telephone room on your right side before entering the main portion of the lounge. ![]() You’ll recognize the Centurion lounge right away from its iconic blue doors. ![]() It’s open daily from 5:30am until 12:30am, so only the wee hours of the morning are off-limits. The Centurion lounge is actually in the same space where the old Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse used to be, near the United Club, Emirates, Thai Royal Orchid and Plaza Premium lounges. Go just one stop on the train, back up the two sets of escalators, right past Cathay Pacific’s The Bridge lounge, and take the elevator on the right side or the escalator in the middle of the hallway up to the 7 th level. Once you get through security, head toward the gates and down the double set of escalators for the train headed toward gates 40-80. The Centurion Lounge Hong Kong is in HKG’s Terminal 1 on Level 7 near Gate 60. I’d been to Cathay Pacific’s premium lounges in HKG before-The Bridge, The Pier, The Wing, The Cabin, and on the same day I would try out the brand new The Deck-but had yet to experience the Centurion Lounge. Before I boarded, though, I made a point of stopping in to the Centurion Lounge Hong Kong. I had been in Hong Kong to conduct a few interviews for a Storied client, and was zipping to London to do the same. I recently flew with Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong to London-my favorite Asia-Europe flight. ![]()
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