The American Express Centurion Lounge network will be a little more posh going forward.
That’s because the issuer closes all slots in the entire lounge network, a company spokesperson confirmed exclusively to TPG. When Amex first opened lounges in 2013, the issuer paid special attention to amenities that would help entice card members to use its lounges (and sign up for its expensive credit cards).
One such item is the resorts, which have historically been used in conjunction with Exhale. These lounges were located nationwide in three Centurion Lounge locations: Dallas Fort Worth, Miami and Los Angeles.
While airport lounges are undoubtedly a great option to have, they pose a point of conflict for flyers as the demand for medical care often exceeds the supply. At the Exhale Spas in the Centurion Lounge, there were usually two to four therapists on staff, offering a limited set of nail treatments and chair massages. Unless you were the first to arrive on a given day, most card members had to wait a while to get an appointment.
One solution to address the demand and supply imbalance would have been for Amex to reserve its invite-only Centurion card members at its resorts.
But instead, the issuer will use the space taken up by the spas for additional seats. Amex didn’t share how many seats it expects to offer due to the spa closure, but I wouldn’t expect it to make much of a difference when it comes to congestion and waitlists. (After all, spas never take up more than a small room.)
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That said, every little space counts, and hopefully Amex will use the money it gets from spa-related expenses to increase the number of servers and the quality of food and drink throughout its network.
Amex confirmed the closure of its Centurion Lounges with the following statement.
Beginning this past Thursday, October 3rd, to accommodate additional lounges and to accommodate eligible Cardmembers, American Express is closing Exhale lounges at Centurion Lounges at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Miami International Airport, and -Los Angeles International Airport. .
Although Amex only had lounges at its three outdoor Centurion Lounge locations, the prestige and aura of luxury associated with the issuer’s lounge network will undoubtedly affect the news. After all, Amex’s two biggest credit card competitors continue to offer a host of attractive and headline-grabbing Amex offerings.
These include Peloton rooms in the Capital One Lounge and custom facials in the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club.
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