Monday night I finally got to experience the American Express Centurion Suite at the US Open tennis tournament in Queens, New York! It was so much fun and great for American Express Centurion or Platinum card holders. This article shares my experience at the American Express Centurion Suite!

THE LOCATION AND OPEN HOURS

The American Express Centurion Suite at the US Open is located on the second floor of the Louis Armstrong stadium, directly above the Wilson store. You do not need to enter the Louis Armstrong stadium to access the lounge, nor do you need tickets to the Louis Armstrong stadium to access the Centurion Suite, making it convenient for those with tickets to the larger Arthur Ashe stadium. The Centurion Suite is open from 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM August 29 – September 7, with the last reservation being around 7:30 PM. Note – if you have evening tickets to the US Open, you cannot access the grounds, and thus the Centurion Suite, until 6:00 PM (meaning you are limited on what reservation you can make).

GETTING INTO THE LOUNGE AT THE US OPEN

The US Open Centurion Lounge is accessible to American Express Centurion and Platinum cardholders.  However, getting into the Centurion Lounge at the US Open is honestly more difficult than it should be! Rather than first come, first serve to cardholders as it was back in 2019, now guests must make a reservation via the Resy application (conveniently owned by AmEx). Reservations this year (2022) opened on August 7 for Centurion cardholders and August 8 for Platinum cardholders at 3:00 PM EST. However, the August 8 Resy went live about 10 seconds early and sold out before 3:00 PM….I was lucky enough to sang a reservation for 2 via Resy!  From my understanding, cardholders can bring in two or three guests, but the reservation must be made for the full party. If you don’t have a reservation, the Centurion Lounge was taking walk-ins if availability permitted, particularly for parties of 1 or 2. Worth an ask!

Assuming you have a reservation, present your proper American Express card to staff at the time of your reservation and you are let in, similar to the Centurion airport lounges. Upon checking in, I was presented with an American Express gift bag containing a full size bottle of sunscreen and a drink token. I was also tagged with a wrist band permitted me to stay for exactly one hour. That being said, the time limits were not enforced during my visit.

THE CENTURION SUITE AT THE US OPEN

Located on the second floor of the Louis Armstrong stadium, the Centurion Suite is a lovely, light space decorated similarly to many of the airport Centurion lounges with some special tennis touches. With AC blasting, the longe has a series of tables set up, including a couple outside on a balcony overlooking the crowds. Guests with a Resy reservation will have a reserved table, but you can move around. We started outdoors and moved to the bar later. A number of TVs are in the Centurion Suite playing the tennis matches. There is no live viewing of matches in the lounge, but you can see what is going on in the crowds via the outdoor area and floor to ceiling windows!  Toward the back of the Centurion Suite is a full bar, as well as a self-service food buffet. Restrooms are located behind the bar.

THE FOOD AT THE US OPEN CENTURION SUITE

Anyone who has been to the US Open knows that there are always some fun food options at the Open, and the American Express Centurion Lounge joined in on this trend. On offer in the lounge are small plates created by famous chefs in cities where American Express has Centurion airport lounges. I was particularly excited that Chef Michael Solomonov of Zahav fame was featured! The menu and pictures of most of the food is below. The hummus, ceviche, and eggplant bruschetta were passed around hors d’oeuvres style, while the remainder of the food was set up buffet style next to the bar. Food was unlimited and replenished frequently until closing at 8:00 PM. Delicious! My favorites were the chicken salad and chicken shawarma! The chocolate chip brownies were also particularly delicious.

THE DRINKS AT THE US OPEN CENTURION SUITE

The drinks at the US Open Centurion Lounge are a big lounge draw. Drinks are served around a gorgeous bar with a big screen TV playing the games at all times. For alcoholic beverages, each guest is given a token for a beverage of choice. While standard bar drinks, as well as wine and beer are served, there is a craft cocktail menu that even includes the famous Honey Deuce cocktail in a souvenir glass that run $22.00 outside the lounge. I went with the Honey Deuce, and it was perfection! My guest special ordered a tequila-based drink. Additional alcohol drinks can be ordered for pay. However, we tipped our bartender and got several drinks without charge…. And note, importantly, Evian bottles selling for $6 in the stadium are freely given out in the lounge, as are other soft drinks. Nice benefit!

OTHER AMENITIES IN THE US OPEN CENTURION LOUNGE

In addition to food, drink, and a respite from the crowds at the US Open, the lounge offers a few more perks for lucky guests.

Importantly, the Centurion Lounge at the US Open has very nice restrooms, complete with L’Occitane products and an attendant frequently cleaning. These restrooms are much nicer than the normal restrooms in the US Open grounds, and I would recommend taking advantage. While I did not see this on my visit, Supergoop sunscreen is also apparently available in the restrooms for guest use.

Also importantly for some people, the Centurion Lounge has free, password protected WiFi. The network and password are scattered around the lounge, easy to find. I signed onto the network and it was great for checking email, posting a photo, etc.

Finally, the US Open Centurion Lounge had a fun giveaway experience!  Just to the right of the entrance area is an American Express Centurion branded door and four keys representing cities with Centurion lounges. Guests in the lounge can swipe any American Express card (not just Platinum and Centurion cards) and select a key to one of the four cities. Guests then enter the door with the key, watch a one minute presentation on the selected city, and receive a city-specific present! During our visit the gifts were an Equinox Eucalyptus scented candle (JFK), a cinnamon neck wrap (DEN), and Gray Malin branded Backgammon set (LAX). The LHR key was not available when we visited, so someone tell me what that gift is! Each American Express card can only be swiped once in exchange for a gift. But again, the AmEx card does not need to be a Centurion or Platinum card. I swiped my Platinum card and my guest swiped this blog’s Marriott Bonvoy AmEx. While the experience was a little silly, it was fun to get the gift!

STEAL OUR LOUNGE

American Express Centurion Lounge US Open: Located in the Louis Armstrong stadium, to the left of the stadium’s main entrance.  Access with a reservation and American Express Centurion or Platinum card. Walk-ins are occasionally accepted. Only open August 29 – September 7, 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM.

American Express: