Centurion Lounge Lands in Salt Lake City With a Mountain-Minded Debut
A lodge-inspired retreat with terrace views, local art, and chef-driven menus arrives at SLC.
Photos: Courtesy of American Express
American Express has planted its flag in Salt Lake City. The company opened its 31st Centurion Lounge last week at Salt Lake City International Airport, marking the Utah hub’s first proprietary credit-card lounge and adding a marquee space to a market that has quietly become one of North America’s busiest. At nearly 18,000 square feet and positioned in Concourse B, the new outpost arrives as SLC continues to scale post-redevelopment and attracts more premium travelers. The airport saw a record 28 million passengers in 2024 and has been leaning into its long-haul ambitions alongside its status as a Delta fortress hub.
The design’s mountain-west aesthetic avoids tipping into kitsch. There’s a dedicated Hearth Room anchored by a 360-degree fireplace that echoes the region’s lodge culture, and a year-round outdoor terrace frames the Wasatch range. Warm, earth-toned interiors and natural textures feel deliberately restrained, and the art program draws exclusively from Utah creatives, including a mixed-media collage interpretation of the Amex bulldog mascot and a large woven tapestry inspired by salt flats and high peaks. A constellation-inspired lighting installation nods to Utah’s prized dark-sky credentials.
F&B once again serves as the calling card, with rotating menus from the brand’s Culinary Collective. Dishes span Caribbean wedding soup from Kwame Onwuachi, grilled cabbage with tehina from Mike Solomonov, and Earl Grey panna cotta from Sarah Grueneberg, alongside cocktails like a Park City Sling. Blue Roast, Amex’s coffee bar concept that has become a staple in newer lounges, anchors the work-friendly zone with espresso drinks and big windows for natural light.
Functionally, the space checks the premium-lounge boxes: shower suites, private phone rooms, reservable meeting space, and a VIP room for Centurion members. There’s also a recovery room outfitted with compression boots and massage guns, a nod to Utah’s adventure-forward traveler base and the rising expectation for wellness-driven touchpoints in airport hospitality.
Its debut lands as the lounge wars continue to escalate. Capital One and Chase have sped up their rollouts, and Delta’s Sky Club footprint dominates at SLC. But Centurion remains one of the most recognizable names in airport hospitality, and access remains tight to maintain experience standards. The location underscores Amex’s ongoing push into key domestic hubs and comes ahead of promised openings at Newark, Amsterdam, and a smaller Sidecar concept in Las Vegas.
Salt Lake City may not be the first market that springs to mind when thinking of ultra-premium lounge demand, but its blend of high-income leisure travelers, outdoor-driven itineraries, and strong corporate ties makes the case. For many cardholders connecting through the Mountain West, this lounge will likely become a default stop between flights and slopes, national parks, or a growing downtown scene.
