Terminal 3, Heathrow Airport

Introduction

This is my review of the ‘new’ Centurion Lounge at Heathrow’s Terminal 3, which is operated by American Express.

One thing I love about Terminal 3 is it has so many lounges – it’s always a real treat to go and explore them all!

Visit Date

September 2022 at 08:30

Re-visited January 2024

Opening Hours

The lounge is open daily from 05:30 to 21:00.

Entry Conditions

In my case, I was gained entry via my Platinum American Express.

Access to other card holders, having now done my research is for the UK ones (at least), is: Platinum Card members, Business Platinum card holders, Corporate Platinum card holders, Delta SkyMiles Reserve card members, Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card members and Centurion Members.

How to Get There

This lounge is slightly removed from the others lounges at T3 – so to find it you’ll need to make a right hand turn after security.

Walk all the way to the end of the shopping plaza, and you’ll see Accessorize. Next to Accessorize you’ll see the entrance.

Through what looks like a service corridor you’ll find the elevator to go up to the lounge.

One thing that is slightly odd about accessing this lounge is it feels like you’re walking through the kitchens! But if you can navigate those corridors – you’ll find access to the lounge!

Layout

I’ve previously reviewed Centurion Lounges in Las Vegas and Seattle, and been impressed with them.

This lounge was no exception. There is plenty of casual seating for lounging and drinking.

If you want to do work, there are some work pods and tables which I really like – I love the pods at the back of the picture.

Should you need to do any calls, there are a couple of Phone Rooms – which have a table, comfortable seat and are enclosed with a door.

Alternatively, for eating there is a dining area.

It’s fair to say this lounge is a lot smaller the other lounges I’ve visited – but American Express have in no way compromised on quality. Everything is really good!  

Food and Drink

Food

On my first visit, I arrived at brealfast time. Having come from the terrible No1 Lounge, I was really impressed with the breakfast on offer. The breakfast was modest (say compared to the lounge in LaGuardia) – but I found for me there to be more options.

There is a great variety of cooked items, pastries and fruit.

On my more recent visit, I came in around lunch time where there were lunch and dinner offerings. The offering were curry, pasta, meat balls and some other things – as well as salads, sandwiches, cheese and fruit.

There was also an ‘afternoon tea trolley’ which was out with various cakes and scones.

Drinks

On the drinks side, there is a full-service bar. As always, American Express have gone over and above in their quest for high quality. There is an expansive menu of drinks, more varieties of beer than you could ever drink (unless your access comes free with Purple Parking!) – and not a paid-for menu in sight!

There are also self-served coffee machines and water taps.

Great work American Express – I can’t wait to go back for Lunch/Dinner!

Wifi

One thing I really like about the lounge is that the hosts tell you the Wifi code as you enter – many others don’t bother!

I found the Wifi to be stable for what I needed it to do – so I was happy about that!

Showers

I didn’t visit the showers, but there are showers.

I’m 99.9% sure Amex wouldn’t dream of charging £24 for them, but access is given from the front desk.

Conclusion

I’ve started to become increasingly skeptical of ‘bank card lounges’ having previously visited T3’s No1 Lounge and T2’s Plaza Premium Lounge – and I was glad to be pleasantly surprised by the Centurion Lounge.

How busy it gets during ‘prime time’ (T3 is a major US terminal) I’m not sure – but it was pretty quiet at 08:30 – and most flights from T3 to the US depart between 8am and 12pm.

On my visit there was plenty of space, the food was good, the drinks were great – and it was quiet.  

So, thanks American Express for reassuring me there are some great ‘bank card lounges’ in the UK still out there!