Hit And Miss – Adventures in Denver Airport Lounge Hopping

Denver Airport Lounge Hopping

It’s remarkable how certain stuff which seemingly just felt new is no longer so.  I recall the big to-do when the Denver International Airport (DEN), a behemoth in the middle of nowhere, opened.  Geez, has it really been almost 30 years?  I guess so.  I don’t pass through there too often, so DEN is more novelty than nuisance.  Nonetheless, I figured I’d take in a bit of Denver Airport lounge hopping on the tail end of the recent MtM Diamond meetup.  I had to make it home a bit early for a special day, so I booked a Saturday night red-eye.  Here’s how it went!

1 of 2

Capital One Lounge

My first stop was DEN’s Capital One Lounge in Concourse A near gate 34, the bank’s newest which opened last November.  It was surprisingly anticlimactic.  A cordoned-off escalator and unhelpful sign greeted me, noting that the lounge was closed due to a “maintenance issue.”  I saw missing ceiling tiles in the entryway above the escalators.  But even more surprising was the rando I saw kicked back within the lounge, anyway (photo above).

I was looking forward to a different Capital One Lounge experience at this shiny, new location.  Oh, well.  A Diamond member gave it a try the next day, but the lounge was still closed, apparently due to a sewage pipe breaking.  I’ll move on to crappy service in the Centurion Lounge experience later.  But first…

Sweetwater Mountain Taphouse

Looking for an easy win after taking the L at the Capital One, I trekked to the Sweetwater Mountain Taphouse in Concourse B closest to gate 80.  I arrived maybe 20 minutes before the 8 pm closing, but waitstaff was still happy to serve me.  My French dip was equally adequate and unmemorable.  I asked my server how long it takes her to get to the restaurant from the employee parking lot.  She answered 40 minutes, without a hint of annoyance.  “I’d rather do that than commute downtown,” she said.  I get it.

I liked this Priority Pass location, as it’s a bit tucked away from the main walking area.  As a Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholder, I’ll lose access to Priority Pass restaurants soon, though.  I’m glad I got this one experience here.  I recommend Sweetwater for any individuals who can access the lounge via Priority Pass; it’s an easy pass for everyone else.

Amex Centurion Lounge

After Sweetwater and the time-suck that is traversing to Concourse C, gate 46, I entered the Amex Centurion Lounge at 9:30 pm.  Knowing the lounge was closing at 10 pm, I didn’t have high expectations for this short stay.  But the front desk agent subsequently made sure of that, anyway.

I entered the lounge armed with my Schwab Platinum, ID, and boarding pass.  The worker didn’t accept them, only greeting me with his DMV face.  He launched into the following (I’m paraphrasing):  “The bar is closed.  There is no hot food.  You can have a salad.  Are you interested?”  Trying to bring a bit of levity to the situation, I responded, “Yes, but it doesn’t sound like you are.”  I got a smirk out of him and he checked me in.  More out of curiosity than genuine interest in taking one (based on how things had gone up to this point), I asked if the showers were available.  “They closed at 9 pm,” he barked.  I thanked him and entered the lounge.

Actually, it appeared more like a space hosting a competitive cleaning event.  This was not the type of attentive cleaning where a guest would think, “Wow, this place is spotless!”  It was more the workers trying to get across the “WTF are you doing here?  I’m trying to leave at 10:01.”  Workers charged around the walkways as if guests weren’t there.  It seemed as though they wanted me to know I was in the way.  Service doors were ajar, workers sprayed and wiped oddly close to some guests, I heard vacuums, the list goes on.

On the positive side, I easily found a chair to enjoy my snickerdoodle and cappuccino.  And I must say I had a satisfactory experience at this lounge when I passed through Denver on the way to Vegas last fall for my first U2 Sphere show.  So there’s that.

The Amex site notes a 10 pm close to the Centurion lounge location without any specifics on limited services prior to that time.

Admirals Club

Leading up to my Denver trip, the recently-opened Admirals Club was my second-most anticipated stop (next to the Capital One Lounge).  It’s one of the few Admirals Club with their updated design.  While I certainly don’t hold high expectations for Admirals Clubs, I was at least expecting competence, maybe even a bit of warmth, at this lounge compared to the Centurion debacle.  After all, I entered at about 10 pm, well before the club’s 11:30 pm close.  It’s located in Concourse C near gate 32.

For those keeping score, the Centurion only had one front desk agent, whose main task was to apparently discourage people from visiting said lounge.  Meanwhile, two workers occupied the Admirals Club’s welcome area, both smiling upon my entry.  I first took a quick look at the initial area of the lounge with a variety of seating and a working (!) fireplace.  I then passed along the restrooms and kids room to the bar and dining area.  The bartender looked happy to be busy with guests.  Plenty of seating, with a few booths but primarily tables, take up most of the space.  The other side of the dining area offers stools and counterspace adjacent to floor to ceiling windows.  The muted lighting complemented that from outside, along with an atmospheric soundtrack and a few guests on this sleepy Saturday night.  I felt like I was watching the beginning of Blade Runner.

The dining options fell in line with those of most other non-hub Admirals locations.  Think cold items like salad and charcuterie, warm items such as soup and mac and cheese, and sweet and salty snacks.    I simply opted for a soda and nuts, just happy to be somewhere I felt welcomed.  Indeed, I unwound so easily in the dining area that I didn’t even get around to lounging in the seating around the fireplace.

The 6k square-foot lounge is definitely on the cozier side, but that didn’t affect me on this late-night, mid-weekend visit.  Essentially, it’s a smaller, less-beat-up version of this Admirals Club DCA location.  I’d gladly visit again.

Denver Airport Lounge Hopping – Conclusion

I passed up one Priority Pass restaurant during this Denver airport lounge hopping experience, The Mercantile in Concourse A.  Definitely, um, prioritize, your Priority Pass restaurant visits; visiting both is probably superfluous.  If/when I come through DEN again, I’ll focus on the Capital One Lounge and an Admirals Club return.  I’ll be interested to see how both are holding up.  How have your DEN lounge experiences been lately?

Disclosure: Miles to Memories has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Miles to Memories and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

---

 Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the old king of travel rewards cards. Right now bonus_miles_full

Learn more about this card and its features!

---

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.