The American Airlines Admirals Club in Denver is chic and represents a huge leap forward in design and quality compared to the prior iteration of this lounge.

American Airlines Admirals Club Denver Review (DEN)

My review yesterday of the San Francisco Admirals Club reminded me that I never posted a full review of American’s new lounge in Denver (I posted a teaser about it).

Location + Hours + Access

The lounge is located airside (past security) in Concourse C, near gate 32 and is open daily from 4:30 am to 11:30 pm. Take an escalator or elevator up to the mezzanine level (one level above the departure gates) to access the lounge.

Access is reserved for:

• Admirals Club members
• Qualifying first and business class passengers, including those traveling same-day on American or another oneworld member to:
  • Asia
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Caribbean
  • Central America
  • Europe
  • Mexico
  • Middle East
  • New Zealand
  • South America
• AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro, or Platinum members traveling internationally in any cabin of service
• oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members from other oneworld carriers (on any oneworld itinerary in any cabin of service)
• Admirals Club day pass holders
• Citi / AAdvantage Executive Card authorized users
• Active-duty military traveling in uniform with military ID

International first class and oneworld elite customers are allowed one guest (a child over two counts as a guest). Admirals Club members or members of the military may bring in their “immediate family” (spouse, domestic partner and/or children under 18) or two guests.

What struck me most was the high quality of the design elements and furniture. For example, when you walk in, the stone countertop has the American logo carved out and behind it is a black backlit logo. The color scheme is so much better than the previous red and blue.

I must also mention how lovely the staff were–very gracious yet also very proud of their new lounge.

Seating

As you walk past reception, you’ll come to a fireplace and a large seating area with chairs and couches. Wood beams are positioned over windows looking out to the concourse below. The dark couches and chairs accent the room so nicely and they are also very comfortable.

Walk further into the lounge and you’ll notice nice wood accents to further highlight the mountain lodge theme (very similar to what United has done in its new Denver lounges). The dining room includes tables with chairs, booths, and a bar. Again, there are thoughtful details like the artwork in each booth. Along the window, you can sit and watch planes arriving and departing below.

Food + Drink

Food has greatly improved. I happened to be there during the transition from breakfast to lunch and loved the tacos, salads, and charcuterie board.

Breakfast (which was being rolled away as I arrived) included berries, yogurt, bircher muesli, cereal, and hardboiled eggs (I’m sure there were hot options as well like eggs and oatmeal, but that was gone already).

In addition to the tacos (chipotle chicken), there were back bean sliders, salads (slaw and spinach), soups (broccoli cheddar and chicken tortilla), and a charcuterie board.

Coffee, tea, soft drinks, and water were self-serve.

There’s also an expanded selection of beer, wine, and cocktails that are complementary and still a menu from which you can order heartier meals and premium drinks:

Bar:

Restrooms

Perhaps the only miss in this lounge is that I did not see any showers. The bathrooms are beautiful, though.

Computer + Printer

Even in this new lounge, AA is still offering a desktop computer (Apple iMac) and printer facility, which is something we tend not to appreciate until we suddenly need it. I am thankful that this amenity persists in a wireless age.

Kid’s Room

A small room for children was available.

CONCLUSION

American Airlines did a great job on its new Denver lounge and the new Admirals Club design elements (which we also see at Washington National and Newark) mark a great new chapter in the style and evolution of Admirals Clubs. As an outstation lounge, this is very solid.