Membership doesn’t always have its privileges.
American Express Black Card holders are less-than-impressed with the company’s not-completely-exclusive Centurion New York at One Vanderbilt, insiders told On The Money.
“It’s soulless — you have to go through a turnstile at an office building to get there,” one recent visitor griped.
For one, the lounge – which opened in March on the 55th floor of the 93-story skyscraper in Midtown – lacks the atmosphere of rival members-only destinations like Soho House, Aman and Casa Cipriani, other disillusioned black-card holders said.
“Why would you want to go to an office building?” a cardholder told On The Money. “The point of a club is to get away from your office. If you are fancy enough to have a Centurion card, you can easily go somewhere else.”
“The only thing separating it from an Admirals Club is a wall-mounted display screen with upcoming flights,” another visitor complained.
The 11,500-foot-space was mainly created as an additional perk for Amex’s Black Card members, who must spend at least $250,000 on their card annually and pay a $10,000 yearly fee.
It includes a restaurant run by celebrity chef Daniel Boulud, art from collector Jamie Stagnitta and wraparound views of Manhattan.
To make matters worse, many Black Card holders are also grumbling about non-Centurion members being allowed into their “soulless” sanctuary when booking a reservation through American Express-owned Resy.
“With Black Cards costing $10,000 each and platinum cards costing $695, it’s clear that the differentiation between the two cards is minimal and people are going to drop their Black Cards and just pay for platinum as a result,” a source said.
Yet, it’s the overall vibe that has Black Card holders questioning whether the lounge is a total waste of money — even if they may not be ready to ditch their prized status.
“The bar has the energy of a Mastro’s in Phoenix,” a source said, referring to a steakhouse chain.
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
