Review: Capital One Lounge at JFK, New York

August 10, 2025August 10, 2025by milesforplacesLeave a Comment

On a recent flight from New York City to London, we had the chance to check out the new Capital One Lounge at JFK International Airport. It’s located in Terminal 4 near the B gates and is open 24 hours a day—making it a great spot to relax, no matter how early or late your flight is.

Access is complimentary for Capital One Venture X personal and business cardholders. Currently, through February 1, 2026, cardholders can bring two guests for free. However, starting after that date, only primary cardholders who spend $75,000 or more in a calendar year will continue to receive complimentary access, which could limit the lounge’s appeal for many travelers and significantly reduce the card’s value proposition. If cardholders want to pay for guest access, they can do so at a discounted rate of $45 per person ($90 per person is the rate for non-cardholders).

When we visited, the lounge had only been open for a few days, so it was still working through a few minor growing pains.

Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by the front desk staff, who welcomed us into the lounge. They scanned our boarding passes, verified our credit cards, and gave us a quick overview of the amenities—including directions around the space and instructions for ordering from the dine-in menu. The lounge has all the usual Capital One perks—grab-and-go snacks and drinks, dine-in menu, shower suites, dedicated password-protected Wi-Fi, and a parents’ room. The parents’ room is stocked with diapers, wipes, bibs, bottle warmers, and comfortable seating for feeding your child. No other lounge network accommodates parents with young children to this extent. Capital One gets high marks here.

The lounge offers a bodega-style espresso bar, giving the lounge an NYC feel, with hand-rolled bagels from Ess-a-Bagel, espresso from Bean & Bean Coffee Roasters, and La Colombe cold brew.

Capital One offers its dishes in small plate portions, and I had the Mac & Cheese, Roasted Heirloom Tomato Crostini, Wild Arugula Panzella Salad, and the Rustic White Bean & Spinach Soup. Everything was so flavorful and delicious, and having the small plate portions allowed me to comfortably try multiple items. They frequently replenish their items, and I never had to wait more than a few minutes if something was out.

The Mac and Cheese at Capital One Lounge JFK

Although it wasn’t open during our visit, the lounge also features a cheesemonger station where guests can sample a variety of gourmet cheeses. There’s plenty of space to relax, and during our time there, the lounge was only about 60% full.

For families, there are two private rooms available by reservation. You simply scan a QR code to join the waitlist and receive a text when your room is ready. Unfortunately, both rooms were occupied for the duration of our stay, so we didn’t get a chance to check them out.

Unlike most other lounge networks, Capital One offers a convenient “grab-and-go” option, letting guests take food with them for the flight. The selection can vary, but typically includes pre-made sandwiches, yogurt parfaits, fruit cups, salads, bottled water, and more.

The lounge offers nice views of the tarmac, and if you’re an AvGeek, you will consistently spot larger widebody aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747. The Wifi speed wasn’t terrible, but I think Capital One can improve upon the 16.7 Mbps download speed when other lounges around the country are surpassing 100 Mbps. This lounge also has shower suites, and they can be reserved in advance.

Conclusion

Overall, this is an excellent addition to JFK, giving travelers in Terminal 4 another strong option alongside the Centurion Lounge, Chase Sapphire Lounge, and others. For those traveling with an infant, the family-friendly amenities show that Capital One has gone the extra mile to make life easier for parents of very young children. The downside is that Capital One Venture X personal and business cardholders only have until February 1, 2026, before a $75,000 annual spend requirement kicks in for complimentary guest access.

Airport Lounges, Reviews, USA

Review: Polaris Lounge Chicago O’Hare International Airport

May 4, 2024April 12, 2025by milesforplaces3 Comments

On a recent trip to Portugal, my wife and I had the privilege of visiting the Polaris Lounge in Chicago. The lounge was unlike any other airline premium airport lounge we had ever visited in the United States. Before United launched Polaris Lounges in the U.S., American carriers did not have a product that could compete with the business-class lounges of Qatar Airlines, Etihad, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, etc. United has expanded this product to San Francisco, Newark, Houston, Los Angeles, and Washington Dulles. Many travel experts and bloggers consider Polaris Lounges among the best airport lounges in the U.S.

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Hotels, Reviews

Review: The Langham, New York City

February 8, 2022March 5, 2025by milesforplacesLeave a Comment

This was my second time staying at the Langham in NYC, but my first time staying at the Langham as an AMEX Platinum cardholder—a whole new experience! Don’t get me wrong, I had a great first stay; it was what I expected for a 5-star hotel; however, as an AMEX Platinum cardholder, I felt like the experience was so much better. One of the card’s benefits is a $200 credit for booking hotels that are part of Fine Hotels & Resorts or The Hotel Collection. When I checked in, the staff immediately upgraded me to an executive suite with a kitchen on the 21^st floor. Along with the upgrade, I was informed that I had a $100 credit for any of the following: spa, room service, or breakfast for two at their Michelin-star restaurant, Ai Fiori. I was also informed that I could check out at 4pm, which was very convenient since our flight was at 5:30pm on Sunday.

When we went to our room, my cousin and I first noticed the view through the large windows—we could see down 5th Avenue and the beautiful Chrysler building.

*View of Bank of America Tower and the Conde Naste Building (with H&M sign)*

ChryslerBuilding — *Beautiful view of the Chrysler building and looking down on Fifth Avenue*

The second thing we noticed was that we had a powder room—when does that ever happen? Needless to say, we had more than enough room. We even had some of our friends and cousins come up to hang out with us in the room; six adults and a baby were hanging out comfortably. All the cafes around us were closed, so we ordered lattes from room service (using my $100 credit), and they were excellent!

*Full kitchen via AMEX Platinum upgrade*

*Soap, shampoo, and conditioner were all Chuan, a holistic proprietary brand owned by Langham.*

Another huge selling point for the Langham is its location. The hotel is centrally located in Manhattan, so we could walk to most of our destinations on Saturday. We walked to Washington Square Park, Times Square, and the Highline. The next day, we had to check out by 4pm and catch our flight at 5:30pm, so we didn’t have much time to waste. We woke up at 8am and called the doorman to arrange a ride to Central Park at 11am using the hotel car service (which is free!).

Pro Tip: The hotel has a Jaguar that will drop you off wherever you want to up until 59th Street. They start taking appointments at 8 a.m., and they are on a first-come, first-served basis.

After our ride set up, we got ready and cashed in on our complimentary breakfast at Ai Fiori—which was phenomenal! My cousin and I decided to order a couple of things and share. We ordered the buttermilk pancakes, uova in Purgatorio, and the house potatoes—everything was phenomenal. You can see the picture below.

If you asked me what the stay was like after my first time, I would’ve said it was great—all the basics of a 5-star hotel. But staying here as an AMEX Platinum cardholder made this experience next-level amazing, to say the least! It is rare to have a travel experience where you don’t compromise on something, whether it be the room, service, or location. But I can genuinely say there was no compromising at the Langham NYC; everything was at the top of its game—the room, the service, the amenities, the location, and the (free) food were all a 5 out of 5.

Review and pictures by Salma Hatia

Hotels, Reviews, Uncategorized

Review: Conrad Washington DC

May 23, 2019July 2, 2024by milesforplaces1 Comment

My wife and I got to experience this beautiful property courtesy of our AMEX free weekend night certificates. Unfortunately, the American Express Hilton Honors Ascend Card no longer has this benefit on the cardmember anniversary. You have to spend $15,000 in a given year to get the free night, and I don’t think it’s worth forgoing points with Chase or AMEX Platinum/Gold to pursue a free night with Hilton in most instances. Since my wife and I have the AMEX Hilton Honors Ascend Card, we combined our free nights into a weekend stay. The nightly rate for our room was $450, so we got $900 worth of value plus $50 credit toward dining for the annual fee we paid for both cards ($95 per card).

Check-In

Walking into the hotel, take the elevator to the third floor. There is no second floor; the third floor is where the check-in desk, lounge, restaurant, and lobby are located. Upon checking in, the receptionist verified our Hilton Gold status, courtesy of the AMEX card, and upgraded us to a room on the 9th floor. We could choose 1,000 Hilton points or a $50 dining credit as Hilton Gold members. We took the dining credit (I don’t recommend taking the points in this scenario). The receptionist was kind enough to give us a mini-tour of the hotel, Estuary restaurant, and some of the amenities this hotel offers.

ConradLobby — *The circular lamp changes color each hour.*

My first impression when walking in was that this hotel did not have many 90-degree angles. The architect made a concerted effort to make the interior as curvy as possible. The lobby was beautiful, and since the hotel was only 45 days old when we stayed, it still had that brand-new scent.

ConradClock — *Looking down from the 10th floor to the lobby below.*

Room

Our room was on the 9th floor, with a nice view of New York Street below. Keeping up with the theme, the room was curvy but spacious and very comfortable.

As an avid coffee drinker, I always appreciate it when a hotel provides a Keurig-type machine with pods. The coffee was complimentary, per usual, but the snacks were completely overpriced. If you need snacks, there is a CVS across the street where you can get the same offerings for 1/4 of the price.

The bathroom provided two sinks and a separate blurred door to the toilet so two people could use the bathroom simultaneously while still having some privacy.

The toiletries were Shanghai Tang, and the scent was very nice—not too overpowering but not too light either. The room also provided slippers, a safe, laundry bag, iron, and bathrobes.

Estuary and Estuary Bar

Estuary is the restaurant on the premises on the 3rd floor. We went there for breakfast on Saturday morning and ordered a custom-made omelet and buttermilk pancakes. Both were delicious, albeit smaller in portion than your typical brunch diner.

The Estuary Bar area was spacious, and seating was plentiful during the day. If an event is going on at the hotel, it’ll likely get packed in the evening and into the late night.

Third Floor Terrace and Rooftop Bar

Since the hotel was only 45 days old during our stay, the Rooftop Bar was not officially open to guests, so I could only take pictures from behind the glass door. The 3rd-floor terrace was open for use.

ConradBalconyView — *View from the Rooftop Bar*

ConradTerrace — *The Terrace on the 3rd-floor*

Fitness Center

The fitness center was one of the better ones I had seen at a hotel. Upon entering, guests are greeted with towels, earphones, and apples.

ConradGym2 — *There are multiple treadmills, elliptical machines, and stationary bikes*

ConradGym3 — *If you’re into lifting, they have that covered as well.*

Concluding Thoughts

Although I forgot to measure the internet speed, I had no speed or Wi-Fi connectivity issues. If you plan to park your car at the Conrad, parking in their garage is $36 a day. I used the ParkWhiz app and found a garage two blocks away, allowing me to park for $14. There is also metered parking on the street, but it has a three-hour time limit during business hours and is free overnight. One of the most appealing aspects of staying at Conrad DC is that the National Mall, White House, Capitol building, Smithsonian, and many other points of interest are only 10-15 minutes away by walking. I also want to acknowledge the receptionists on the 3rd floor who always gave us complimentary bottles of water whenever we walked by. The staff made an excellent stay that much better.

We look forward to coming back in the future.

Airport Lounges, Reviews, USA

Review: The Updated Centurion Lounge Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)

March 5, 2019June 30, 2024by milesforplacesLeave a Comment

The Centurion Lounge at DFW moved to a larger 12,000 square feet space in September of 2018, expanding its footprint by an additional 3,000 feet. Their old lounge was excellent, but it certainly felt crowded at times, so the additional space should help alleviate that. Rather than going up the escalator to enter the lounge as it was previously, you will find the entrance to the lounge on the ground floor. This will lead to an elevator, which you take to the second floor to enter the lounge. To enter the lounge, you must hold the AMEX Platinum Card, AMEX Business Platinum Card, or the AMEX Centurion Card. Other AMEX cards won’t get you in.

Food (Breakfast)

My wife, son, and I were here during breakfast hours, and I remember how great the spread was the last time I was here in 2017. The items may have changed, but the breakfast was still awesome.

Breads — The sweet corn muffins were excellent. My wife loved the oatmeal with granola.

fruits — Centurion Lounge always delivers with their fresh fruit offerings.

salsachips — Salsa and tortilla chips for breakfast? Why not?

EggFritata — Goat cheese egg frittata. This was the best part of having breakfast here. Delicious and you’re probably going to get up for a second serving.

In addition to the items pictured above, there was also pancakes and fresh juice. Since there were multiple people behind me, I refrained from taking a picture at that particular time.

espressomachine2 — The espresso machine can make a variety of beverages. I got their latte, and it was delicious.

Seating Area

As you would expect, with the lounge having expanded by more than 3,000 square feet, seating was plentiful, and I did not feel like the lounge was overcrowded. Certain sections of the lounge were more trafficked than others, but in general, there were plenty of seats for everyone.

corridor2 — They had different types of lighting to suit everyone’s needs.

Business

conferenceroom — For those who need a conference room, Centurion DFW has one.

Kids Room

This is one of my favorite aspects of this lounge. They had a dedicated children’s playroom and it was perfect for my 5-month-old son as he was able to enjoy his first ever visit to an airport lounge.

Miscellaneous

The restrooms were clean, and there was also a dedicated shower area that you could utilize upon request at the front desk.

This lounge also has a spa where they give you a complimentary massage. I forgot to measure the Wi-Fi speed, but I can assure you it was fast. I have not visited a Centurion Lounge where connectivity was slow. The old Centurion Lounge was among my favorites, and AMEX has delivered and improved the experience at their newly renovated Centurion Lounge at DFW. Just remember that AMEX no longer allows passengers who have landed at their final destination city to use a Centurion Lounge in that particular city. Before the rule change, if Dallas was your final destination, you could still visit by showing your boarding pass. I think this is a fair rule change to alleviate crowding concerns. If your departure time is more than 3 hours away, AMEX also won’t allow you in. I believe this is also a change for the better. As far as this lounge, it scores a perfect 5/5 and continues to be my favorite Centurion Lounge I have visited thus far. There are a few others under construction, and I’m looking forward to visiting the one in JFK once it opens later this year. That lounge will be the largest Centurion Lounge at 15,000 square feet.

Airport Lounges, Europe, Reviews

Review: KLM Crown Lounge Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport

July 11, 2018July 2, 2024by milesforplacesLeave a Comment

While I was checking in for a recent flight from Lisbon to NYC via Amsterdam, KLM offered me a very good offer to upgrade to business class during the Lisbon to Amsterdam leg of the trip: 99 euros per person on the four-hour flight with business class lounge privileges in both Lisbon and Amsterdam. I jumped on this offer since this meant several hours of comfort in the air and on the ground. The KLM business class experience during our four-hour flight was fantastic, and I’ll share that in a separate post. We had access to KLM’s Crown Lounge, its flagship lounge, when we landed in Amsterdam. KLM has two of these lounges, and the one we visited is called Lounge 52, near the F gates and after passport control. If you just follow the sign for Airline Lounge 52, it will lead you there.

Lounge52sign — *Just follow this sign, leading you to the KLM Crown Lounge.*

If you have a flight to the U.S. or Canada, this is the one you want to go to, as you won’t have to worry about dealing with long lines to get through passport control. Even though my wife and I only had a business class ticket for the first leg of my flight and I was going to fly economy on the Amsterdam to NYC, it was sufficient to get into the lounge as KLM only requires one of the legs in business class to grant access. This lounge is not a Priority Pass lounge. It’s open to all passengers flying business class on KLM, its SkyTeam partners, or anyone flying KLM or its SkyTeam partners with status (FlyingBlue Platinum or Gold, Delta elites, etc). Once we entered, the receptionist at the desk scanned our boarding passes, and we were ready to go.

Entrance

This lounge was the largest airport lounge I had ever visited in Europe. It was easily 3-4 times larger than some of the larger ones I had been to in the U.S. Despite its size, this lounge was probably at 85% capacity when we entered. It’s a split-level lounge with a ramp to the second level.

Seating Areas

This lounge had something for everyone in terms of seating. They had areas with a variety of different lighting and seating configurations.

SeatingArea — *I was a big fan of these red lounge chairs. Nice touch by KLM*

The seating area above near the windows was undergoing renovation but this area felt more like a cafe area with a ton of natural light.

If you want to get a plate full of food and don’t want to traverse through the crowd, this is the best option for seating. It’s right near the buffet.

If you have work to get done and need to spread out, they have a perfect area for that as well.

Breakfast

Since we got to the lounge toward the latter half of breakfast and into lunch, we got to see a wide variety of items they had at the buffet.

There was a variety of breads, rolls, muffins, and pastries. I had the croissant and the raisin bread, and both were excellent. The pancakes were good, and the eggs were okay. Overall, the breakfast was very good, and they did a great job replenishing items that were running low.

Lunch

Their lunch buffet had a wide variety of options and something for everyone.

AgedCheeseSandwich — *Aged cheese sandwiches*

Salad&Hummus — *Veggies with feta and hummus*

Coleslaw&Potatoes — Cole slaw with baked potatoes. Pardon the terrible picture quality for this one. Had to rush it because of the growing line behind me.

The lunch was excellent, and since we got to it while it was hot and fresh, I’m sure that made a big difference. The pasta with the tomato cream sauce was delicious. The hummus was top-notch, and even their aged cheese sandwich, as simple as it may sound, was very good. There were many other options, but these are the items I was able to get to discretely without embarrassing myself (lol). KLM Crown Lounge did a great job with its food offerings.

SelfServeDrinks — *This is one of the two self-serve bar areas in the lounge*

The bar area was expansive, and they had fountain drinks available in addition to adult beverages. They also had an espresso machine with plenty of options to suit your taste. I had the cappuccino twice.

Other Amenities

This lounge is equipped with showers, but you have to go to the help desk and reserve a shower room in advance. This lounge also has a designated smoking room and was definitely the quietest room in the lounge. There were plenty of European plug outlets but no USB ports, so be sure to have an adapter if you’re traveling from the U.S. or Canada. Unlike the two premium lounges I visited, this one did not have private bedrooms. If you need to sleep, you can lie on the cushioned booth-style seating near the bar. I’m not sure if it’s frowned upon, but I did see several travelers catching a snooze this way.

I tested the Wi-Fi speed at this lounge, and it was far better than I expected. This is great for business travelers and anyone who wants to stream video.

Overall, this was a fantastic lounge with a lot of square footage and plenty of options for food. It can get crowded during the morning hours between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m., but due to its enormous size, you shouldn’t have a problem finding a seat. If you’re traveling through Amsterdam on a business class ticket or have access via elite status and have some time to spare, check out the KLM Crown Lounge.