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“When you step out of the elevator to go into the lounge, it’s dimly lit, and it’s got this Centurion logo on the floor in lights,” said the 38-year-old financial-technology worker. “It feels really like you’re going to something exclusive.”

Customers who pay $5,000 a year for the Centurion Card, better known as the Black Card, can walk into the lounge whenever they please and reserve meeting or event spaces.Everyone else needs a reservation. Platinum cardholders, like Remy, who pay $695 a year, can try to reserve a table through Amex’s concierge service. Those without either card must call a phone number that only works two hours a day.

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