My First Minute Suites Airport “Lounge” Experience

My First Minute Suites Airport “Lounge” Experience

38

I realize I’m way late to this party, but I just used an airport Minute Suites private room for the first time. I can’t decide whether I just found the whole thing pointless, whether I’d do it again, or both…

The basics of Minute Suites airport retreats

For those not familiar, Minute Suites offers private “retreats” at around a dozen airports in the United States. Minute Suites locations are all airside within airport terminals, and the idea is that you can get a private room with a daybed, a chair and desk, and a TV, for anywhere from an hour to an overnight.

Where is Minute Suites located?

Minute Suites currently has locations at the following airports:

  • Atlanta (ATL)
  • Baltimore (BWI)
  • Charlotte (CLT)
  • Dallas (DFW)
  • Detroit (DTW)
  • Nashville (BNA)
  • New York (JFK)
  • Newark (EWR)
  • Philadelphia (PHL)
  • Salt Lake City (SLC)

How much does Minute Suites charge?

Minute Suites has the same pricing at all of its locations, as follows:

  • One hour costs $48, and then each additional 15 minutes costs $12
  • An extended eight hour overnight stay costs $175
  • For locations with showers, a shower costs $30 if purchased separately, or it costs $20 in conjunction with a room rental

That’s some steep pricing, especially when you see what’s included.

How do you access Minute Suites with Priority Pass?

All Minute Suites locations also belong to Priority Pass, which is definitely the better value way to visit one of these locations. You can expect the following terms to be associated with a Priority Pass visit:

  • Only Priority Pass memberships that include experiences, like Priority Pass restaurants, qualify for this; so if you have your membership issued through select credit cards, you wouldn’t get access to these experiences
  • Priority Pass members can get a one hour stay in a Minute Suites location, and then can have up to three guests accompany them
  • Beyond the first hour, each subsequent hour will be charged at a discounted rate of $34

My Minute Suites Priority Pass experience

I just used the Minute Suites location at Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH) with Priority Pass, and figured I’d report back with my experience. On the plus side, there was no waitlist when I arrived, but that might also have to do with the fact that it was late at night and the terminal was empty.

The person checking me in was super friendly and swiped my Priority Pass card.

Minute Suites exterior

She then asked if I wanted to extend my time beyond an hour, or if I wanted to purchase any drinks or snacks. I’ve gotta say, the markup on these products isn’t actually that bad, at least by airport standards.

Minute Suites snacks & drinks for purchase
Minute Suites snack & drink prices

I was then escorted to my “room,” and I was given the time by which I’d have to leave. It’s kind of strange to me how little effort Minute Suites puts into design. While brands like Yotel try to add cool mood lighting and have a modern vibe, Minute Suites feels a bit more like being at a doctor’s office. That wasn’t just the case in the hallway, but also in the room itself.

Minute Suites hallway

It’s my understanding that Minute Suites is really consistent across locations with its room design. The room consisted of what was somewhere between a loveseat and a couch.

Minute Suites private room

There was a lower level of the couch you could pull out. I’m not sure if that’s intended to act as a leg rest of sorts, or if it’s more intended so that two people could sleep next to one another.

Minute Suites private room

Separately from the couch, the room had a desk with an office chair, as well as a wall-mounted TV.

Minute Suites private room

Through the TV you could access Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV, Disney+, etc., but you have to log-in with your own details.

Minute Suites TV

Each room also had a thermostat, as well as a sound masking device, to drown out any noise outside the room.

Minute Suites thermostat
Minute Suites sound machine

I wasn’t initially offered any sort of bedding, though after getting to the room I asked if they had pillows and blankets. I was offered them, though I didn’t get the sense that they were recently cleaned, as she just kind of pulled them out of a closet, and they smelled kind of musty.

Minute Suites pillow & blanket

The whole room just felt pretty beat up, with scratches all over the wall, and you could even see exactly where on the couch people had been sitting. Note that there are no private bathrooms at Minute Suites. Some locations have shared bathrooms, while others don’t even have that, and make you use the bathrooms in the terminal (as is the case in Houston).

What’s kind of amazing to me is that this Houston location is still pretty new, and only opened in late 2022. This is the decor they chose for this space in 2022??

I’m not sure what to make of Minute Suites?

Usually I have opinions on “lounge” experiences, but I walked away from my Minute Suites experience not being sure what to think. So let me share a few thoughts.

First of all, outside of Priority Pass, I don’t really get the Minute Suites value proposition. I couldn’t imagine spending $48 per hour to sit in this room. I also couldn’t imagine spending $175 to stay here overnight rather than in a hotel room, outside of very unusual circumstances, like if every hotel were sold out, or I really had a four hour overnight stay in a terminal.

With Priority Pass, I suppose this is better than sitting in the terminal, but that’s about all I can say. Years ago, I would’ve said that I’d rather go sit in a Priority Pass lounge, though nowadays many Priority Pass lounges even have waitlists, so it is really nice to have a private space. I think having some personal space is the ultimate luxury in an airport, and Minute Suites does offer that.

That being said, I’m not sure what exactly to do in the Minute Suites room for an hour? To me that’s definitely not long enough for a nap. I suppose I could sit on the couch and watch a TV show. So I ended up just sitting at the desk working on my laptop for an hour.

I could see more value to this if I were traveling with a small child, because it could be valuable to have somewhere they could take a nap. But that’s just one very specific circumstance.

I’m not sure what to think of the whole experience, though I’m curious to hear from OMAAT readers. Do you use Minute Suites, and if so, how do you use them (please don’t make me regret asking that)?

Bottom line

Minute Suites offers private rooms for resting at roughly a dozen airports in the United States. It’s an interesting concept, as each room has a couch, a desk, and a TV, and it’s intended to be an escape from the terminal. The company charges $48 per hour, or otherwise, you can get an hour with your Priority Pass allowance, assuming you have an eligible card.

I finally got around to visiting one of these locations, and I’m not sure what to make of it…

What’s your take on Minute Suites?

Conversations (38)
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  1. Matt Guest

    I recently used Minute Suites for a fringe case with multiple layovers. Had to book last minute work travel and to accomodate the tricky timing, I had to take a red eye from the west coast to east. OAK to SLC - 3 hour layover at 9pm. SLC to JFK - 3 hour layover at 5am. Then connected to my final stop at 8am. I was able to use minute suites both layovers to get...

    I recently used Minute Suites for a fringe case with multiple layovers. Had to book last minute work travel and to accomodate the tricky timing, I had to take a red eye from the west coast to east. OAK to SLC - 3 hour layover at 9pm. SLC to JFK - 3 hour layover at 5am. Then connected to my final stop at 8am. I was able to use minute suites both layovers to get a few hours of sleep. I do have priority pass so I got the first hour free. The remaining cost was around $50 to get a full 2.5 hours in the room. (~$100 for both stops)

    For me it was a great experience allowing me to sleep for a few hours. Transparently it was attached as a business expense, but I would certainly book this again on my own dime. That being said, if I wasn’t using it to sleep I’m not sure if it would be worth the cost. So there’s only a few cases where this makes sense for me, but when a few hours of sleep is what you need - great value for money.

  2. Ricardo Ramirez Guest

    My GF and I love these options. We have only used them in DFW when we connect with either AA or NK. Since we both have PP, we always (knock on wood) get up to 2 hours, which is enough to get a nap in, and then head to the centurion lounge for breakfast.

  3. dee Guest

    I had the unpleasant experience of paying for an over night stay at JFK ! SInce I got in very late(after 11 pm and I had pre-paid for the room the day before) the only room left was very small with a blow-up mattress.. horrid and very uncomfortable. If you needed the rest room across at another gate you had to tell person at the desk as you were automatically locked out when u left...

    I had the unpleasant experience of paying for an over night stay at JFK ! SInce I got in very late(after 11 pm and I had pre-paid for the room the day before) the only room left was very small with a blow-up mattress.. horrid and very uncomfortable. If you needed the rest room across at another gate you had to tell person at the desk as you were automatically locked out when u left the room...Never doing that again. The only saving grace was the Delta lounge opened at ?5 am so I went there and got a shower and breakfast.. It was empty and the staff were so very nice to me..

  4. TK Guest

    Used Minute Suites at PHL back in 2019. Flying PIT-PHL-MCO. Got to PHL around 7:30am and my flight to MCO wasn’t until 1245. Used Minute Suites via Priority Pass to take a nap until around 11:00am. It was great!!

  5. Ian B. Guest

    I used the Minute Suites in Atlanta a couple of years ago when I had an incoming flight arrive late at about 2 a.m. and a connection out at 6 a.m. At the time, I had three PP cards and they let me stack them so I didn't pay anything for a 3 hour nap. It was not particularly comfortable but way better than sleeping on the airport floor (which I've done plenty of times)....

    I used the Minute Suites in Atlanta a couple of years ago when I had an incoming flight arrive late at about 2 a.m. and a connection out at 6 a.m. At the time, I had three PP cards and they let me stack them so I didn't pay anything for a 3 hour nap. It was not particularly comfortable but way better than sleeping on the airport floor (which I've done plenty of times). I got the last room and a young solider was behind me in line in uniform on the way home from a deployment. I let him crash on my floor and he agreed way it was way better than out in the terminal where you have to watch your stuff and hear constant announcements.

    1. Chris H Guest

      Very commendable to ask the solider to join you!

  6. Steve Diamond

    "I’m not sure what exactly to do in the Minute Suites room for an hour?"

    I think we know, i think we all know....

  7. DLPTATL Guest

    I can see myself using this for a conference call/video call when a lounge either isn't available or is too crowded. Otherwise I don't really get-it.

  8. AOH Guest

    @ Ben, I've been using them for awhile and have some notes:

    1. It used to be much, much better. Each "suite" had fresh pillows and bedding, and it was obvious that the room was cleaned between each reservation. More recently, the rooms have been offered bare- as pictured, and usually not very clean. Also, the TVs were connected to local channels and services. During the last view visits, I only had the option to...

    @ Ben, I've been using them for awhile and have some notes:

    1. It used to be much, much better. Each "suite" had fresh pillows and bedding, and it was obvious that the room was cleaned between each reservation. More recently, the rooms have been offered bare- as pictured, and usually not very clean. Also, the TVs were connected to local channels and services. During the last view visits, I only had the option to connect to my own streaming service (Netflix, Hulu, etc.). Quality has definitely deteriorated.

    2. As for the question of usefulness-- it sometimes feels amazing to get in the suite, close the door and rest a bit. In my experience, the sound-proofing was actually quite decent and being in a quiet, private, dark room was a god-send during long days of travel & lay-overs. So I'd say it's certainly not a perfect experience and an hour is far too short, but I still go from time to time.

  9. Mark P Gold

    If both you and a traveling companion have your own Priority Pass, you can stack them together and get a 2 hour block in the same room. Assuming you want to stay there that long of course.

  10. Joseph Guest

    My wife and I recently enjoyed the LGA location. One-Minute was all I needed.

    1. AD Diamond

      wow, I feel sorry for your wife!

    2. D3kingg Guest

      Good for you Joseph. Let a player play. That counts as mile high club.

  11. Will Guest

    Ben, I recently visited Minute Suites at JFK T4, so I could give my 3yo and 8 month infant a place to relax for an hour. It was useful to break up the 6-hour layover we had, especially considering how difficult it is to bring small children into other lounges anymore.

    Otherwise I agree, I'm not sure it's worth the money given the low effort they put into the amenities.

  12. James S Guest

    The Newark location is "coming soon".

    I used it once in Dallas and had a bad experience. At check in I asked if I had to check out and was told no, just leave after an hour. So I did.

    I then saw a credit charge for 2 additional hours. I called and was told I stayed that long. The guy was not friendly. I told him that's impossible, my flight was well in...

    The Newark location is "coming soon".

    I used it once in Dallas and had a bad experience. At check in I asked if I had to check out and was told no, just leave after an hour. So I did.

    I then saw a credit charge for 2 additional hours. I called and was told I stayed that long. The guy was not friendly. I told him that's impossible, my flight was well in the air at that point. They made me track down the flight info and send it to them to issue a refund.

    Never again.

    Did they ask you to check out lucky or did you just leave?

  13. GB Guest

    I live in California and have family in New England. Visiting requires a layover in PHL, CLT, etc. If I've taken the red-eye and the connection is long enough, (2.5 h+), I will book at Minute Suites. In that case napping or trying to nap in a dark room beats walking around the terminal like a zombie or trying to get into a lounge. Utility over luxury, especially w Priority Pass!

    1. DCAWABN Guest

      This was my experience, too. I had a flight cancellation from 11 PM to 6 AM the following morning on DL. The line to get a hotel was crazy and people reported not getting to the hotel until 2 AM to sleep for an hour then have to come back to the airport. I knew there was a Minute Suites a few gates away and at the time, knowing I had work to do the...

      This was my experience, too. I had a flight cancellation from 11 PM to 6 AM the following morning on DL. The line to get a hotel was crazy and people reported not getting to the hotel until 2 AM to sleep for an hour then have to come back to the airport. I knew there was a Minute Suites a few gates away and at the time, knowing I had work to do the following morning, the ~$100 (pre-pandemic) was reasonable for some shuteye and a shower. Couch/bed wasn't super comfy because sleeping on vinyl rarely is, but it sure as hell beat standing in line for hours to only get an hour of sleep whereas I snagged about 4.5 hours.

  14. Todd Guest

    You mention that you used it in Houston IAH but on the list of locations available you don't list Houston.

  15. Cbchicago Guest

    Where was the location in IAH?

    1. Never In Doubt Guest

      AMEX app says near gate C14.

  16. Muggus Guest

    Just used one last month in CLT. If you are traveling and have to get serious work done that requires concentration (like writing a legal brief) and you’re in an airport where the lounges are packed it’s a godsend. I booked it for four hours and didn’t see another soul or hear another sound the whole time. I used the bathroom twice and had it to myself and it was very clean. Just make sure you can expense it because it is pricey.

  17. Chad Guest

    These were clutch during the pandemic as a reprieve from the masses and masks. Other than that, it's just a private room to hang out or change.

    1. Greg Z Guest

      This! Was helpful during longer layover, esp with Wife and college aged Son. Nice to have a private room, with no masks on and not sitting in a crowded lounge or gate area for hours.

  18. GroeneMichel Gold

    They are indeed quite odd, and LGA has one too FYI!

  19. SubwayNut Guest

    AMEX priority passes allow access. I've never tried to use one but there listed as possible lounges on the AMEX app when I'm logged in with my Platinum card.

  20. Sam Guest

    Caught 45 mins of sleep after a red eye to dfw, before a connection to HNL. Headed to the Amex lounge for a shower & breakfast after. Was it optimal? No. But was was nice to grab the bit of extra shut eye in a quiet place.

  21. Mike Guest

    We use them when available when we travel with our autistic son. Great to have a quiet private place for him to relax and get him prepared for a flight. Also minimizes the chance of someone filming him and posting it on Tiktok, and then bloggers posting about bad parenting because a teenager they know nothing about is acting "inappropriately" in an airport.

  22. Chris W Guest

    What do people normally do in rooms that are sold by the hour?

    Use your imagination.

    1. Lee Guest

      Thanks for sharing. When's middle school graduation?

    2. Steve Diamond

      He is not wrong, and if you go into one of these "suites" and think its not clean then imagine how dirty it really is. No thanks. I cant imagine most people actually use these for anything other than that.

  23. Andrew Guest

    I once had a flight cancellation leading to a 10-hour layover in Philly. I purchased an Admirals lounge day pass and a shower from Minute Suites. The way I saw it, for 80 dollars total I got food, drinks and a shower all day.

  24. JL Guest

    The priority pass complimentary stay being only 1 hour is the biggest problem, IMHO.
    1 hour is not enough to do anything...I was trying to get some shut eye last time, and I had to wake up right after I fell asleep, which was obviously quite painful.
    They really need to make it at least 2 hours to make the visit worthwhile.

  25. tom Guest

    I used the one in CLT once. I checked in, dumped my bag in the room, plugged in my devices and went off to get some food. Came back gathered up my stuff and went to my flight with all devices charged. Also useful if you need to change clothes or need a quiet room to get some work done, but otherwise it is fairly limited. Cannot imagine paying for it, all their revenue must come from PP

  26. TTraveler Guest

    Think airport code of New York might be wrong.

    1. Lee Guest

      JFK Terminal 4
      EWR Terminal C
      Looks correct.

  27. Klaus Guest

    Since it’s included in my priority pass, I would use it for an online meeting so I don’t have the airport background noise and to ensure confidentiality.

    Other than changing diapers or breastfeeding, I do not see the additional value with children: one hour is not enough for a nap.

    It doesn’t look too romantic and also doesn’t look soundproof…

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Joseph Guest

My wife and I recently enjoyed the LGA location. One-Minute was all I needed.

3
Ian B. Guest

I used the Minute Suites in Atlanta a couple of years ago when I had an incoming flight arrive late at about 2 a.m. and a connection out at 6 a.m. At the time, I had three PP cards and they let me stack them so I didn't pay anything for a 3 hour nap. It was not particularly comfortable but way better than sleeping on the airport floor (which I've done plenty of times). I got the last room and a young solider was behind me in line in uniform on the way home from a deployment. I let him crash on my floor and he agreed way it was way better than out in the terminal where you have to watch your stuff and hear constant announcements.

2
tom Guest

I used the one in CLT once. I checked in, dumped my bag in the room, plugged in my devices and went off to get some food. Came back gathered up my stuff and went to my flight with all devices charged. Also useful if you need to change clothes or need a quiet room to get some work done, but otherwise it is fairly limited. Cannot imagine paying for it, all their revenue must come from PP

2
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