Escape Mate — Attraction in Wellington

edit: Escape Mate responded to my review by calling me and seeing what they could do to change my rating. It felt as though they were questioning/doubting my experience, but they were also trying to do right by me. I have upgraded to a 4-star from a 3-star because they're clearly overall a great company and I do genuinely look forward to trying their other games, but I stand by my experience outlined below and think it's useful for people to consider.

tl;dr: Escape Mate's Temple room was really great fun and we look forward to visiting the rest of their rooms, though we're nervous to book again after our experience with their customer service.

We had a great time at Escape Mate! Five of us took on the Temple room, which was super well decorated and immersive. The puzzles were clever, novel, and high quality (barely a padlock in sight!). There's clearly been a lot of love and effort poured into the rooms, and we're looking forward to trying all of them now.

We had a great experience with the staff member who looked after us on the day - they were friendly and welcoming, gave just the right amount of backstory and gusto to get us in the puzzling mood, and looked after us very well while we were in the room: they were clearly following our moves closely to make sure the room behaved as it should, which was much appreciated.

Unfortunately our experience with a staff member prior to our visit was quite upsetting. Shortly before our booking, my wife was ambulanced to hospital with serious gastro symptoms and severe pain. After a sleepless night my wife called up to postpone the booking - though we were within the clear 'no cancellation' period, we thought it would be in everyone's best interest to keep a gastro-patient well clear of the premises. On the phone, my wife explained that she had been hospitalised and was still very ill. As she started to ask about rescheduling options, the Escape Mate staff member interrupted her mid-sentence with "let me stop you right there", and went on to explain the cancellation policy, and that we wouldn't be able to cancel or reschedule. After asking again if there was anything they could do given the circumstances, she received an offer of a single other time slot, but this was accompanied by a strange time-limit, as if she had to decide before hanging up while she was in a frazzled state. The call ended unsatisfactorily, and was followed by a little cry from my wife and me from the unexpected harshness adding insult to her hospital injury.

After we emailed to confirm the situation, their reply was more understanding and accommodating, though I think we wouldn't have received this had we not followed up in writing.

I totally understand Escape Mate's need to be restrictive with their cancellation policy - last minute changes to booking will cost them, and on top of that we were using a grabone voucher so the margins must be razor thin, but in this case their initial response to our single rebooking request really made us consider ever going again, or recommending them to anyone.

Overall we had a great time at Escape Mate, and will likely return to try all their different Escape Rooms which look great. I'm hopeful that this feedback will help both potential customers considering locking themselves into some very restrictive booking terms, and the company consider the way they interact...

Escape Mate truly stands out as an exceptional adventure that I can't recommend enough! From the moment my friends and I stepped into the escape room, we were engulfed in an atmosphere brimming with intriguing puzzles and challenges. What made our experience even more remarkable was the sheer variety of puzzles we encountered; there was never a dull moment as each puzzle presented a unique challenge, keeping us engaged and excited throughout.

The theme of the escape room was not only fun but also perfectly complemented by the stunning décor that added an extra layer of immersion to our adventure. It's clear that a lot of thought and creativity has been poured into designing this experience, making it a memorable one.

Adding to the overall joy was our guide, Joanna, whose cheerful demeanor and enthusiastic guidance significantly enhanced our experience. She set the perfect mood for fun, helping our group navigate through the challenges with a smile on our faces.

After such an incredible time at Escape Mate, my friends and I are eagerly looking forward to exploring their other locations soon. It's an experience that brings people together, challenging them in the most enjoyable way possible. If you're looking for an adventure that's filled with fun, teamwork, and a bit of brain-teasing, then Escape Mate is the...

Our group of two did two of their escape rooms. The first was the Temple. It was a jungle themed adventure filled with puzzles and fun. You really have to think about where things go, but at the same time it feels intuitive. My favorite parts where when the room moved and changed to give way to new sections of the room. Felt like I was really discovering new and forgotten things.

The second escape room was their newest (and most difficult) room: Atlantis. Words cannot describe how much fun this room was. It's the biggest escape room I've ever seen and boy was it worth the extra challenge. Izzy was very supportive and kind to give us clues when we got a little lost. Technically the room is designed for larger groups, so our small group of two had a daunting challenge indeed. A huge thank you to Izzy for making our experience that much better. We really had a great time. I recommend all of Escape Mate's rooms as it's clear their put a lot of time and effort crafting an immersive experience. Truly...