Escape Lounges — Attraction in Fort Snelling Unorganized Territory

No stars should be an option based on my last experience with this lounge.

I have waited several weeks to provide feedback as the initial feedback would have contained words not appropriate for the horrendous way I was treated by the so called gentlemen who claimed to be the "supervisor" at the Escape Lounge at the Minneapolis/St Paul International Airport. I purchased an annual membership that stated access to this lounge was $35 a visit. When I presented my digital priority pass I was denied admission, even though this has never been an issue in many of my past visits. I pushed back on the "supervisor" showing him my pass and the parameters stated in writing that I clearly was welcomed if I paid $35.

The "supervisor" proceeded to show me an email that was taped up on the wall in customer view sent by the lounge's manager that I would not even read. A) An internal email should not be on display for the public with made up policy changes in which the "supervisor" started reading extremely loud for the lounge to hear. B) The "supervisor" thought it was appropriate to publicly shame me in front of a line of other disgruntled lounge customers waiting in line dealing with similar issues. What was even more repugnant and just disgusting is this supervisor proceeded to sit there while the desk worker scannned the next member in who CLEARLY had lounge access with a Delta Reserve Amex.

My flight did not leave for 3 more hours so I stood in the lounge requesting the "supervisor" to contact their manager or priority pass in which he refused. I took it upon myself to contact Priority Pass in the Escape Lounge lobby to lodge a complaint. It takes a lot for me to raise a complaint as I understand customer facing roles can be a challenge. The Priority Pass representative who I contacted to complain was very patient and confirmed I should have had no issue with accessing the lounge. The phone representative asked if I could pass my mobile phone to the "supervisor" in which I happily obliged. When attempting to have the "supervisor" speak with the Priority Pass representative, he refused several times but I was not backing down. It was known with the 10 customers in line, including the woman with the Delta Amex Reserve card still being treated like a criminal that there wass something off with this "supervisor."

The Priority Pass representative was constantly apologetic while on the phone listening to this debacle until eventually the "supervisor" finally agreed to speak with them on my mobile phone. The "supervisor" then starts arguing with the phone representative in front of customers and staff which I could not believe. This went on for 5 minutes and then my mobile phone was handed back to me. At this point the Priority Pass representative profusely apologized on behalf of Priority Pass and this "supervisor" who was obviously not happy in his role. Priority Pass was NOT the problem rather the "supervisor" of the Escape Lounge."

I think there needs to be more clarity and internal education of many lounge club employees as when Priority Pass comes up it can sometimes be confusing. However, my situation was far from confusing and revolved around a disgruntled "supervisor" on a major power trip who had no intention of being helpful or customer driven. The "supervisor" poorly represents this lounge and and needs a lesson on the treatment of other human beings and a lesson on what the customer experience consists of.

Thank you to the Priority Pass representative I spoke with on the phone. Shame on the "supervisor" for their disregard of other human beings and publicly humiliating people like it was some game.

From the time I entered the lounge and the time I spent spent pushing back on what was right wasted over an hour of my time and was finally given entry into the lounge to grab a quick bite. Just a shame.

IF I visit this lounge ever again, I hope this "supervisor" has taken some classes on emotional intelligence and what the definition of providing a good customer experience...

All the lounges at MSP are located in Terminal 1, which can be a bit of a hassle to reach depending on where you’re coming from. The train system at the airport is a little confusing — there’s a strange in-between metal platform that claims it’s Terminal 1, but it’s not the actual terminal where you check in. Just stay in that small hallway and wait for the next train, which will take you to the real Terminal 1. Once there, check in and, if you’re using PreCheck, you’ll basically walk right into the airport and the Escape Lounge is directly in front of you — very convenient.

We visited the lounge between 11 AM and 1 PM, and it wasn’t nearly as crowded as I expected for that time of day. The food selection was surprisingly good. I put together a nice little charcuterie plate with meats, cheeses, and crackers. My boyfriend really enjoyed the Italian sandwiches. We also tried the broccoli cheddar soup, which was a miss, and the Brussels sprouts — not bad once you added some seasoning.

One of the coffee machines was acting up and producing a strange foam, but luckily the other one worked fine. The coffee itself was standard lounge quality. For dessert, they had cookies and doughnuts — the doughnuts were on the denser side, but still decent.

The staff was friendly, attentive, and quick to clean and restock items. One thing to note: it seems like a lot of credit cards now grant access to Priority Pass lounges, so I wouldn’t be surprised if these lounges get more crowded over time. But overall, this was a pleasant and convenient spot to relax...

This was my first time ever using an airport lounge, and it proved to be a decent place to relax on a long layover between flights. The admission fee seems to be discounted for all AmEx cardholders, and there is totally free admission for platinum card holders. The lounge has a nice view of both the runways, and the downtown Minneapolis skyline in the distance.

One thing that didn’t seem to be working was the lounge WiFi, but I did get the MSP airport WiFi ok.

The open bar was a nice treat, and you could pay extra for more mid shelf / top shelf spirits. The drip coffee wasn’t great, but it was bottomless. The food wasn’t amazing, but it was decent (see photos). The staff there did bus my table often, which would refute complaints from other reviewers here that you might have to bus your own table.

Some other reviewers here complained about the bathroom being just outside the actual lounge, and in a public area. Ok. What more do you want?! A 1950’s style bathroom attendant with cologne and breath mints? Seriously?! Yes, it’s a restroom open that’s technically open to the general public, yes, true, but, it’s also upstairs in a secluded area very much off the beaten path from the bustle of the terminal. These reviewers are implying you might have to share the bathroom with the airport riff-raff. Nope, it ain’t like that at all. Over a period of several hours, I found the restroom to be very clean during my travel in February, 2022.

If I had another long layover, I would defiantly go back again if I could get a...