Arguably (depending on who you ask) better than a traditional airport lounge, Minute Suites are a great place to kick back and relax — and even take a power nap — while you wait for your flight at an airport. These private rooms are available at several airports for hourlong rentals for guests to have a quiet and secluded space to get work done, sleep or just be away from the usual hustle and bustle inside of an airport.
While some people have to pay to access Minute Suites, Priority Pass members receive one hour for free. A super-sweet addition to the Priority Pass network, I’ve taken advantage of them plenty of times by using my Priority Pass membership to snag a nap in a suite at no charge after a 5 a.m. arrival at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
From these stays, I’ve picked up a few tips that first-time and even experienced users may benefit from knowing.
What airports are Minute Suites located in?
You can find Minute Suites at the following airports:
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL): Concourses B, E and F
- Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI): Concourse C
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT): Atrium and D/E Connector
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW): Terminals A and D; Concourse A
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH): Terminal C North
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK): Terminal 4, Concourse B
- Nashville International Airport (BNA): Concourse D
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR): Terminal 3, Gate C3
- Philadelphia International Airport (PHL): A/B Connector
- Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC): Concourse A
Now that you know where to access Minute Suites via Priority Pass, here are some tips for your next visit.
Related: Everything you need to know about the Priority Pass airport lounge program
You can book online in advance
While reservations are not required, if you want to guarantee access, you can book your reservation online in advance on the Minute Suites website.
This is especially handy if you have an important conference call and you know you’ll need to be in a private, quiet space, or if you have an overnight connection and you will want to take a nap.
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Food and drinks aren’t included in the Minute Suites
Minute Suites has plenty of drinks and snacks for purchase at check-in and inside the room, but none of these are provided for free to Priority Pass members or other visitors. The agent explained this situation at check-in by saying that Minute Suites “partners with Priority Pass,” but it isn’t a lounge. So, you might want to grab a bite to eat before checking in and/or bring a drink with you.
The 1st hour is free, then it’s $34 per hour for Priority Pass members
While many Priority Pass lounges will have a three- to four-hour limit on visiting, I haven’t found many lounges that enforce a stay limitation. However, when you’re booking a private room at Minute Suites, there’s a much tighter control on visit times.
Each Priority Pass member “can use their lounge visit entitlement to use a Minute Suite for a 1-hour stay” with additional hours discounted to $34 each.
Minute Suites aren’t just for napping
While most visitors will likely use this opportunity to nap, don’t forget that you can use a Minute Suite as a private office during a layover. The rooms are surprisingly soundproof — complete with white-noise generators — meaning it’s a great location to make or receive calls.
You could use the provided (and speedy) internet to do some work at the small in-room desk.
Set the thermostat and white-noise generator first
No matter the reason that you’re using the room, one of your first steps should be setting the room’s thermostat to your desired temperature and tinkering with the white-noise dial.
Don’t forget to connect to the Wi-Fi network (password provided at the front desk and in the room) and charge your devices.
Related: Use these tricks to connect to hotel, airline and airport Wi-Fi networks
Extend your Minute Suites stay with this tip
While “up to 3 guests accompanying the Cardholder in the same Minute Suite may use it at no extra charge,” you can’t use the complimentary Priority Pass guest access to gain additional hours. However, there is a notable tip to gain additional hours inside of a Minute Suite.
Minute Suites will only run your Priority Pass card for one guest to get you one free hour. However, there are ways of staying longer than an hour. My wife Katie and I have never had an issue checking in to Minute Suites for a two-hour stay by each providing a Priority Pass card.
I also tried something new: I asked the attendant if I could provide two different Priority Pass cards in addition to Katie’s to receive three complimentary hours. Since I was providing three different cards, the check-in agent had no issue with this, swiping each of the three cards to net us a free three-hour stay.
Discounted showers are available at some locations
If you need to freshen up before or after your flight, some locations, such as Dallas and Charlotte, have showers available for $30 for a half-hour period, or $20 with a suite rental.
Even if you don’t book a room, pull out your Priority Pass card if you plan to book a shower, as Priority Pass members get a discounted rate of $20 for a 30-minute shower.
How to earn a Priority Pass membership to access Minute Suites
Although you can purchase Priority Pass memberships, many credit cards offer Priority Pass airport lounge access as a perk. The following cards are among my favorites for Priority Pass lounge access since they offer unlimited Priority Pass lounge access for the primary cardholder with at least two complimentary guests per visit:
* Enrollment is required.
Bottom line
While renting a private room by the hour might not be your first thought when arriving at an airport, this can be a very handy perk if you need to catch up on sleep, change your clothes and repack your cabin baggage with privacy and extra space, or take an important work call.
With only one hour free with Priority Pass, you won’t have much time for a deep sleep without shelling out for additional time, but remember the free hours can be stacked if you have multiple Priority Pass memberships from holding more than one of the above credit cards or if you are traveling with someone else who has a Priority Pass membership.
Overall, if you want privacy and a quick nap, this is a great perk from Priority Pass.
