Last week, we posted a review of the Minute Suites location at the BWI airport. With only five private rooms, the available space can fill up fast (especially during prime flight times). However, there are multiple ways to reserve a suite for your preferred time slot. In this post, we will review how to book a Minute Suites room ahead of time.
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Why Should You Make a Reservation?
With limited rooms available, space at the Minute Suites can fill up. In my experience, the vast majority of people visit the Minute Suites locations without reservations. They go to the suites at the airport and ask for an available room at that moment. While the location may have an open room, it is far from guaranteed. By making a reservation ahead of time, you know that a suite will be available to you when arrive. Visitors rarely book suites for longer than an hour when requested at the airport. However, this could be all the time you have available. Reservations allow visitors to avoid the waitlist and uncertainty associated with trying to secure a suite while at the airport.
When Shouldn’t You Make a Reservation?
Making a reservation for a suite ahead of time would seem like an obvious choice. However, there is one specific circumstance where it doesn’t make sense. Minute Suites charges a no-show fee ($28) if you don’t keep your reservation. This can present a problem if you have uncertain travel arrangements or poor timing on the day you plan to visit.
For example, if you aren’t sure that you will arrive at the airport in time for the start of your reservation, you have two options. The first option is to forgo the reservation to ensure you aren’t charged a no-show fee. The other option is to have the phone number of the local Minute Suites or the app readily available to you. This way you can cancel the reservation before your reservation time to avoid the fee.
If you don’t think you will have connectivity, avoid making the reservation unless you are willing to pay the fee if something goes wrong with your travel plans. Things that go wrong with travel plans are usually outside of our control like flight delays and cancellations. While you may have luck removing a no-show fee in those circumstances with a local agent, the company does not have a written policy of waiving the no-show fee.
How to Make a Reservation Online?
If you have determined that a reservation is appropriate for you, the Minute Suites website is the first option. Navigate to the Minute Suites Reservation page and select the location where you want to book a reservation.
After selecting the location, you will be brought to a page to select the date, appointment type, and duration of the reservation. The date selection should be obvious. The appointment type gives the visitor the option of selecting the basic one-hour up to eight-hour suite rental in quarter-hour increments. The same drop-down provides the options to select a Priority Pass reservation, military/1st responder rates, overnight rates, and nursing mother services. After selecting any of the above, visitors can select a specific suite at a location that they want to book. However, the suites are identical at the majority of locations so selecting a suite here will limit the options available for reservations. Therefore, I recommend leaving this blank.
After clicking Search, visitors will be brought to a page showing all the available timeslots for each of the suites searched as shown below. Select the timeslot and suite appropriate for your needs. A pop-up will appear to confirm the date, start time, end time, suite, and appointment type. If all of this information is correct, click Next. If you aren’t logged into a Minute Suites account, you will be prompted to log in. You will be taken to a cost confirmation page if you are logged in.
On this page, review the price, suite, and timeslot that was selected. If you are satisfied, proceed to the final screen where you will check out. If you are booking a 1-hour Priority Pass or 30-minute nursing mother appointment, there will be no charge. You will still be required to check out with a credit card in the event that you no-show. After this, your reservation is complete, and you are ready for your visit.
How to Make a Reservation in the Mobile App?
Minute Suites also has an iPhone and Android app that can be used for making reservations. The process is very similar to that above, but a couple of screens have slightly different options.
After downloading the app, the first step is to set up your profile including your name, email address, and phone number. You will also need to set up your app wallet which contain the credit or debit cards for payment of your stay at the Minute Suites.
After setting up a profile, you can book the reservation. Begin by selecting the “Book” icon in the bottom-of-screen menu. This will allow users to select the desired appointment (regular, overnight, Priority Pass, military/1st responder, or nursing mother). The same screen also lets users select the length of time for the reservation.
After selecting the appointment type, the screen will ask for the day that you want to reserve. The current day and subsequent days will automatically load. Be patient as each subsequent date will load in slowly as you attempt to scroll down. If you are attempting to book many days in advance, use the calendar icon at the top-right of the screen to select the desired date. Again be patient as it may take the app a little time to load. Also notice that the suites may be listed multiple times per day. The available times will be different with a gap in between indicating that there is an existing reservation for that room during the missing hours.
After selecting the room, you can fine tune the start time for your reservation on the next screen. Once it is set up like you want it, select Book Appointment. This will take you to the second-to-last screen where you are able to see the appointment details and the cost. Confirm the cost, and the final payment screen will be displayed with the option to buy/finalize the booking. And that is it, your reservation is complete.
