Escape Lounge Now Open at Reno/Tahoe Airport, Free with American Express Platinum Card

Great news for the ski and snowboard crowd this winter: Reno/Tahoe airport (RNO) opened its very first airport lounge in December, which happens to be an Escape Lounge. I reviewed the Escape Lounge at Minneapolis/St. Paul airport last Fall, and I think these are among some of the best domestic U.S. lounges available to frequent fliers.

As a general reminder, the Escape Lounge is not a Priority Pass lounge, so if you are a Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholder, you will not be able to use these lounges without paying for a day pass. However, if you are an American Express Platinum Card holder, you are permitted to enter this lounge. Other Escape lounges in the U.S. besides Minneapolis and Reno are available in Oakland (OAK) and Hartford Bradley (BDL) airports.

One of the neat features of Escape Lounges is that they tend to add local twists to their lounges when it comes to some of the softer elements, namely, artwork, design, and food and beverage. For example, the Escape Lounge at Minneapolis/St. Paul airport featured gorgeous paintings of Minnesota and plenty of local breweries on tap at the bar, such as Fulton and Surly.

Escape Lounges are actually owned by the Manchester Airports Group (MAG) which is a holding company owned by the ten metropolitan borough councils of Manchester, England, and the Australian investment fund IFM Investors. In addition to owning Manchester Ringway (MAN) and London Stansted (STN) airports, MAG Group operates MAG USA, a wholly-owned subsidiary that started in 2015. MAG USA brings the Escape Lounges, commercial parking products, P3s (public-private partnerships), and terminal developments that help enhance the passenger experience at U.S. airports.

Escape Lounges are agnostic to airline-specific club memberships, meaning, if you are a member of the United Club, for example, you will have to pay for a day-pass to use the Escape Lounge unless you happen to also be an AMEX Platinum card holder. The price of a one-day pass to the Escape Lounge in RNO is $45, although pre-bookings at www.escapelounges.com are entitled to a $5 discount. It is also agnostic to the class of service that the customer purchased.

The lounge is located between the B and C connectors at RNO airport, and open from 4:30 AM to 8:00 PM daily. Its 1,800 square foot facility accommodates up to 52 people at maximum capacity. The menu for the food items has been designed by Chef Colin Smith of Roundabout Grill in the Whitney Peak Hotel, which is located in Downtown Reno, NV.

For those passing through RNO airport in the upcoming months, the menu options are available on its website, and guests can look forward to the following menu options.