You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub
The Club MSY, New Orleans
review by Paul Oswell
(This isn't strictly a hotel room review, but it is a room that you pay money for the use of in New Orleans, so we'll allow it into our hotel review pages).
It’s always great to haul yourself out of bed at 4am for an early morning flight, fall into a cab, grunt through check-in, stagger through security with bleary eyes and get to the gate, only to be told that “all the FAA computers are down” and now you’re leaving at noon. Fun times. Break out the bunting. Bring out the fatted calf. I was already in an irascible snit thanks to two hours of sleep, but now it’s an ordeal.
I wouldn’t usually drop just over $50 ($55.60 to be exact) for a few hours in an airport lounge, but the perfect storm of an unforeseen delay and my mounting irritability combine to make The Club MSY an attractive proposition.
You take a dedicated elevator to the third floor, and it opens out into the lobby. You’re supposed to book a time slot at least a day in advance (you can enter from three hours before your boarding time) but if it’s not too busy, you can buy a day pass on the door. You can also access the lounge with Priority Pass membership.
The main lounge, with comfy chairs, desks and charging points for around 30 people, is half full. Smooth jazz is playing ominously, and though we do segue into some jaunty Gloria Estefan numbers for a while, the genre returns and becomes the prevailing musical motif. Seems like that should be a punishable crime in New Orleans but what can you do?
There are a couple of families with young children that I’m in no fit state to be around, so I slink into the Quiet Zone, which has four single-seat booths with high backs and four soundproof booths. These are a great addition, and it means that braying business types who assume the whole world to be their office can hole up and have their tedious meetings turned down to a low muffle.
The lounge clears out quite quickly as someone at the FAA turns their router off and on again, and morning flights begin to take off. By 9.30am, I almost have the place to myself. The lounge is open from 4am (it closes at 9pm), and there are perks beyond the comfort and relative tranquility (smooth jazz excepted).
There’s a self-service breakfast buffet, with pastries, oatmeal, fruit, juices and hot drinks. You can also access a hot menu via a QR code, and they serve up a serviceable potato hash with ham or a breakfast scramble. Service took around five minutes, and the friendly staff works hard to maintain the space, remove trash and crockery, etc.
If you need an emergency hair of the dog or you're carefree enough to start boozing no matter the time of day (it is New Orleans, after all), then you could easily do more than $50 worth of damage to the open bar, which has beers, wines, liquor and cocktails including a Loaded Bloody Mary and a Blood Orange Mimosa. I’d say a focused approach, three drinks and some food and the club has pretty much paid for itself.
I never feel more sophisticated and adult than when I’m taking a shower in an airport and although I didn’t try the facilities on this occasion, it’s reassuring that they have them. I did make use of the fast wifi (it seemed slightly speedier than the regular free airport wifi) and there are TVs and workstations if you’re in the market for either of those things.
Is it worth $55.60? It depends on your situation. I sneaked five hours (no snitching, please) as they looked at the initial departure time as I entered, not the delayed one. I didn’t drink any alcohol, but if you had a mind to, you could conceivably save money on the regular airport food and drink outlets while maxin’ and relaxin’ in a more comfortable space, albeit with a limited (but perfectly fine) food menu.
In short…maybe? Boozehounds, hungry boys and fans of smooth jazz will eke out the best value, but if you just need a quiet spot for an hour or two, then the further reaches of Terminal A plus some headphones might do just as well. Overall, though, a positive experience for me, and worth thinking about if you’re stuck airside, an increasingly likely situation these days.
review by Paul Oswell
(This isn't strictly a hotel room review, but it is a room that you pay money for the use of in New Orleans, so we'll allow it into our hotel review pages).
It’s always great to haul yourself out of bed at 4am for an early morning flight, fall into a cab, grunt through check-in, stagger through security with bleary eyes and get to the gate, only to be told that “all the FAA computers are down” and now you’re leaving at noon. Fun times. Break out the bunting. Bring out the fatted calf. I was already in an irascible snit thanks to two hours of sleep, but now it’s an ordeal.
I wouldn’t usually drop just over $50 ($55.60 to be exact) for a few hours in an airport lounge, but the perfect storm of an unforeseen delay and my mounting irritability combine to make The Club MSY an attractive proposition.
You take a dedicated elevator to the third floor, and it opens out into the lobby. You’re supposed to book a time slot at least a day in advance (you can enter from three hours before your boarding time) but if it’s not too busy, you can buy a day pass on the door. You can also access the lounge with Priority Pass membership.
The main lounge, with comfy chairs, desks and charging points for around 30 people, is half full. Smooth jazz is playing ominously, and though we do segue into some jaunty Gloria Estefan numbers for a while, the genre returns and becomes the prevailing musical motif. Seems like that should be a punishable crime in New Orleans but what can you do?
There are a couple of families with young children that I’m in no fit state to be around, so I slink into the Quiet Zone, which has four single-seat booths with high backs and four soundproof booths. These are a great addition, and it means that braying business types who assume the whole world to be their office can hole up and have their tedious meetings turned down to a low muffle.
The lounge clears out quite quickly as someone at the FAA turns their router off and on again, and morning flights begin to take off. By 9.30am, I almost have the place to myself. The lounge is open from 4am (it closes at 9pm), and there are perks beyond the comfort and relative tranquility (smooth jazz excepted).
There’s a self-service breakfast buffet, with pastries, oatmeal, fruit, juices and hot drinks. You can also access a hot menu via a QR code, and they serve up a serviceable potato hash with ham or a breakfast scramble. Service took around five minutes, and the friendly staff works hard to maintain the space, remove trash and crockery, etc.
If you need an emergency hair of the dog or you're carefree enough to start boozing no matter the time of day (it is New Orleans, after all), then you could easily do more than $50 worth of damage to the open bar, which has beers, wines, liquor and cocktails including a Loaded Bloody Mary and a Blood Orange Mimosa. I’d say a focused approach, three drinks and some food and the club has pretty much paid for itself.
I never feel more sophisticated and adult than when I’m taking a shower in an airport and although I didn’t try the facilities on this occasion, it’s reassuring that they have them. I did make use of the fast wifi (it seemed slightly speedier than the regular free airport wifi) and there are TVs and workstations if you’re in the market for either of those things.
Is it worth $55.60? It depends on your situation. I sneaked five hours (no snitching, please) as they looked at the initial departure time as I entered, not the delayed one. I didn’t drink any alcohol, but if you had a mind to, you could conceivably save money on the regular airport food and drink outlets while maxin’ and relaxin’ in a more comfortable space, albeit with a limited (but perfectly fine) food menu.
In short…maybe? Boozehounds, hungry boys and fans of smooth jazz will eke out the best value, but if you just need a quiet spot for an hour or two, then the further reaches of Terminal A plus some headphones might do just as well. Overall, though, a positive experience for me, and worth thinking about if you’re stuck airside, an increasingly likely situation these days.
