New breed of airport lounges with a VERY different offer spreads across America: 'They're goofy and a little silly'

For decades, airport lounges have largely followed the same formula: comfortable chairs, complimentary drinks, a buffet and a quiet place to escape the crowds.

Now a growing number of lounges across America are betting travelers want something entirely different.

At Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport, one of the newest arrivals isn't centered around cocktails or conference calls. 

Instead, travelers are settling into gaming chairs, grabbing controllers and racing each other in Mario Kart while waiting for their flights.

The recently opened Portal Lounge is part of a broader push to transform airport downtime into entertainment time. While it still offers lounge staples such as food, drinks and comfortable seating, its main attraction is video gaming.

For Minneapolis travelers David Lee and Kassy Yang, the biggest surprise wasn't the robotic bartender serving drinks. It was something far more practical.

Their two children, aged eight and 12, were so engrossed in the lounge's gaming stations that they stopped asking to borrow their parents' phones.

'It's nice to have my phone to myself,' Yang told the WSJ.

Portal Lounge is the latest venture from husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Emma and Jordan Walbridge, who launched their first airport gaming lounge under the Gameway brand at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in 2018.

The concept was born from their own frustrations with conventional lounges.

'I always felt like I was in a library,' Emma Walbridge has said of traditional airport lounges, where guests often keep conversations to a whisper.

The couple saw an opportunity to create a more energetic environment built around interactive entertainment.

Since opening their first location, Gameway has expanded to 11 airport locations across the United States, with additional sites planned. Gaming lounges can now be found in airports including Dallas-Fort Worth, New York JFK, Los Angeles International, Charlotte Douglas and Houston Hobby.

The new Portal Lounge in Minneapolis represents the company's most ambitious concept yet.

Alongside gaming stations featuring Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation and high-end gaming PCs, travelers can access a food buffet, beverages, abundant charging outlets and a robotic bartender capable of mixing cocktails.

At approximately 3,800 square feet, Portal is smaller than many premium airline lounges, but its atmosphere is intentionally different.

Rather than encouraging travelers to work quietly, it lets them play. Although gaming lounges may sound like a family-focused attraction, operators say their audience is much broader.

Business travelers, airline crews and solo passengers regularly stop in. At Chicago Midway Airport's Gameway lounge, 19-year-old traveler Raycer Martin initially dismissed the concept.

'At first it does kind of look a little goofy, a little silly,' he admitted. After trying it, however, he became a fan.

Instead of spending a layover scrolling through his phone, Martin paid for a gaming session and spent the time immersed in Apex Legends.

'It beat my usual airport routine,' he said.

Not everyone is convinced. Online discussions about airport gaming lounges reveal a mixture of enthusiasm, nostalgia and skepticism. Many travelers see Gameway and Portal as a modern version of the communal gaming spaces that once existed in malls, arcades and waiting rooms.

One commenter on Reddit compared the concept to childhood memories of playing Nintendo 64 games at a local hair salon while waiting with family.

Others argued that gaming lounges tap into a broader desire for 'third spaces' - places where people can socialize outside of home and work.

Several commenters noted that traditional arcades once served exactly that purpose before home gaming systems became widespread.

'People would go there more for the social ambiance than the games themselves,' one Reddit user wrote, recalling the heyday of arcade culture.

'$17.99 for up to 30 minutes, $27.99 for up to one hour or $45.99 for unlimited time - that's an insane amount of money, even by airport standards,' one commenter wrote during a discussion of Gameway's pricing.

Others suggested that airport gaming lounges succeed because they offer more than just access to games. They provide a dedicated space, premium equipment and a way to make layovers feel less tedious.

The rise of gaming lounges also reflects a broader shift occurring across airports and travel hubs.

Operators are increasingly emphasizing experiences rather than simply offering places to sit.

That trend has already produced airport spas, sleep pods, wellness rooms, premium dining concepts and immersive entertainment spaces.

Gaming lounges may be the latest example of airports recognizing that travelers are looking for more engaging ways to spend time between flights.

Whether the concept ultimately becomes a mainstream feature remains to be seen.