Can the stag play in an inflatable sumo costume?
Do you have flip flops we can borrow?
Can you hide our engagement ring in the game room so I can propose?
We love getting questions at The Escape Key and we try our best to accommodate even the most unusual requests. Escape rooms, like everything else, can vary dramatically in quality. Choosing a poor escape room might put someone off forever …… So how do you choose an escape room experience?
So, we thought why not share each Monday some of the things we think you should consider before choosing your escape room, as an informative guide based on our experience of running The Escape Key over the years.
Some are ones that you can ask the venue directly, or others may be some you might just ask yourself, by reading reviews or escape room blogs to help inform your choice.
This week, we will begin with our top, most asked question:
Is this the best escape room?
Our Answer: Well, who is the best rock guitarist? What’s the best pizza topping? Who is the best England striker?
‘Best’ is subjective and can often be simply personal opinion. Many escape rooms will publicise that they are the best escape room in a particular location. If more than one company is saying this, how do you know in advance which is the best?
One good place to start is by looking at online reviews and probably the top two places to look at in the UK are Trip Advisor and Google. Most people trust recommendations from other people. Review sites are an extension of this and in recent years they have become the go to place to find out about a business. Simply type the name of the business into the search field and read some of the reviews. In particular, lookout for longer reviews that go beyond “We had an amazing time escaping” and instead look for ones that describe the quality of the games and the customer service. If a business has poor reviews, read them too. Both Trip Advisor and Google will give businesses a star rating out of five calculated by an algorithm which collates the number of positive and negative reviews. A business that consistently receives five-star reviews may be recognised by Trip Advisor with the award of a Certificate of Excellence and the select few businesses acknowledged as outstanding receive an award called Traveller’s Choice. Also, look out for escape room centres that have been recognised within the industry itself either in a specific escape room award category or by escape room organisations themselves.
