The reason escape rooms have such a variety of themes and difficulty ratings is to cater to as broad an audience as possible. In other words, they’re subjective. Your personal preference might differ from your friend’s or sibling’s, and that’s okay.

It would be safe to assume that choosing an escape game that aligns with our personal preference is a sure-fire way to guarantee an awesome experience. Sadly, that isn’t always the case.

To avoid disappointment, we’ve outlined five telltale signs and red flags to look out for during the booking phase. Run a mile if you encounter any of the following!

Unanswered Phones

There could be a perfectly good explanation for one or two unanswered phone calls. The staff might be busy dealing with customers and will immediately get back to you or perhaps you’re calling at a particularly busy period. They’re only human!

It’s when the phone is left unanswered for an extended period of time that raises cause for concern. If that’s the case, we suggest moving on and finding a different escape company.

A Website That Raises More Questions Than Answers

A company’s website is a good reflection of the business itself. If you find that it lacks crucial information regarding price, contact details, product images or even has an outdated user interface – it more than likely suggests that your experience with the venue won’t be any better.

Understaffed

The game masters and support staff play a major role in your experience. Not only are they great at what they do, but they’re also responsible for your safety and wellbeing for the game’s duration – keeping a watchful eye over you from the control room. Make sure there is enough staff present at all times.

Eyebrow-Raising Reviews

Review aggregators such as Yelp or TripAdvisor are a great way to get an accurate lay-of-the-land before making a booking decision. Some escape room companies even have reviews on their websites, but these tend to only contain positive contributions, so it’s best to look elsewhere.

Where reviews are concerned, separating fact from fiction is relatively simple. Be wary of those that are vague, contain exaggerations without providing specific details, or come from accounts with randomly generated usernames.

No Private Booking Option

There are escape room companies out there that choose to only operate games that are fully booked. This means that, unless the number of people in your group is equal to the room’s capacity, you’ll be grouped with strangers to make up the remaining numbers. This is to benefit the company and no one else.

Grouping up with strangers can be awkward or uncomfortable. Sure, some won’t have an issue with it, but the vast majority of escape room players would rather spend an hour of their time in a confined space with people they actually know!