2 Airport Hotels Now Offering Convenient TSA Shortcuts

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It’s always fun when you discover something in the travel world that most places don’t have, or only a few offer. We’ve gone over some of them before:

• Airlines that have child-free sections
• Airports that offer long-term coat check
• Hotels that still accept cash as payment

To that end, we recently learned that the InterContinental Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Hotel once again has a TSA security checkpoint into Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP).

Minneapolis’ InterContinental Hotel Gets Its TSA Checkpoint Back

Indeed. It was a service that the hotel and TSA jointly offered in years past. It opened in 2018 but closed in 2019 due to low passenger volume.

At the time, Graves Hospitality, which manages the InterContinental Hotel, told the Star Tribune that the closure of the checkpoint has caused “hardship and confusion” for guests at the 300-room hotel. A deal was eventually forged to re-open the checkpoint but then the pandemic hit and, well, “Thanks, COVID!”

But…SURPRISE!

It’s back. 🙂 MSP announced the good news late last week, and it’s included as a perk on the hotel’s website, as well.

And – bonus! – you don’t even have to be a guest of the hotel to use it!

“We understand the value of efficiency and time-saving solutions in travel,” said Benjamin Graves, president of Graves Hospitality. “Our unique positioning with dedicated TSA connection to the airport makes our guestrooms, event spaces, and signature restaurants supremely accessible for travelers, meeting and event attendees, as well as local guests.”

The caveats and other things to know

Before you head to the InterContinental Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Hotel to experience the newly reopened TSA kiosk, heads up:

• The checkpoint is located on the hotel’s 3rd floor
• It’s open daily from 5am to 10am
• It gives you direct access to Terminal 1 at MSP Airport, via the skybridge
• You can only have carry-on luggage (they don’t have the facilities for checking your bag)
• They don’t offer TSA PreCheck or CLEAR at this checkpoint

The other hotel with its own TSA screening facilities

MSP isn’t the only airport that has an on-site hotel that offers TSA screening. If you go to Michigan, Marriott’s Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport has a TSA checkpoint, similar to the one re-opened in Minneapolis, that services DTW. From the hotel:

Located conveniently within the McNamara terminal of DTW Airport, The Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport takes pride in providing a seamless travel experience. While in Detroit, experience a world of innovation and imagination at the nearby Henry Ford Museum or cruise around the vibrant downtown. Our hotel located inside the McNamara terminal offers a free shuttle between the airport’s external terminals, valet parking, and a Park and Fly Package. Never leave the building with direct access from our lobby to airport check-in and TSA.

This dedicated TSA line, which is also open to the general public and not just hotel guests, has been around since at least 2017. Unlike the TSA kiosk in Minnesota, this one is widely known to the public, and can sometimes incur waits that are longer than the “regular” TSA line inside the airport. So plan accordingly.

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary