Best Hotel Business Amenities
A checklist of the most important things a hotel should offer
If a hotel wants my business, then they need to help me handle working from the road. They need to think like a business traveler.
I always have my laptop with me, my cell phone and headset, travel clock, MP3 player and a small backpack of business supplies. I enjoy the convenience of using my own room as an impromptu office - in my PJs, yet!
It's important to be able to work comfortably in my hotel. Here's my short list of Business Traveler's Hotel Must-Haves:
- Free WIFI access, in my room. Solid bandwidth that doesn't drop me every few minutes is key.
- Plenty of outlets. I have a lot to plug in: my laptop, my phone recharger, rechargers for other electronics, my personal radio alarm clock...and anything my wife may also have brought along (like HER laptop, phone charger, etc). I could bring along my own extra power strip, but should I HAVE to? Oh, if you do forget to bring a power strip, here are tips to finding the outlets your hotel does have.
- A desk and chair. I prefer a chair on wheels and a desk, aside from the obligatory eating table, but I am happy to get any sort of desk/table/flat surface to spread out on.
- A task light. It's very hard to get work done using the room overhead, or from the bedside lamp. I need to start bringing my own portable task lamp for true comfort.
- In-room coffee. I love a hotel with either a coffee pot in my room, with those little bags of free coffee, or at least a lobby that offers fresh, free coffee throughout the day. Many hotels offer both. What a wonderful gesture. :-)
- A hotel where local calls, and 800-number access, are free. It's just miserly to charge outrageous rates to place calls. I hate being nickled and dimed for my money and time. Granted, I usually use my cell phone everywhere, but it's the philosophy of the charges I object to.
- Business Centers or Lobby Services are a nice touch. Many hotels offer a unique room, or at least let you use lobby copy machines, fax machines and printers for free. Business travelers are busy, but we remember such generosity when it comes time to book the next trip. Time is money and the value of no hassles are, well...priceless.
- Frequent Flyer programs. I know it's silly, but all things being equal, if two hotels please me, I will use the ones I get "mileage points" for first.
- Lastly, I like a hotel to have a Fitness Center. Even a small room with a treadmill and pull-down bench are enough. Staying fit on the go is a challenge and a fitness center is a thoughtful perk. It may not be a safe area for jogging outside, or it may be raining or cold. I like to get in a 20 minute workout and head back up to to my laptop. It makes me a better worker and a saner person. :-)
These are the important things I seek in a hotel room when traveling. Notice that free breakfast, concierge, nice lobbies, free newspapers, pretty little soaps, good pillows, cable TV and a room with a view are lesser considerations. Don't get me wrong - I like those things. But when you boil it all down, I am just trying to get some work done.
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