When you are considering traveling, there is one thing that is crucial to get right, choosing the right hotel for your needs. Whether you are traveling for business, pleasure, or with family and children the hotel that you choose can either make or break your trip. A hotel that may be suited for families, may not be the right choice for your purposes.
Traveling for business usually means being away from family, working long days, working long nights, and meeting after meeting. Because schedules are so rigorous on this type of trip, it is extremely important to choose a hotel that specifically caters to your needs. These needs may include a spa to relax after a long day, a room that caters to your need to continue working, a great gym facility, or an on-site restaurant. The goal here is to make the trip bearable and productive all at the same time. Below are a few checklist items to make sure are available at your hotel.
What To Look For
- Internet Access:
This may be, undoubtedly, the most inportant item to check off your list when looking for a hotel. As a business traveler you will be spending a lot of time with your laptop attached to your hip, so finding a hotel that provides you a chance to hook up to a wireless internet connection may make this easier.
It is easy to find out if the hotel offers this service, just ask. The hotel clerk will make sure that you are booked into a room with a reliable connection. Other questions that you want to be sure to ask are: Is there a business center to work from? Is the internet connection wireless? How much is it going to cost to use this service?
When the hotel offers wireless service, you will know that you have found a great deal and a great stay.
- Work Area In the Hotel Room
After coming back to your hotel from a long day of work and meetings, and finding out that you may have to work into the night in your room, it is crucial to know that you have a comfortable place to do this work. Many hotels offer a separate seating area with a large desk and comfortable chair. When you know that you will be sitting for long periods of time, a comfortable chair is definitely a must. One hotel chain that specifically caters to business travelers and provides a comfortable work area is Embassy Suites. Embassy Suites in San Diego Bay-Downtown, is a hotel that specifically offers great business accomodations with high speed internet access, integreated business services, trouser press, seating Area with sofa, and a business center.
- On-Site Restaurant
Hotel restaurants are usually not suitable for a family with raucous children, but are perfect for business travelers who need the much needed alone time. If it is a really great restaurant you will be able to do some of your work while spending time in the restaurant as well. Most likely you are too tired to hunt down a local restaurant just to grab a bit to eat, so having one on site cuts down on these frustrating situations. An on-site restaurant also provides a great meeting place for clients and colleagues that you may need to meet with while in town.
- Fitness Center
If regular exercise is your routine, it can be quite disastrous to disrupt this routine. If you don’t stick to your regular fitness routine, it can also affect how well you perform on the job as well. If this is a high priority for you, look for a hotel that offers it, and make a point of using it. It is also important to try to stick to the same time schedule that you would workout at home. A perk about business traveling is that you are usually alone, and this makes it easier to hit the gym without the guilt that you are leaving someone back in the room alone.
- Rewards Program
Most business travelers travel quite often, so it is ideal to stay at a hotel that offers a membership rewards program. Today, more hotels are part of a larger chain or family, so many hotels offer the same points and perks. You may not be the one paying the bill, but if you prove yourself to be a repeat guest the hotel will get to know you and may provide you with upgrades, like a nicer room, or that free internet access that you’ve been looking for. Also, shopping for a good deal on a hotel will prove to your company that you are a great asset to them and are trying to save them money. When you know the hotel that you are staying at because you’ve stayed there before, you undoubtedly will have a more enjoyable stay and will return again.
- Avoid Kid-Friendly Hotels
If the hotel you choose also proves to be good accomodations for family travelers, it isn’t always a bad choice for a business traveler. Although, if the hotel offers an in-house water park and an arcade, prepare yourself to hear little footsteps running up and down the halls throughout your stay. This may prove to be detrimental to your work completion.
Also most kid-friendly hotels won’t have the perks that you will need to be successful on the trip, like internet access, maybe a gym, or an on-site restaurant.
Whatever type of hotel you choose, make sure you are as comfortable as possible. You may not feel like you are at home, but choosing the right hotel that caters to your specific needs will prove to be a benefit to you in the long run. By using the checklist points above, you can rest assured that the hotel that you choose will help you be successful on your important trip and you will feel confident to return knowing that you were taken care of.
