What do Business Travelers want the most?
FREE INTERNET FREE INTERNET FREE INTERNET FREE INTERNET FREE INTERNET
The most annoying thing a tired business traveler has to deal with is those Hotels who think that after spending $179 on a room you need to fork out another $15 bucks for Wi-Fi. Even better if you spend $600 a night in New York. Hoteliers should just charge either an extra $10 and bury it in the rate or do what the budget hotels do is throw it in for free and also offer a free breakfast.
Now if the Hotel really feels that they have the right to charge then at least offer a real high speed service with real bandwidth so we can use our video apps with no jitter and Skype with latency free service.
Business travelers make up a big segment of a hotel's business revenue so its important to listen to their needs. Every traveler wants a comfortable bed, good lighting, a large desk and reliable high speed internet access. Health conscious travelers are also asking for healthy dining options and workout rooms. Many hotels when they do a refresh take into account most of those needs.
However, recent stays have identified the need for more electrical outlets. I don't want to travel with a Monster power bar so i can charge my Playbook, my Laptop, cellphone, my iPad, maybe a camera battery, maybe other stuff. Its always the same single outlet embedded in the desk light and the closest outlet is beside the alarm clock. Unplug the alarm clock and you have to reset it in order to set the alarm. Now we know why maids haul a 50 foot extension cord around with their vacuum cleaner because they cant find outlets either. Maybe a high speed internet bundle with a power bar rental, free long distance and a bottle of water starts to make sense for $4.95.
The power outlet issue is a problem and if you you call down to the concierge you may get lucky and maintenance will come up with a power bar for you.
Now the negative aspect of all this you will forget your power adapters and leave them behind. Every hotel has tons in the lost and found. I use a bright red elastic tie that i got with my Think Tank cable management kit and it helps give me a visual but i call also wrap it to my Laptop the $120 power adapter doesn't get forgotten.
Business travelers can be loyal and repeater customers if Hotels think a little bit about the customer experience and put themselves in their customers shoes.
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"The most annoying thing a tired business traveler has to deal with is those Hotels who think that after spending $179 on a room you need to fork out another $15 bucks for Wi-Fi."
ReplyDeleteOh, that drives me barmy. I've even been to hotels marketing themselves as "Business hotels" that charge extra for internet acccess. The way I see it, it's a pretty safe bet to assume that a business traveller will need the internet, it's not just a luxury.
I tend to stay in serviced apartments now and internet access is usually included in the price, which is the way it should be, in my opinion. Occasionally I'll still stay in business hotels but I can count on one hand the times that I've had free access to the internet.
There was even talk a while back of making access to the internet a human right. I'm not sure I'd go that far but I don't think it's fair to charge for something so widespread and integrated into our lives.