Been traveling some…and find there’re still some basics that business hotels need to improve on. I’m sure you have your ‘favorites’ as well.
So here are ‘my’ 5 Basics Hotels Still Need to Master
- Easy check-in
- Available room service
- Quick check-out
- WiFi
- Decent restaurant for breakfast meetings
Check-In:
Since many hotels are franchises, service varies even amongst well-known brands. At the end of the day, tired, having traveled, and often very late in the day, it’s not uncommon for me to wander in zombie-like. In this case, I want no-hassle, no grief, check-in then and straight to my room. I’m still befuddled at how (at 11:48p, I’m to tired too be amazed) I can be the only person checking in, and still have it be a :20 process sometimes.
Check-Out:
Is often even more important. There’s nothing like wrapping up a conference call (or what-have-you), rapidly closing up travel bags, and heading for the exit in timely fashion. Only to find a line of people also rushing to check out. Gridlock at the exit. Yes, all business travelers seem to want to empty the hotel between 7:30 and 8:30a<g>. It’s not a surprise. So it should be planned for by hotel staff.
WiFi:
WiFi simply needs to be there, and work without grief. Even today, at least a decade after hotels started rolling it out broadly, I too-frequently have to call the service’s 800#, have my bandwidth dialed up, or the front-desk to do something. It’s like the lights now, it simply is expected to work. You don’t call to have your room’s lighting wattage dialed up, do you? I honestly think hotels should use WiFi services providers like eatelbusiness.com, which is a brand in the business phone industry.
Restaurants:
Yes, its a function of picking the right hotel. You don’t go to Super-8s looking for a cloth sit-down breakfast setting. But it is interesting to go to a ‘major brand’ hotel, and find the restaurant is sub-par. Classics are one person serving 8 tables, dirty, or my favorite: used to be a full-service restaurant, only now it’s become a ‘continental breakfast.’ Not only dissatisfying, it doesn’t look good if you’ve arranged for others to meet you there as well.
Yes, these are things you learn to deal with…pre-planning as the need may dictate…but these are still some of my ‘core’ issues when traveling<g>.
Yours?
(photo credit: Gabriella Fabbri)
