The World of First-Class

Business Travel

Challengingóand sometimes exasperatingóas it may be, business travel doesn't have to be drudgery. In fact, with new products and services offered by everyone from airlines to luxury car rental companies to boutique hotels, the traveling executive may actually find a business trip to be rewarding personally as well as professionally.

The trend for upscale travel purveyors is to offer more than a tony name and a bit of pampering. These suppliers make it their business to service the business elite.

First-class cabins on international carriers feature real beds, not merely reclining chairs with fancy foot rests; airline lounges are more like country clubs than Spartan waiting rooms. Car rental companies once known for vanilla mid-sized cars now have fleets of specialty cars. Luxury hotels not only provide sumptuous surroundings, but maintain a database of guest preferences, from the kind of pillow you like to the brand of bottled water to have at your bedside, and whether youíd like a workstation set up in your room or a personal trainer to work out with you at 5:00 a.m.

The upscale meetings market is also flourishing and is catered to not only by first-class hotels and resorts but by venues that may or may not have sleeping rooms. Castles, country estates, wineries, museums, even private islands are now hosting luxury-class events, from political summits to boardroom meetings to elite conferences that mix business with lavish rewards.

We scouted the worldís leading travel providers that best exemplify this creative next wave of luxury business travel.