Hotels

Posted by: Charles DuBow on June 19

With some budget hotels offering free in-room Wi-Fi, ergonomic work spaces, high-thread-count linens and rewards programs, you might want to consider trading down, at least for short trips. In any price range, Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz can be good places to start. Hotels.com finds rates on more than 70,000 properties worldwide; Priceline lets you request particular hotels. The reviews at Trip­Advisor.com sometimes include ratings of business services. Lastly, hotels’ own Web sites often offer specials—good ones—not found elsewhere.

Economy (average price $75/night)

Microtel Inns & Suites are rated by J.D. Power & Associates (like BusinessWeek, a part of McGraw-Hill) as highest in its class for overall satisfaction thanks to cozy rooms, comfy beds, ease of booking, and speed of checking in and out.

The Days Inn chain has hotel locations in all major U.S. cities and some international business capitals. You can book a one-night stay in Chicago for $130 and in Beijing for $50. The hotels also offer package deals which include airport shuttle service, parking privileges, and accommodations for a fixed discount price.

The Hôtel Campanile chain is a popular choice if you’re traveling in Western Europe on a budget. A single right stay in Paris will cost around $150. If you take advantage of package discounts such as the three-night stay for the price of two you can pay as little at $80 per night.

The Tulip Inn chain is part of the Golden Tulip Hotels, Inns & Resorts, which runs both luxury and budget hotels in most major European cities (with the surprising exception of London) as wells as a few locations in Africa and the Middle East. The cost of a one-night stay in a standard room is around $130.

Mid-Scale(average price $120/night)

The big player here is Hilton Garden Inn, with Hyatt Place and Best Western making a concerted effort. Hilton Garden took top honors in the J.D. Power poll, with 24-hour business centers, restaurants, and lounges. Hyatt Place offers 42-inch flat-panel tvs, separate work and living spaces, and free Wi-Fi.

The French hotel chain Novotel wants to cater to business travelers. Staff will help facilitate your business meeting by arranging everything from furniture to food according to your preference. You can get discounts if you book 21 days in advance or take advantage of a “city breaks” offer, over 40% off a two-night stay in select cities.

The Italian boutique hotel chain Jolly Hotels has locations in all major Italian cities as well as throughout Europe and in New York. Room rates start around $220 per night. The hotel’s business services include video conferencing, a copy center, as well as computer and cellular phone rentals. The conference rooms are merrily named after Italian Renaissance masters including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Crowne Plaza Hotels attracts business travelers by offering the services of an in-house meeting director to help plan business meetings, as well as a company loyalty rewards program. One feature of the program is a “Travel Arranger,” which helps travel managers book multiple reservations while keeping track of each traveler’s preferences for accommodations.

Upscale/Luxury (starting at $150/night)

Embassy Suites is an upscale hotel that cares about business travelers. Rooms start at around $150 a night; it’s worth trying to get a corporate rate. Luxehotels.com, a Web site for independently owned luxury hotels, offers business traveler packages that include upgrades, free Internet access, and continental breakfast. The leading hotels of The world, also an association of member hotels, guarantees rates in U.S. dollars. It has its own loyalty program at lhw.com.

The Four Seasons has famed luxury accommodations with standard rates around $395 per night. The hotel’s business services include meeting rooms with wireless Internet and up-to-date audiovisual presentation equipment.

Sofitel is the luxury chain owned by Accor (also the owner of Novotel). A one-night stay at the Hotel Sofitel Chicago, which recently received an eco-friendly award by the Audubon International, will cost around $300.

Shangri-La is a chain of luxury hotels with locations in Asia, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. A one-night stay in Beijing will cost you around $200. Executive suites at the hotel include not only sleeping accommodations but also space to hold meetings.

Peninusla Hotels has three domestic locations (New York, Chicago, and Beverly Hills) and five locations in Asia (Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing, Bangkok, and Manila). Guestrooms are equipped for utility with high-speed Internet, wireless, two-line telephones, and for luxury with marble bathrooms and oversized executive desks. The business facilities include private and semi-private offices and secretarial services.