In today's world business travellers are pretty savvy about what they want from their hotel and understandably they don't want to and shouldn't have to compromise.

As business travel demand grows, hotels are having to work hard to impress and entice business travellers into booking a hotel room.

With so many options to choose from business travellers can be discerning. In this article we look at what business travellers actually want from their hotel rooms.

The main reasons which form the choice of a hotel are:

• pricing and the ability to earn loyalty status.
• location (and good travel connections).
• amenities and facilities (supply of plug sockets for charging electrical devices being a top concern, in room technology, laundry/ironing board availability and access to a gym).
• a good night's sleep.
• healthy eating options.
• previous experience and rating.

Pricing and Ability to Earn Loyalty Status

It should come as no surprise that price is always going to be a major consideration for business travellers as well as ensuring good value for money. It's also important to many business travellers that they are rewarded in some way for loyalty in booking multiple times with the same hotel. Many hotels have loyalty programs to keep travellers coming back again and again. Rewards can include priority check-in, upgrades, free gym access and more.

Location, Location, Location and Good Travel Connections

For many business travellers, location trumps loyalty as a driving factor. Hotel location and access to a developed infrastructure with easy connections to major airports and rail stations is vital.

As business travellers know any type of travelling can be immensely stressful and tiring, especially if you are trying to reach an unfamiliar destination. The location of a hotel can play a major role in the length of time you have to spend travelling to reach it and the amount of time wasted sitting in traffic or trying to navigate to an unfamiliar place.

For business travellers, if the hotel is centrally-based this can mean less time spent travelling to and fro and more time spent working, meeting with colleagues or destressing thereby increasing productivity. However, for some business travellers, a centrally-based hotel may not be as important as choosing their hotel based on the proximity to their client or meeting place.

Based on a number of surveys business travellers feel that on average, a hotel should be reached in less than 30 minutes.

Amenities and Facilities

Supply of Plug Points for Charging Electrical Devices

Most business travellers have a number of different electrical devices they heavily rely on to allow them to work and to keep them in touch with their office e.g. a tablet, a laptop and a smartphone (as a minimum), so it should come as no surprise that having a good supply of plug sockets to allow them to charge their electrical devices is important.

Equally not having to rearrange furniture to find enough electrical outlets is a must!

Technology

In many hotels technology is becoming the cornerstone in driving customer service.

Business travellers rely heavily on technology and need consistent and stable services to ensure they can connect and work when required and without interruption.

From being able to check into the hotel under a separate "business" check in desk to speed up the process of registering and getting the room key-at least until keyless entry with smartphones is perfected -to having a quick and reliable Wi-Fi service (preferably free) -to making the post-stay process seamless e.g. a text check-out system to bills that mesh with easy travel-and-expense reports, technology can be a major draw to many business travellers.

Laundry Service and an Iron and Ironing Board

We've all been there; you arrive at your hotel and find your clothes (no matter how much time you've taken to carefully fold them) are now a wrinkled mess. Being able to access an iron and ironing board, or an in-house laundry service, can make or break your trip and is one of the things that is valued by business travellers.

Gym - Fitness Facility

Fitness is a serious business. In the past a gym or spa were often seen as a "nice to have", today many business travellers see them as a necessity in the fight to keep fit. This can mean that an in-house gym and/or spa are now both selling points for a business traveller when choosing their hotel.

Healthy Onsite Eating Options

Recent trends also show that despite being on the road and away from home and their standard routine many business travellers still look to lead a healthy lifestyle. This makes food one of the main concerns while away from home. Business travellers are now looking for healthy meals without having to leave their hotel e.g. fresh fruit and vegetables as well as meat and vegetarian or vegan options using locally grown organic produce.

And Finally ... A Good Night's Sleep

When you're staying at a hotel a good night's sleep is essential for a business traveller if you're to avoid being too tired to do business the next day. Uninterrupted sleep, blackout curtains and a comfortable mattress as well a quiet environment are all crucial for a restful night. Not an easy ask when you consider you'll be sleeping in a strange bed, where other people may be coming and going and where road noise maybe an issue.

Keeping all this in mind and ensuring your hotel meets all your requirements is what Booking Partners does best. Contact us when you're next looking to book your business hotel room.