Hotels that cater to business travelers earn a reputation for being able to provide not only comfort but the amenities that may be required to conduct business. Many professionals travel with what they need technology-wise, but rarely have the equipment they need to run a business sufficiently. If you want your hotel to be known for being business-friendly, you may want to look into making a few improvements. Fortunately, creating a usable workspace for travelers can prove straighforward.
Creating a Usable Workspace for Travelers
What Many Hotels Offer
Most hotels offer a public computer or two with a printer in the lobby. While that may be fine for someone traveling for personal reasons, it won’t be acceptable for a professional who is traveling on business. Most of these areas are out in the open with no noise barrier. Anyone who walks by can see or hear everything shown on the computer or discussed over the phone. It is definitely not a good work environment for someone who needs to conduct business.
What Business Travelers Need
Business travelers will often overlook hotels that only offer the basics. Depending on where they fall on the management scale, they may require more in the way of equipment as well as privacy. They will also be willing to pay for it if what you offer is sufficient to meet their needs. Offer them the privacy they need and a few pieces of office equipment that they can rely on to conduct their business.
You will have professionals who tell their peers about how your hotel takes their needs seriously. People who deal with large business matters have an information-sharing network they use to find the best resources that will allow them to function efficiently. Word of mouth travels quickly in a world where everything is becoming more mobile.
Creating a Private Space
If you want to improve your hotel so that it better accommodates traveling business professionals, you need to create a private space aside from the lobby or other open areas. One way to accomplish this is to build a conference room that can be used for business meetings or other types of gatherings. You should also build one or two private rooms that include a desk, printer, and fax that can be reserved by professionals if they need to work while they are traveling.
If you don’t have the space to convert a basic room into a business office, you can always build in the connectivity options in one or two of your more expensive rooms or suites. If you have the additional equipment on hand, you can place it in the hotel suite if the guest needs it at their disposal. This will give them the privacy they need to conduct their business in a secure environment. This is essential for professionals who deal with confidential information.
The Right Office Equipment
Business travelers will normally carry what they need to take care of their responsibilities while they are away from the office. This usually includes cell phones, tablets, and laptops. Still, what they can’t take with them are the heavier pieces of office equipment that they may need.
Printers, fax machines, and a good desk and chair are necessities. A good desk doesn’t have to be expensive. It just has to be efficient to meet the needs of the professional. In most cases, those needs are ample space and the ability to set up their equipment so that it is easy to use.
Quality, Secure Internet
Finally, remote business transactions are only as good as the internet that they travel over. If you have business guests who rely on their ability to be able to communicate with their companies and peers, you need to offer a quality and secure internet connection. This ensures that they can conduct business in the same manner as if they were in their own offices. It also gives them the confidence they need to take care of business in a professional manner.
Renovating a small portion of your lobby to create a usable office space for your guests who travel on business will provide you benefits for years to come. When business professionals leave positive reviews, others take notice. Find out how you can improve your “business” presence and gain more traffic when it comes to professionals. A few small improvements can turn your hotel into a professionals’ dream. With the right team of remodeling contractors, you can ensure everything is up to the highest quality.
