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Hotels Cater to Business Travelers' Needs

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Though you may not know it, you’re the driving force in the hotel industry. That’s because business travelers make up about half of all hotel guests in the United States. As a group, business travelers are becoming more and more demanding and expect to be able do business anywhere, anytime and at Internet speed.

Hotels are responding by offering new features and services to lure this increasingly discriminating clientele. Enhanced hotel amenities range from the common sense to the (occasionally) nonsensical. But most have to do with helping you plug in, dial up and log on. Here’s what’s now available at many leading hotel chains.

An Office Away from the Office


  • The Hampton Inn & Suites include a second desk chair and larger living rooms for in-room meetings.
  • The Ramada Inn offers cordless phones.
  • The club floors at Capitol Hotels in Washington, D.C., include separate concierge services and rooms with three phone lines.
  • The new 24-hour Xerox Business Center at the Hilton Hawaiian Village provides computer rentals, Internet access and postal services around the clock.
  • Printers and fax machines are standard features in business-class rooms at the Hilton, Hyatt and Sheraton hotels.
  • Many leading hotels loan laptops to their guests.

Check In and Log On


  • Stephen F. Austin Hotel in Austin, Texas, has high-speed Internet access in every guest room.
  • A recent survey showed that 75 percent of all hotels, including Super 8, Travelodge and Howard Johnson, plan to offer rooms with high-speed Internet.
  • At the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas, guests can access the Internet from the lobby, the restaurant or the bar. It also offers in-room WebTV.
  • Hilton Hotels feature an electronic concierge that allows guests to order room service, movies and music from an in-room online connection.
  • Westin Hotels in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas and Frisco, Texas, have wireless Internet access. The Westin in Palo Alto, Calif., has online access via the television.

Offbeat Perks and Pampering


  • At some Four Seasons Hotels, guests can access the Internet while lounging at the pool.
  • Air and water purifiers are offered in a number of rooms at the Best Inns & Suites.
  • After spending $30 million on recent renovations, Westin now claims to have the most comfortable beds in the lodging industry.
  • The Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta offers the ultimate luxury: butler-drawn baths. They also include a cocktail and your choice of music. Prices for this service start at $25.

Coming Attractions


  • Quite a few airport hotels in Europe have airline departure and arrival monitors in the lobby. United States hotels can’t be far behind.
  • One upscale New York hotel is apparently making plans to let guests bypass the front desk and check in using their PDAs.