Welcome back to the second half of our two-part article on choosing the best lodgings for your next business trip. Last time we talked about how vacation rentals spearheaded by Airbnb have taken the travel and hospitality industry by storm. Rather than having to sleep in a questionably clean little cubby, able to hear the hundred other people lodging in the same hotel building, a vacation rental allows you to stay in a cozy residential location in a quiet neighborhood instead. Of course, that doesn’t actually mean that vacation rentals are perfect for everyone in every circumstance. Sometimes a nice hotel is ideal for you or for a specific business trip where you’ll need services like concierge dry cleaning or are really looking forward to a soak in the hotel hot tub. Let’s continue where we left off at the Pros for hotel stays.
Hotel Pros
Hotels have created their industry by offering services you can’t get staying with relatives and sharing economy rooms. They have perfected offering a certain amount of service and luxury to guests en masse. If you’re looking not just for a quiet night’s sleep but also a lot of amenities, room service, and a downstairs gym, hotels still have what you’re looking for and always have.
- Room Service
- Being able to order a hot tasty meal delivered to your room in 15 minutes is incredibly convenient and if you get sick on your business trip, it’s downright necessary.
- Concierge Desk
- The concierge desk is a hotel’s best feature as they’re prepared to source services and rides for guests at any time. From dry cleaning to finding a kicking party to attend, the concierge desk is there for you.
- Strategic Downtown Locations
- If you like the nightlife or need to visit a variety of downtown buildings and don’t want to rent a car, hotels are more likely to be in walking distance of all the biggest buildings in town.
- Gyms and Spas
- Most vacation rentals don’t come with exercise equipment so if you were planning on pumping iron or spinning on your trip evenings, a hotel is the better choice.
Airbnb Cons
- Non-Guaranteed Quality
- Because these are people’s homes and not corporate hotel rooms, sometimes the pictures and descriptions are insufficient or inaccurate. It is possible for locations to be much messier, less private, or even completely different from what was depicted online. Before booking a professional trip, get confirmation that the space is what you expect, preferably in video-tour form.
- Potentially Chatty Hosts
- If you want peace and quiet, there is a potential problem with very friendly hosts who live nearby and want to chat. However, if you make it clear when booking that this is a quiet business trip, most hosts will respect your desire for space.
Hotel Cons
- Rushed Cleaning
- Because of the way hotels are scheduled, room service is often rushed to clean rooms between check-outs at 10 and check-ins at 3. It is common practice to only change what appears to be dirty and to leave comforters in place for weeks at a time.
- Private vs Privacy
- While your room may be private, the hallways, elevators, and continental breakfast buffet are not.
- Data Security Problems
- In the last year, hotels have suffered extensive hacking attacks targeting both lists of guest credit card information and hacked wifi to steal valuable data from high-level professional guests on business trips
The next time you’re planning a business trip to a distant city, don’t immediately plan to stay in one of the cookie-cutter impersonal hotel chains. While comparing rooms, amenities, and prices, consider browsing the entire-unit listings in the area on the vacation rental sharing economy. While it’s not guaranteed, there might just be a perfect little home or apartment that is much quieter, more private, and altogether more welcoming to a traveling professional than a classic hotel room. Depending on what you value most in a business trip, the quiet, privacy, and complete working kitchen at a great price may be exactly what you need to make you feel at home on your business trip, lowering your travel stress and boosting your work performance. And if you’re looking for a way to make a little money while you’re gone, don’t forget to rent out your empty parking space at home on ParqEx! For more great sharing economy tips and insights, contact us today.
