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My criteria to select a hotel


Traveling a lot not only does mean spending a lot of time in other people's beds, but to get quite frequently bombarded with surveys about impressions and selections. In the nice place I stay this week the reward for going though one of those was quite some bonus points, so I invested the time. What strange questions I got: Would the pillow selection be more important than the front-desk, or is the in-room-dining menu better than other hotels. Interestingly none of the question met any of my criteria. So for the record, here we go:
  1. Travelling mostly for business the hotel needs to be on the approved list of my current employer, which sets category and price range. For private travel I prefer a tent
  2. Location, location, location: easy to reach, close to customers and the heart of the city (I don't like airport hotels)
  3. A good gym with long opening hours. Working for an IT company makes you want to do things at odd hours. My current favourite is the Intercontinental in Bangkok: Open 24h on top of the 36 floor tower with a nice view over the city
  4. Provide me with free breakfast based on room rate or guest status
  5. In room free and working broadband (working means: fast). Wifi is a bonus, since I have travel routers
  6. Regular supply of fresh fruits. My current favourite clearly is the Shangri-La
  7. Nice bath room with a tub, daylight is a clear advantage
  8. Access to a lounge
There are a few criteria which I consider basic facts: cleanliness, safety or competence of staff. There are a lot I care little (probably since they work in most places): Front desk, business centre, restaurants, bar, in-room-dining, pillow selection etc.
YMMV

Posted by on 08 June 2011 | Comments (2) | categories: Business Travel

Comments

  1. posted by Roy Rumaner on Thursday 09 June 2011 AD:
    The Shagri-La in Singapore is my all time favorite hotel. From the unlimited bowls of cashews in the lobby to the food (I loved being able to eat breakfast outside every morning) and friendliness of the staff, I have never felt so comfortable being in a foreign country.

    If I had to pick a runner up, it would be the Shangri-La in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  2. posted by Simon Peek on Monday 20 June 2011 AD:
    How about adding:
    - Room to swing a cat
    - AirCon
    - Room service
    Emoticon smile.gif