Most business travelers have one thing in common: They sleep away from home. It may be twice a year, twice a month, or twice a week, but hotel accommodations are a major factor in business travel. It’s important for your home away from home to have certain features to keep you safe and comfortable and also create an environment where you can work or rest as you like. We’ve rounded up a list of hotel features some our business travelers say they prefer.

Technology

It should come as no great surprise that the number one requested hotel feature for business travelers is internet access. The 2016 GBTA Hotel Technology Study found that 55% of business travelers use in-room internet access for business purposes at least one hour a day. Further, 73% use Wi-Fi in common rooms. Not surprisingly either, the preference is that internet access is free and fast and more hotels are listening to that.

Other technology features that business travelers want in a hotel include self-check-in/out kiosks or a mobile check-in app so they can avoid lines at the registration desk. Some hotels, such as Four Seasons For the same reason, boarding pass kiosks in the hotel lobby are well-received by travelers. Desirable in-room technology includes keyless entry and an assortment of phone and laptop chargers. With the increasing number of millennial business travelers, hotels report that streaming services on TVs have become highly desirable so that guests can personalize their entertainment choices.

Space Conducive to Doing Business

As many road warriors know, hotel rooms are used for work as diverse as preparing reports or presentations, reviewing architectural drawings, or making Skype calls to partners 13 times zones away. It’s imperative for a business traveler to have comfortable seating and an ergonomic desk to facilitate whatever work they need to do. The space should have good lighting and plenty of easily accessible power outlets and USB ports. The room needs to be quiet with soundproofing to protect from elevator, road or airport noise.

In addition to comfortable working space in the private rooms, business travelers often need flexible meeting areas that offer space for small groups to collaborate.

Convenient Location

As with any real estate, a location is a prime hotel feature. Business travelers need easy parking, access to mass transit, or limousine service so they can get to meetings without undue stress. It’s a plus if there are interesting things to do nearby the hotel – restaurants, entertainment venues, shopping. Whether you’re alone or are traveling with colleagues, after a full day of work it’s nice to have options besides being stuck in a room – however nice – miles from any diversion.

Creature Comforts

Business travel is proven to be productive for your business agenda, it can rack up frequent traveler points, and has a generally sophisticated connotation. However, every business traveler knows that the rigors of being away from home and loved ones can wear you down emotionally and physically. It’s important to have certain luxuries to keep you at your peak performance.

Business travelers want good food from their hotels. Whether that’s a grab & go counter, a sports bar gathering place, healthy options or fine dining, you need to feed your brain and body well when working on the road. But travelers also want in-room coffee and tea for a morning perk or late night work session.

You also need to sleep well to stay sharp, so business travelers require comfortable beds and a pillow menu is a plus. Having upscale bath amenities in a hotel allows travelers to leave their own products at home – and carry liquid-free bags through TSA! Ladies, especially, value a real hair dryer in a hotel room, not one mounted to the wall that you have to hold the button down to keep on.

To keep up your fitness routine, some form of workout facility, running route, or loaner bikes are welcome hotel features for business travelers. Some hotels are even designing sleeping rooms with fitness equipment options. And, of course, when you feel good, you want to look good, so garment pressing and shoeshine are services that business travelers often use.

For your next business trip, let the expert travel advisors at Covington find hotel features that will ensure your comfort and position you for success.