2.5 10 Best chain hotels for business travelers

Plus the inside scoop on which hotel Chain have high-speed internet access. A number of hotels have designed rooms specifically for business travelers. The most popular of these include:

Hyatt
Business Plan rooms are available at more than 90 Hyatt properties, for a nominal charge over standard room rates. These rooms are specially equipped with a separate work area, desk phone, and computer hookup, as well as a printer/copier/fax machine. Rates include complimentary local, toll-free, and credit card calls; continental breakfast; and newspaper. Business Plan rooms are located on a Business Plan Floor that features 24-hour access to a private business center.

InterContinental
Business Rooms feature an adjustable chair, halide lamps, spacious desk with surge-protected outlets (for PCs and modems), a printer/copier/fax machine with printer cable, and a dual-line telephone equipped with voice mail. The rooms come supplied with paper, notepads, staplers, scissors, paper clips, pencils, and pens.

Marriott
About 70 percent of the rooms at Marriott hotels are designated as The Room That Works, which includes an expansive work desk, bright and direct lighting, an adjustable ergonomic chair, and telephone(s) with voice mail and data port.

Radisson
About two-thirds of Radisson hotels offer Business Class rooms. These are typically larger rooms with a large desk and work area, data port, full breakfast, newspaper, and local and toll-free phone access. Some locations offer high-speed Internet access. These rooms generally run about $25 more than standard rooms.

Ramada Plaza Hotels
Business Class rooms have a king-sized bed, work area/desk, complimentary breakfast, data port, voice mail, weekday newspaper, free local and credit card calls, free incoming fax service, oversized bath towels, and other upgraded amenities.

Sheraton
Most Sheratons offer Smart Rooms that feature ergonomically designed chairs, ample task lighting, modem hookups, and personalized voice mail—plus printing, copying, and faxing capabilities. High-speed Internet access varies by location. The rate is typically about $20 more than for a standard room.

Wyndham
The Room That Performs
is becoming a standard feature at Wyndham hotels. These rooms offer high-speed Internet access, two-line cordless phone, Herman Miller Aeron desk chair, and upgraded Serta mattress with luxury bedding.

You also may want to take advantage of “concierge” or “executive level” floors—especially if the hotel is filled with boisterous vacationers. These limited-access floors typically have a private lounge, complimentary drinks, and hors dÕoeuvres, along with a certain level of privacy.

AmeriSuites
Taking Care of Business suites feature a separate bedroom, upgraded continental breakfast, an oversized desk with executive chair, two-line speakerphones, additional data ports, and voice mail. Most rooms have high-speed Internet access. These rooms run about $10 above standard suites.

Holiday Inn
Executive Level Guest Rooms are available in many Holiday Inn properties. These larger-than-average rooms typically offer a work area, upscale linens and toiletries, complimentary newspaper, and other special items; specific amenities vary by property. Holiday Inn also offers Executive Floors with lounge, complimentary drink, and hors d’oeuvres; Holiday Inn Select properties offer Executive Edition Upgraded Rooms. There is an upcharge for these executive rooms, with rates varying by property.

Howard Johnson
All properties offer Home Office rooms, which have large, well-lighted work desks and computer data ports; some offer high-speed Internet access and minirefrigerator/microwave combination units.

HIGH-SPEED INTERNET ACCESS

Just a few short years ago trying to connect to the Internet from your hotel was an iffy proposition, with many older properties having noisy phone lines that resulted in extremely low connection speeds. Today, most major business-oriented properties offer some form of high-speed Internet access—either wired (Ethernet) or wireless (Wi-Fi).

The odds of finding high-speed Internet access runs in direct proportion to your room rate. Almost all luxury, upper upscale, and upscale hotels that cater to business travelers offer it; most economy chains and chains catering to family vacationers—don’t. If your favorite upscale hotel doesn’t have high-speed Internet access yet, just wait a few months, and it will. In the midprice category, business travel-oriented chains—such as Doubletree Club Hotels, Country Inns & Suites, Courtyard by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, Hilton Garden Inn, and Wingate Hotels—have rolled out the service to all or most of their properties; family-oriented chains, however, may offer this service only at a handful of properties.

Although some hotels (such as Hilton Garden Inns and Wingate) offer high-speed Internet access for free, most properties charge for it—about $10 per day. For example, Marriott's Wired for Business service offers high-speed Internet access and unlimited local and long-distance phone calls (within the U.S.) for $9.95 per day ($12.95 in New York locations).

By Donna Williams with Michael Miller