Home2 Suites by Hilton, the award-winning, all-suites extended stay brand, is celebrating one year since opening the doors to its first hotel, and introducing guests to its innovative “hip and humble” concept. Many guests have already made Home2 Suites their go-to home away from home, coming back every time they have to visit one the seven destinations across the United States where it has locations. The brand already has nine new hotels under construction and more than 70 in the works including Canada.
They have a lot of great features, including free breakfast, free wifi, in-room kitchen facilities, outdoor spaces, and more. My two favorite items are that it is pet-friendly (yay!) and has a number of sustainable features.
To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Home2 Suites by Hilton opening, we are holding a contest. Hooray! The winner of this contest will get a three-night stay for two in the Home2 Suites by Hilton property of their choice, roundtrip airfare, and money for food. Wow!
Now you’re probably all asking, how can I win? It’s simple, as it usually is here on Road Warriorette. Simply leave a comment answering the following question: What is your best tip for someone going on their first extended business trip? We will draw a winner at random next week. Only one entry per person.
Since I am on my first extended business trip right now, this contest seems very appropriate for this week. I will post my best tip next week, once I have the experience to back it up!
For more first birthday fun, check out Home2 Suites by Hilton on Facebook and Twitter (@Home2Suites)!
Thanks for entering!!!
Make a go-to playlist on your phone or iPod, so you can have your own mini-sanctuary with you at all times. Make sure it’s exciting enough, but also comforting (maybe something that reminds you of family or friends), so you always have a little familiar stimulation to help you feel at home wherever you go.
Wow nice promo! For me, have a set “down time” each day or you will find yourself working 24/7 and burn out and be less productive!
I never travel – short, long, plane or car – without compression socks and soft foam ear plugs.
Make sure you know ahead of time the company’s policy on reimbursement of expenses, especially if you are the one who has booked the travel and it is on your credit cards. Some companies also have a per diem or some require receipts for everything and then there are those in the middle ground. I’ve worked for all three types. That and no-iron shirts are a wonderful invention.
Sign up for Netflix or some other on demand streaming service and make sure you have Skype to keep in touch with friends back home
Make some friends at the hotel and have dinner together.
Take some sort of hobby item so in downtimes you can make or create something.
For the ladies who carry on their luggage, take your foundation, concealer, eye cream, etc in contact lens cases. You can whittle down A LOT of your carry on liquids & gels that way, and can keep the cases inside your bad. TSA doesnt look twice at the contact lens cases.
Make sure to bring your own small bottle of shampoo and soap just in case the brand offered by the hotel is of low quality.
buy a saline moisture nasal spray.
Take ear plugs.
Pack something that will make you think of home…a picture, a favorite stuffed animal or mascot, incense or a scented candle, whatever is portable and means home to you!
I suggest thinking through what types of clothes to pack so you have comfortable clothes for evenings. Even on a short trip I try and take my sneakers.
Take a good book to read when your not shopping or in a meeting.
Unpack all of your luggage and place clothes in your drawers or hung up, shoes in an easy slip on and kick off place and your toiletries on the counter or like you have them at home. I also try to map out the closest restaurants, grocery store and pharmacy before I get to town so I can know the basics of the area I’m staying.
Be sure and bring a pair of tennis shoes, so you can keep your workouts going, whether in the hotel’s gym, a run outside or even in your room.
Research ahead of your trip. Know where your staying – what restaurants, shops etc are available in the vicinity of your hotel.
If your in a non english speaking country keep a bit of paper with common addresses (office, hotel, airport) written down in the local dialect to show cab drivers.
Roll up your shirts when you puts them in luggage to keep the crease.
Bring a bathing suit so you can unwind in the hotel’s hot tub if there is one.
Bring clothes that easily mix and match – and preferably ones that don’t need ironing. That way you get multiple outfits out of a set number of items. Definitely bring comfortable shoes as you don’t know what type of walking you may have to do.
be sure to get some time outside in natural light. Between conferences/meetings/presentations and dinners you get little natural light. Sunlight can help keep your mood on an even keel.
The best tip is try to get specials from the hotel to get an upgrade so you can feel in your own office.
Make sure you call your wife, or you won’t be going on many business trips in the future!
Bring workout clothes and go to the grocery store so you can stay on more of a regular schedule.
Bring health snacks to avoid overloading on all the junk food that seems to permeate business trips.
Bring workout clothes and go to the grocery store so you can stay on more of a regular schedule.
Bring a sweater and comfortable shoes.
Spend more time preparing for the business portion of your trip than the points-earning. After getting familiar with the workings of a business trip, begin to make more travel decisions based on earnings.
Bring snacks like odwalla bars or other bars in case you don’t have time or a place to buy food. I also like to bring something sweet like m&ms.
bring a soft cloth slipper. it’s very common in asian hotels. I never walk in the hotel room with my socks on.
I agree with many ideas already posted–pack clothes that mix and match (and, bring less the you think you need), bring ear plugs, roll clothes for less wrinkles (place nice dresses or dress shirts rolled and in a Ziploc bag for even less wrinkles and safety from spills).
My most recent tip, is travel with a webcam! I am glad this is built in my laptop and iPad. Communicating with family in the hotel room at night by webcam, is better than not seeing them at all.
Do your best to research ahead of time and make sure you are flying on planes that have fully flat seats. Angled flat will make any extended business travel less comfortable and therefore less productive!
Pack your suitcase with packing cubes! You can get more in and have it completely organized. Also always bring food for the plane: bars, cut apples, etc Plane food is usually not good. I also start off the day with a smoothie so I’m full before I get on the flight.
Find a hotel that’s close to the actual venue(s) that you will be visiting.
When packing, have a good idea of what sort of dress code you’ll need to follow and remember it is usually better to be over dressed than under dressed. Try to bring clothing that can be dressed up or dressed down as needed.
Visit a local ethnic grocery store and grab some portable meals to take with you. During the times you don’t want to head out and still want a meal other than the same 10 items you can get at your hotel, presto! you have choices.
Bring an iPad with a few movies and books on it
Go buy some paper plates and plastic silverware. Eating out for every meal gets old and you can save some money to either eat better or do other more interesting things than spend $10 on a plate of pancakes. Get some muffins at the store or some oatmeal for cheap and make it in the hotel.
Be consistent with daily exercise.
Great question! For me, the hardest part of an extended business trip is eating out for every meal. My recommendation is to find a hotel with a kitchenette. Find time to stock it for breakfast at the very least, and preferably with some easy make dinners.
Research a good restaurant to eat and reserve a spot using Open Table.
Pack light and find a good place to eat!
Booking a room with a kitchen will allow you to save money on meals.
Be sure to bring all your meds.
Plan over the course of a week and make a list of all of the different things you use, activities you do – electronics, clothes, toiletries, etc. Once you have your full list, start thinking about how you can multitask i.e. use a solid BB cream instead of brining foundation, sunscreen, and moisturizer.
By the way – some of these tips are AMAZING!!!
Bring some of the comforts of home, and stay in a place where you can cook, since restaurants everyday will get old fast.
Never try and travel with everything – there is always a laundry and always somewhere to purchase stuff you forget or don’t want to carry through an airport!
Well, we don’t normally do “business” trips, but on any trip we research the area we are visiting ahead of time. Odds are good you’ll get at least a couple of hours of free time so know in advance what you want to do with it!
Find some good restaurants and try to workout regularly