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!!!
Always ask at the front desk for their personal favorite restaurant recommendations (preferably locally owned). Having an extended stay gives you the opportunity to really get to know a new area – you should embrace it!
Even though you are there for “work” reasons, give yourself a chance to take a break and hang out with the locals!
(It’s a bonus too because then you have more interesting advice or adventures to offer coworkers or others you meet while traveling than the standard “stayed in X hotel, ordered in from X chain restaurant, was bored out of my mind for X weeks in X city.”)
I’ve never had a trip longer than a week but I think that my biggest challenge is always packing efficiently. So my tip would be to find the most versatile clothing to make the most of all the different situations you will be in while your gone.
Buy some nice wine, and relax and enjoy a glass or two in the evening
If you have a spouse/significant other back home, connect via Google Video Chat in one window and simultaneously start a Netflix movie in another. No long-distance date is ideal, but it can be a nice change from the typical evening phone call!
Yelp is your friend. Don’t rely on the hotel restaurants, get out and explore your temporary home!
Have a plan on what to do and where to eat in your free time from work.
3-in-1 laundry sheets and a travel power adapter. Everything else is gravy 🙂
Always bring one pair of comfortable shoes that transition easily from casual to formal situations. You will end up doing more walking than you think!
Sign up for groupon in the city you are on your extended stay, who knows, somthing exciting and different may come up.
Here is my tip – do some research before you go and find out what the fun or interesting places to dine are. Some nights you may just want to grab something quick and eat in your room, but you should also try to get out and explore what the city has to offer in terms of restaurants. (hopefully the extended trip is in a place that offers more than just chain restaurants!!)
Scroll through the Trip Advisor Forum for the city you will be in. Learn about some restaurants and anything thing you should see/visit/do at night (if you have the time).
If you wear glasses- pack a second pair! I always look for restaurants that I can earn my dining points on as well. Might as well make the most of it!
Pack some of your favorite snacks to take with you, they come in handy on those longs trips. Some comfort good makes life easier.
Save all your meeting/corporate information, IDs, etc on dropbox or google docs with an offline option.
Pack light, as many people above have said. Mix-and-match clothes, no-iron shirts and slacks. Don’t worry about bringing many things; generally, anything you’ll really need will be within half an hour of your location.
Start making a list of things you need several weeks ahead of time. There are so many things to remember that you can’t pack until the last minute.
Pack light and eat healthy. Don’t forget to try and enjoy local food.
A priority for me is comfy clothes that do double duty. For example, yoga pants work for workouts, lounging in the hotel room, walks for exercise and wearing as a cover-up on the way to the pool/whirlpool. Casual thong sandals are lightweight and work to and from the pool and around the hotel room instead of slippers. A hooded polartec sweatshirt is cozy for lounging and works as an outside exercise outfit for cooler weather.
Don’t forget your toothbrush and deodorant. Nothing makes a good first impression like the absence of stink!
From my side: travel light, swimsuit, meds, map (hard-copy or on a mobile device), make sure you know where around the hotel you could find a good place to eat, a shopping place and in case of emergency a pharmacy or a hospital. Happy traveling !
Those little hotel bottles of shampoo and conditioner are great for washing underwear and socks. Add a drop of the conditioner to the rinse water to make the clothes sweet smelling and soft.
You don’t forget an adapter for your laptop, because it’s really hard to working without it in few days :))
Doing a little research in advance of arriving at your location can be a huge lifesaver. Knowing of a couple good restaurants or neighborhoods to walk around can be very helpful when looking for a quick escape from a long day.
make plans to fly your family over and share in what your temporary home has to offer!
Take a photo of your spouse & put it by the bed. Take a photo of the room including the photo of your spouse & email it home or post it on facebook.
It’s bloody horrid being the spouse left at home alone & this would be like a long distance hug.
1. Organize your travel details – I use Tripit on the web & my phone, and also print out a copy of the trip details (via Tripit). This also allows me to share details with my family easily.
2. Pack light. Bring your own healthy snacks for travel days (apples, granola bars, cheese sticks, nuts, etc). The food choices on planes and in certain airport terminals can be sparse; sometimes the line is too long for you to buy something in between flights. Always buy a bottle of water (or fill your empty reusable bottle) as soon as you get through security and when you get off your flight. Wear comfortable, broken-in shoes for travel days.
3. Using your phone, take a picture of where you parked your car in the airport parking garage/lot if you drive to the airport. It’s amazing how a week or so of travel can wipe those details from your mind.
There are so many great tips already! Mine:
Be sure to schedule down time. It is so easy to get into a work all the time mindset when you are at a conference…checking up and working in the evening on what you missed out while in sessions during the day. It’s important that you make yourself take a break.
Unpack your suitcase once you arrive. Less stress.
I recommend packing several workout outfits and your sneakers. Even if you aren’t a fitness type, just having that with you for an evening or morning walk around the hotel or downtown area close by will work wonders for your psyche and your health!
Packs with your daily usable materials like towel, facewash, some foods etc. And dont forgot to packs medicines, because the medicines are very useful while travelling.
Pack quick-drying clothing. You won’t always be staying at a place with laundry facilities, and if you can wash items in the sink, they will be dry in less than 12 hours.
Bring healthy snacks and pick up some regular food if you have a fridge. It is fun eating out for a little while, but then it can really drain on you!
For an extended business trip, make sure that if you are checking your primary suitcase, you carry on at least one complete professional outfit and your essential toiletries. If your bag gets lost (heaven forbid) at least you will have something as a backup.
Never forget a kindle, Ipad or other electronic reader for when you ened those breaks from reviewing work. Or you can’t sleep late at night in that uncomfortable hotel bed.
Make sure the passports are valid!
Planning is key, but remember that things don’t always go completely as planned. When the spit hits the fan, try to breathe your way through it and don’t stress. Try to always have a Plan B and maybe even a Plan C.
Also, scan your key docs like passport, and front/back of the credit cards that you’re taking with you and email them to your self (even better when you have internet access to your email account), using an innocuous subject line. If they are lost or stolen, getting replacements will be much easier.
Lastly, when I’m in a new city I like to take one of those 2-3 hour ‘overview’ bus tours if I can. It helps get acclimated and that way I can figure out how I want to spend the rest of my free time.
A lot of folks use some of the restaurant sites to get discounts on restaurants where they live, but don’t think to when they travel. When traveling (especially for extended stays), research the city you’ll be in and you can utilize those same resources to try new places at a discount.
One item makes all the difference – Bose Noise Cancelling headphones!
If you’re visiting a new city, be sure to take time to explore the area a bit. You never know what surprises you’ll find!
I would recommend consolidating or downsizing as much as possible. My first trip I packed WAY too much stuff and ended up fighting with my bag to maneuver it and felt self conscious around my seasoned coworkers. It’s worthwhile to bring clothing that can be used in multiple outfits (layer, layer, layer), use those samples and smaller packages for hygiene products and makeup and downsize wherever possible!
Find a good bookstore (new or second hand). I usually end up with more time to read when I’m gone for extended periods, and bookstores are always great for an outing.
Make sure you check weather and pack easy outfits accordingly, colors that can easily be matched, reworn, like neutrals or dark colors or bright colors. Stick to a theme to avoid overpacking! 🙂
Check out groupon for your city. It helps keep costs down and you can wind up finding some cool local places that you normally might not have visited.
Make sure you have a Smartphone and Ipad with lots of movies and music.
Get out of the hotel as much as possible; hotels are launchpads and not destinations
Sign up for Groupon or Living Social local deals in the town where you’ll be staying. You might find good bargains on off-time activities, like mani/pedi’s, movies, or a good restaurant deal might make your meal allowance worth more!
Take the time to get outside the hotel/conference/office. Go for a walk in the area, choose a hotel in a area where there is something to see in stead of close to the business place. Eat away from the hotel to see something.
This have given me a lot of free experiences and some exercising in walking around in city areas after a long working day.
Don’t forget to bring the family gifts home; let’s them know you were thinking about them!
Check out the local restaurants – it’s a great way to get to know the area!
Pack an empty water bottle in your carry-on and fill it after security.