Hotels

Top 5 hotel etiquette tips

During a business trip a hotel is ideally where you go to relax and rest after a long day of travel or work.  Unfortunately that doesn’t always happen.  And in most cases it’s not the hotel’s fault, but is caused by the guests themselves.  After all of the hotel etiquette issues that came up last…

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4 things people dislike about hotels (and what to do about it)

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On a work trip a hotel becomes your home away from home.  It also plays a huge role in you having a successful business trip, or not. Abad night’s sleep or something malfunctioning can quickly turn a trip sour.  There are some things, like an uncomfortable bed, that there’s really not a work around for,…

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Why I will always use the safety latch at a hotel

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Last week I had an overall pleasant stay at a hotel in upstate New York. People were nice, my room was pleasant, the bathroom recently renovated, etc. I checked in around 930pm, getting to my room just in time to watch an episode of Property Brothers and go to bed. The next morning I ate…

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Marriott no longer blocking personal wifi. Great?

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Marriott announced last week that they will not block personal Wi-Fi networks in the future after being caught doing so and a fine of $600k from the FCC.  In their initial FCC petition, Marriott said their primary concern was about the potential of cyberattacks and their network slowing down. While this petition asked the FCC…

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Choosing a business travel hotel

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When traveling for business choosing a hotel can be one of the most important decisions.  Making the wrong choice can wreak havoc on your entire trip.  However, by spending a little extra time thinking through your decision you can maximize the benefits of staying in the right place. Distance from airport and office.  The first…

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Hilton starting a new “lifestyle” brand

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Normally when I hear that a company is creating a new “lifestyle” brand I roll my eyes. According to Wikipedia a lifestyle brand, in theory, attempts to embody the interests, attitudes and opinions of a group or a culture. It seems gimmicky, and often feels like pandering. But sometimes the brand actually sounds like a really…

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Tipping hotel housekeeping

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A question that comes up frequently is if travelers should tip hotel housekeeping, and if so how much should they tip. This discussion has come up again with the announcement that Marriott is partnering with Maria Shriver to start leaving envelopes in their rooms suggesting that hotel guests tip housekeeping. According to travel tipping etiquette,…

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Room Key and Road Warriorette

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I am thrilled to announce that starting this month I will be a contributing writer to the Room Key blog ‘Beyond the Front Desk.’ Room Key is a hotel search engine created by six of the world’s leading hotel companies. It enables travelers to quickly and easily compare value for their stay – based on…

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Quick travel tip: Double check for smoking vs. non-smoking

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Last week the Home Warrior, Mini Warrior, and I had to get out of our house for a few days due to the ongoing (never ending) house renovation. I used points to book a last minute room at a local Embassy Suites where I’ve stayed before. There was only type of room available, a king…

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Inside the minds of business travelers

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A couple of weeks ago, Hyatt launched what they’re calling “The World’s Largest Focus Group”. It was basically a series of Twitter chats with the goal of finding out what business travelers really think. While I wasn’t able to participate (darn job!) over 1,000 people responded to the chats with over 9,000 tweets, giving Hyatt…

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