A certain Richard Quest always pops into my mind whenever I think about anything to do with a business traveller, most logically because of the fact that he has a show on CNN called “Business Traveller” through which he appeals to the suggested target market of the quintessential business traveller. What does it mean to be a business traveller though, particularly taking into account the five-star hotel accommodation which is expressly targeted at travellers who are indeed travelling for business?
So apparently if you have to ask then you’re NOT a business traveller and the travel services associated with business travellers aren’t aimed at you. It’s not a bad thing at all, especially considering just how ridiculously expensive these services can be, often presented as some or other upgrade to existing services, but priced just out of reach of the normal traveller. Think about the cost of a business class air ticket in comparison to an economy class ticket going to the same destination.
When you look at the extra comfort or luxury you’re supposedly getting with your upgrade then you might even find yourself wondering whether these business travellers who make use of these services are indeed at all business savvy, given the apparent frivolity of the extras they’re paying for. It all makes a bit more sense when you consider that the typical business traveller is perhaps not really a business person, but rather an employee of a company which wants to preserve that employee’s sharpness and perhaps their comfort so that they can focus on nothing but the job they’re deployed to do.
So they’ll put you up in a five star hotel, or if not a five-star hotel outright then something like one of those three-star hotels which are specifically aimed at the business traveller, such as the Manhattan Hotel which has branches in locations beyond the USA and Manhattan itself. There’s one in Pretoria, South Africa for example, but what exactly sets this type of accommodation apart as specifically suited to the business traveller?
Stay on a business deployment and you’ll find out first-hand, but if that’s not in the offing for you then I’ll fill you in a bit.
Basically they go out of their way to make sure you don’t worry about any technical aspects of your lodging, so your food is prepared for you and all you really have to do is perhaps head downstairs to the dining room to enjoy meals that you don’t have to worry about preparing yourself.
Additionally, all the little nuances which have anything to do with the typical business traveller and their trip are taken care of if not made provision for, like how there might be a special ironing facility for those men’s shirt collars that are notorious for requiring special attention in their care. I mean you’re probably going to be busy running up and down between the conference room and the meeting room perhaps to simply get your work done and maybe meet up with some clients, so that’s why five-star joints appear to be offering a whole lot more than you need if you’re not a business traveller.
