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Business Traveller wants to know your ideas about how to improve life on the road and in the air. Tell us your top tips for getting a good night’s sleep, or how airports could be better designed to improve efficiency and comfort. Your ideas can be practical and realistic, or you can have a bit of fun and tell us what things you would want in an ideal world.
My life would be so much easier if:
Hotel Rooms had the following:
A light switch the turned on all the lights and the lights actually lit the whole room.
Power sockets weren't hidden under the desk.
Hi-speed internet acces was free.
Airlines in Europe allowed you to go on an earlier flight if there is room despite having a non flexible ticket. (the US allow this and its so much easier.
Free wif-fi in all lounges.
On board if I pay for a biz ticket I want a flat bed, a decent size table, a power socket that works and somewhere to store my bits.
And most of all I like it when Hotels/Airlines/Airports/Rental Car Agencies & the like realise that I would really rather be at home but my job dictates that I am with them and when things go wrong a little understanding and help is truly appreciated.
Earplugs have saved my sanity on many occasions from Tokyo to Dubai. Anyone who, like me, needs a good night's sleep should pack a pair, and make sure they are better than standard pharmacy quality.
Wifi on planes ... but no cell phones please, that is just too disrputive for everyone else - send an email instead
Washrooms on planes that have automatic flush systems and a longer cyle on the automatic tap so you can actually finish washing your hands before having to hit it again (its the little things in life ;-)
Thermostats that actually work in your hotel room
More towels please - and larger bath towels would be really apprecated
TVs that when you turn them on don't require you to immeidately press the volume button down a million times as your TV wakes up everyone on the floor
More express lines in security for biz class travellers
TLC-not! http://biztravelwoes.blogspot.com/
re. robinsyria and earplugs:
melatonin tablets complement earplugs wonderfully!
Here are my tips on getting a good night sleep: http://internationaltravel.dailysite.com/article/How-to-Get-a-Good-Nights-Sleep-while-Business-Travelling/?dis=GMWRSZFXZTGA59J
How does everyone else prepare for a long day of meetings?
When having an all day meeting, I always ensure the temperature in the room is on the chilly side, and positively frigid as the evening wears on.
It does sharpen the mind, and keeps people on their toes!
Always best to remind those who do feel the cold to wrap up beforehand, though this can restrict the view for the more virile team members. With my female colleagues swathed in cashmere, this also serves to reduce distraction!
would be so much easier if you could book a hotel which automartically asked you which flight you were arriving on to arrange an airport pick up. just type it in during the hotel reservation instead of having to send another email or fax with all the details. i would much prefer to make 1 booking which includes is all in 1 go especially when going to some really odd places where you really have to pre-order a hotel car instead of the taxi taxi sir sir types hanging around arrivals...
Hi all, I would like a hotel television to switch on to an interesting channel straight away. I get tired of having to skip through hotel advertising channels and pay movie channels to get to my favourite CSI !!
Yes you are right carrotcake, it is so annoying. Have you also found that they have a list of what channels are available but some are always missing. The ones with the programs you want to watch!
Ha ha! N Tarrant, Yes! Also, have you had the curse of the remote control? You know the one with the dodgy batteries. One minute, it works, the next, you are waving it around like a mad woman pointing it in all directions? Then, it suddenly works and skips about 5 channels. How random!
I am not certain that the Blue Smarties Mrs Tarrant encourages Mr Tarrant to enjoy with his pre-bedtime Horlicks on the second Tuesday of every month have yet had the effect of turning him into a "mad woman".
Or indeed any sort of woman. Quite the opposite, in fact! ;)
Coquilles St. Jacques and Rocket, with a pleasant Semillon Blanc, followed by Summer Berries in Cream.
On night time departures lights that are dimmed for take off, making you feel nice and relaxed all of a sudden being turned on full after take off. Very annoying when the bright lights wake you up!
Tables set aside in hotel restaurants for single travellers to meet and socialize.
European countries abiding and enforcing the non smoking rules
This is an excellent website. I have been nervous to make my maiden post but hope that this is considered as a good contribution.
Yes Carrotcake those remote controls can be a problem. Equally a problem with remote controls which I encountered last week in a Crowne Plaza, sit at the desk, change channel ok, sit in the chair, difficult to change channel, lie on the bed and it doesn't work. Then one discovers that the chambermaid has polaced the advert card for movies infront of the sensor! I was waving the remote like a mad man.
Thank you VK for pointing that out. Nice sounding meal. Mrs T's roast pork, slowly cooked and very tender with potatoes and runner beans from the garden.
Welcome CMBurchhardt, hope you will become a regular contributor, we are all friends here just that we don't agree all the time.
Hi CMB,
May I second what NTarrant has just said.
As for my wishes, here goes:
All F and C Gold Card Holders after check in to have a separate security and passport lane with direct access to the lounge.
When the flight is due to be called F and C Gold to be allowed to board first, directly and without having to wait in a cattle pen (sorry, I mean at the gate holding area).
If a night flight then leave the lights out. Those who wish to read can use the personal lights provided.
When landing at 6am, why O why are we all woken at 4am for breakfast??? I cannot even swallow at that time of the morning and with nice arrival lounges I can wait till 6.30 for breakfast.
I accept that some may want breakfast (especially those Germans and Swiss Germans for whom 4am is a late start!!!) but then this can be indicated before they go to sleep and they can be served quietly and eat with their personal lights on, rather than the whole cabin being lit up.
Finally, and this is my biggest bugbear. Having been cosseted from check-in to landing. We are then thrown out into the cold like last night's dinner, to brave a hoarding mass of people all running the marathon to get to passport control/baggage claim. There should be a separate lane for the above mentioned so we can be whisked through to the lounge or to waiting taxi's (also pre-arranged by the airline staff on landing if required) so the long taxi queues so prevalent at many airports can also be avoided.
This would not cost much more and would help justify the high prices we pay for our flights. LH, LX, BA, SQ and other premium carriers, are you listening???
I wonder if we'll ever get the lights left dimmed after take off on flights in the hours of darkness (as they call it...) - they no doubt say it's so they can see to carry out the meal service, but you get the same on shorthaul flights and with the LCCs where there is no such service - ok there's nearly always the trolley selling snacks & drinks.
The same goes for trains, which are even worse when it's dark outside. Again no doubt they'd say it's for catering service, but again you have the same where there is no such service in standard class. Then it would be so passengers can see their way to the on-board shop!
Come on airlines & rail operators, we don't all want to travel feeling like we're in a TV studio or operating theatre! Save yourself some electricity too!
I would like a " heavenly" bed with hypo- allergenic pillows in every hotel.
I would welcome any way of cutting car hire costs they are completely ridiculous in Europe No rationing water bottles in BA CW would be great too Internet on BA. Not needing to take sandwiches in CW and First on BA Being able to eat at the bar US style Some sense that anyone is travelling on business in Europe anymore (I'm so woooonweee in almost every hotel i go to) An eelasticated self fit sheet for CW flat bed
Isn't this more about strategies to deal with existing circumstances, and making the best of them rather than suggesting ways travel companies could spend more to improve their offering.
ice cold china/mugs/cups should be warmed prior to serving hot tea and coffee.
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