Business centres in hotels are now commonplace but the facilities provided range greatly in quality and quantity. First Option
booked over half a million business bed nights last year and have conducted some research into what might be expected of a business centre in a UK hotel.Kevin Wayt, General Manager - Corporate, of First Option explains, ‘Generally there are two main reasons for business travellers to require business centre services in their hotels: firstly to assist them in completing the project they have travelled to the hotel for and secondly to carry on conducting their other business tasks - such as keeping in touch with the office or downloading emails.

Hotel groups have placed different emphasis on the development of business centres and it is worth noting that business centre facilities may vary from hotel to hotel, even within the same chain. Through our research we found that there are ten most likely facilities to be available.’

The ten most commonly found business centre facilities were:

1. Broadband/wireless high speed internet access

2. PCs

3. Colour Laser Printer

4. Facsimile Machine

5. Photocopier

6. Stapling and binding

7. Courier Services

8. Scanner

9. Laminating

10. Secretarial Services

Wayt continues ‘At First Option we appreciate that getting the job done and keeping in touch is essential when travelling on business.  We always recommend our clients assess their requirements for business services when initially planning the trip. It is important to ask yourself what you might need not just for the trip itself but also as a contingency if an urgent issue requiring you attention arises back at your office.  Then when you contact your hotel booking agency or travel management department you can brief them fully on your requirements for the trip. Our own database contains details of over 10,000 hotels with business centres and allows the hotels to update their details themselves on a real-time basis.’
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