Alternatives for Business Travelers

I found this tip at www.splicker.com

Alternatives for Business Travelers


"I'm coming home. I've been away too long. Been away so long. I'm
coming home" - Ian Thomas, in Coming Home

I still recall my road warrior days. It seemed like every other week, I
was hopping on a plane for Orlando or Vancouver or Palm Springs or
Washington or Chicago or Toronto.

It might not be Rome, Paris, and Monte Carlo, but Washington, Toronto
and Orlando are pretty classy places. I went to crucial meetings. I was
an important person. I was a frequent flyer.

However, after a while, all the towns begin to look the same. One
airport hotel looks amazingly like another. Surely the taxi driver in
Washington and the taxi in Orlando were twins separated at birth. I was
yearning to just stay put. I had had enough of hotels and restaurants

Traveling sounds glamorous until you have to do it over and over and
over. Especially when you have a family, you want to spend some time at
home between the episodes of jet lag. Comfort becomes a much bigger
deal, and you want every place to feel like home.

You just can't do that in a hotel. Not in a Marriott. Not in a
Sheraton. Not in a Hilton.
I wish I knew then about two other options. Private Vacation Homes (or
rental villas) Private vacation homes, known also as holiday homes or
villas are essentially houses that rent on a weekly basis. They are not
much help for fly-in meetings. For those, only an airport hotel will
do. But if you plan to be in town for the better part of the week,
there is nothing like kicking back in your own private home - a
rental home, of course. "Hotel rooms are cramped; a villa is spacious
with room to walk about. Hotel rooms have a TV and desk in the bedroom;
a villa has surround sound TV and stereo with comfortable couches and
chairs in various parts of the home. A hotel has a public pool; a villa
has a private pool," says Florida villas rental agent Stewart
Granville. "It's private. It's comfortable. It's like a home away from
home." Mr. Granville notes that a vacation home rental also serves as
an office away from home, with one room dedicated to the office. "In a
villa, you don't have to sit on your bed when you type those memos. And
what a great way to entertain business contacts."Mr. Granville
specializes in villas in America's vacation heartland: Orlando,
Florida. Business travelers often bring their family along to enjoy
Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and other famous theme parks. The
family plays while the business traveler works. When the meetings are
over, they all head for Disney together, perhaps for another week. With
family in tow, a private rental home makes much more sense than a
crowded hotel room.


Bed and Breakfasts

Bed and Breakfasts are also an option. Although they do not offer the
same privacy and space as villas, they are warmer and more homey than a
hotel. And like a hotel, they rent by the night, not by the week.Is a
bed and breakfast for you? If a relaxing atmosphere is more important
to you than room service, a bed and breakfast is for you, yes. They are
comfortable and relaxing, so the business traveler can walk confidently
into his meeting free from stress and worries.Bed and Breakfasts are
growing more popular for weekend getaways in the country, but most
major urban centers have bed and breakfasts right in the heart of the
city...and these are ideal for road-weary business travelers.So forget
about room service and the mint on the pillow. For a stay of several
days, the business traveler can rent a spacious, private vacation
villa. And for just a night or two, it's a warm and comfortable bed and
breakfast.

This friendly tip, and more like it, at www.splicker.com

I found another alternative.... sort of a cross between a motel and a
bed and breakfast.
It is right downtown Toronto. It is actually 3 houses turned into an
inn. Some rooms are great, some rooms are just ok. But it is cheap.
The smaller rooms cost about the same as a hostel. Check out their
site www.castlegateinn.com for more information ( they post their rates
right on the site). You might want to find out what the differences
are for the price and the room. Pay the extra if you can afford it for
a bigger room. But if you want cheap, they have that too - and the
location of the inn is great: a block from the subway, walking distance
to Casa Loma or the University of Toronto. Unique motel. Cheap.
Downtown Toronto. What else can I say!

"Booker" wrote in message
oups.com...
I found another alternative.... sort of a cross between a motel and a
bed and breakfast.
It is right downtown Toronto. It is actually 3 houses turned into an
inn. Some rooms are great, some rooms are just ok. But it is cheap.
The smaller rooms cost about the same as a hostel. Check out their
site www.castlegateinn.com for more information ( they post their rates
right on the site). You might want to find out what the differences
are for the price and the room. Pay the extra if you can afford it for
a bigger room. But if you want cheap, they have that too - and the
location of the inn is great: a block from the subway, walking distance
to Casa Loma or the University of Toronto. Unique motel. Cheap.
Downtown Toronto. What else can I say!

Wow that is probably one of the most cost effective, amazing locations in
Toronto.