Business Traveller Edition
When travelling for work, complimentary Wi Fi in rooms is a must. Those emails and Skype calls you have to take can’t wait. Complimentary bottles of water and – in some rare instances, cookies – are pluses.
Your stay in a luxury hotel for business could be a day or two, or for some unlucky ones, for an extended amount of time. Do you really need a Jacuzzi or eight fluffy pillows in your unfortunately twin-bedded room? Here are some other things you’d find you don’t really need when you’re travelling alone on a work trip.
1. Bathtubs
The idea of soaking your stress away after a long day of meetings seems tempting. But let’s face it: realistically, the only thing you want to do is to jump into the shower and hit the sack as soon as you possibly can. Postpone the bubble bath and bath salts soaking sessions for your next relaxing holiday with your loved ones.
2. Automatic Minibars
What is worse than a hotel room with no minibar? It is a hotel room with an automatic minibar. It is usually stocked with snacks and drinks that you don’t like and don’t intend to buy because they’re so expensive. Unless I am absolutely parched, I will not pay five dollars for a can of soda. Which brings me to the next point:
3. Mini Liquor Bottles
If you were at a party having a conversation that was going stale and needed a little something to perk you up, those miniatures are your best friends. Unfortunately, after a long day, a tiny bottle of that golden liquid would definitely not calm you down. You could clear the entire shelf of miniatures –but that would tear a considerable hole in your pocket – or get off your lazy behind and head downstairs to the bar and socialise! Who knows, you might get lucky.
4. So Many Different Types of Towels
Personally, the only two towels I care about is the one that you use to dry your entire body, and the one to prevent you from slipping on the puddles you may have caused from your shower. Occasionally, the face towel by the sink comes in handy when keeping the area around it dry. More towels means more uses for something totally unnecessary and that will end up with more laundry and more harm to the environment. Bottom line is, it is unnecessary to stock a bathroom with so many towels.
5. Radio/ Digital clock that doubles up as an iPod dock
The only thing useful in this multi-purpose gadget is probably the part where it tells the time. You press the wrong button and the radio will shatter your eardrums with static noise in protest – who tunes in to radio any more when you have the convenience of an Internet radio? The iPod dock to conveniently charge your device, and double as a speaker, is most likely five years out of date. If you ever come across a dock with the current lightning connector instead of the 30-pin dock connector, you’ve hit the jackpot… and also the judgmental glares of non-Apple users worldwide.
You know what is the one luxury amenity you need in all business hotels? A coffee brewer accompanied with coffee pillows, compliments of Starbucks. I came across this godsend gem once in a hotel in the States; it made waking up in the morning a little less dreadful.
Nur Intan Syafinaz lives out of her suitcase and tells her stories at Syfnz Says during her spare time.
