Corporate Travelers Seek out the Personal Touch at Bed & Breakfast Inns
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(ARA) - Matt Gill spends at least part of most weeks on the road in his job as a consultant for a multi-national technology consulting company. But instead of checking into the nearest chain hotel, Gill seeks out local bed & breakfast inns as his home away from home.
“B&Bs offer so many benefits when compared to a hotel,” says Gill. At the top of his list is dealing with someone you know, who remembers you, and who you can talk to. “Staying in a chain hotel reminds me of the movie “Groundhog Day,” says Gill. “You wake up in the same generic room over and over again.”
Gill is currently spending about three days a week in Dallas, and has settled comfortably into Bailey’s Uptown Inn, owned and operated by innkeeper Andrea Friedheim. She is capitalizing on a trend among innkeepers to cater to corporate travelers. “Because B&Bs are typically a weekend business, corporate travelers help keep the rooms booked during the week,” she says. Bailey’s is relatively new; Friedheim built it from the ground up, and started welcoming guests in August 2003. From the beginning, she envisioned a B&B that would have amenities like DSL lines that appealed to business travelers.
“When I was traveling for business, I enjoyed the more personal, homey atmosphere of B&Bs,” says Friedheim. “As I planned and built Bailey’s, I had business travelers in mind.” While the individual attention available at B&Bs is one reason travelers seek them out, corporate road warriors also have special requirements such as flexible arrival and departure times, rooms that are designed with adequate work space, good lighting and high speed computer hookups.
Other benefits include a hot, homemade breakfast and perhaps a glass of wine waiting for you at the end of the day. Breakfast at Baileys includes fresh fruit, juice, coffee, tea and one of Friedheim’s specialties like blueberry streusel coffeecake and homemade buttermilk biscuits with honey.
Gill appreciates the fact that he can leave his luggage with Friedheim over the weekend, saving him the drudgery of lugging it back and forth each week. “Plus, there’s a dry cleaner right around the corner, so I can drop off my suits at the end of the week and pick them up ready to wear when I return,” he says.
Because many business travelers are men, B&Bs that cater to this group typically stay away from the “cute factor” sometimes associated with B&Bs. “My rooms are elegant rather than frilly,” says Friedheim. The rooms also boast Direct TV and private baths. “A lot of people have an image of having to share a bathroom down the hall if you stay at a B&B,” says Friedheim. “But that is becoming less common.”
Many B&Bs that cater to corporate travelers, like Bailey’s Uptown Inn, are located in urban areas, close to business offices. This usually means they’re close to other attractions as well, such as restaurants, entertainment and shopping. For example, Bailey’s is close to the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Symphony Center and the JFK 6th Floor Museum at Dealy Plaza as well as two full service spas; many of the city’s best restaurants are within walking distance.
Gill cautions business travelers not to be scared off by the rates at B&Bs. “Explain to the innkeeper that you will be visiting their city frequently on business, and ask if they offer a discount for multiple nights,” he advises.
For more information on Bailey’s Uptown Inn, visit www.baileysuptowninn.com or call (214) 720-2258.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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