I used to think that business people who stayed in bland chain hotels and ate room service dinners without exploring the city outside were plain silly. Now I understand.
It’s funny, I was looking for accommodation in Prague for the upcoming family holiday there. I found one apartment hotel where the interiors looked like they were decked out with cheap items from Fantastic Furniture, but it was supposed to be convenient and kid friendly, so I was happy.
Yet, when it came to booking accommodation for a work trip to Canberra I found myself mentally rejecting such places and instead wishing for a standard modern business hotel. Unfortunately, they are rather thin on the ground and tend to be expensive (at least if you are forced to book via our corporate system). And all I could imagine myself doing (apart from meeting up with a friend) was returning to the hotel at the end of the day, having a quick dinner, then retreating to my room to relax.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Canberra and enjoy exploring my old haunts there, but after a day doing boring migration work in front of a computer all I think I will want is somewhere familiar, convenient and simple to put my feet up and relax.
If you are on the road a lot, busy with business during the day and missing your family at night, maybe that’s all you want. I guess I’ll find out soon.