10 Things to Watch out for when...Choosing a business hotel

Location: The hotel must be conveniently situated, in relation to the airport, the business district and shopping areas. It is also imperative that it is not in a high-crime area.

Communications: Fax machines and e-mail are basic necessities. Will your hotel room have broadband? Some business hotels provide round the clock financial information from television and stock tickers.

Facilities: Top-notch facilities are the norm at all reputable business hotels. From sports options to private beaches, hotels now try to cater for your every need. A number also run team-building exercises, in case heads start to drop.

Reputation: Word of mouth can be a good guide to how valued the hotel is by executives. It is often necessary to choose a hotel that matches the image your company is trying to project.

Conference centre: Try to avoid converted function rooms. Modern and stylish should be the ideal, with all the video and telecommunication facilities being prerequisites.

Service: Many business hotels have regular clients and are better placed to anticipate needs, so that irregular requests can be dealt with in a quietly efficient manner.