Business Travelers, Take Heart--We're Inching Toward a Work-Anywhere World

Posted by Kristina Cowan

Have you ever tried to get work done at an airport that's less than friendly to business travelers?

Take heart, for gradual change is in the works, says a New York Times article: Airports and especially hotels are becoming more user-friendly for globe-trotting workers.

According to the article:

... hotels and airports are gradually catching on to the fact that mobile workers need more help getting their jobs done on the road. Hotels that cater to laptop-toting travelers are scrambling to add electrical outlets in easy-to-reach places, install better task lighting and design chairs with flat armrests that can double as desks.

Getting Connected

Internet access is a key priority for business travelers, the story says, and airports and hotels are striving to meet the demand. That means improved technical support: “The tech support issue is something hotels need to do a better job with,” he said. “If you check into a five-star hotel and have to wait 20 minutes to talk to someone about a tech support problem and that person isn’t able to help you, that reflects poorly on the hotel.”

More electrical outlets, furniture to accommodate laptops--including chairs and beds--are also in the works at some hotels. Though airports haven't made as many changes, several are adding electronic charging stations, more power outlets and "work-friendly seating." A few kiosks at Dallas-Fort Worth even let travelers check e-mail for free.

As an occasional business traveler, I appreciate these steps forward--with place to plug in my laptop, an Internet connection and somewhere to sit, I can be just as productive as in my home-office.

Readers, what do you think of hotel-and-airport efforts to meet business travelers' needs?

• On the Job, Everywhere (The New York Times)