If the idea of staying in a chain hotel when travelling on business fills you with dread, you are not alone. Why go for a hotel whose rooms look the same in Dublin as they do in Detroit when you can stay somewhere with real character? Who wants function when you can have fashion, after all?
Here, boutique-hotel experts Mr & Mrs Smith select the best European properties that offer a full entourage of business facilities without compromising on character.
A hotel in the capital with free WiFi is hard to find. Thank goodness, then, for the Zetter – a sleek, converted warehouse in Clerkenwell that’s as liberal with its hi-tech wizardry as it is stylish with its retro-modern interiors. Practical room facilities, such as a workstation that’s workable, are softened by quirky touches such as hand-knitted hot-water-bottle covers and magenta mood lighting. Book a rooftop suite for a private balcony with Square Mile views.
The Chester Residence, Edinburgh
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The 19 suites at this New Town hotel are more like apartments, comprising one or two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen and seating area. For business travellers, this translates as an opportunity to live the home-from-home clich?. At this spacious Georgian property, there’s no enforced restaurant dining nor cabin fever-induced nightcaps. And the attentive staff – helpful but not overbearing – are the hotel equivalent of bringing your PA.
The lavish, colourful styling at this Victorian townhouse turned boutique hotel is so very decadent, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Dylan’s appeal was superficial. You’d also be wrong. A list of its facilities reads like a recipe for the perfect business trip – seamless check-in, free WiFi, laptop/mobile phone hire and you want/you get service. There are even ‘business butlers’ – ready to type, print, fax and photocopy at your command.
This bold, design hotel is just made for a team trip or small conference. Set in the bohemian Marais district, the 52-room property has Europe’s longest vodka bar, an avant-garde restaurant and an army of entertainment-focused gadgets in your room. Sole travellers preoccupied by looming presentations will appreciate the free broadband, PC and mobile phone hire, 24/7 room service and concierge, plus car hire with or without a driver.
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In the heart of the Catalan capital, Hotel Omm is a smartly executed all-rounder where you could happily leave your partner to enjoy its luxuries while you work. There are conference facilities for 20 delegates and a business centre with free WiFi and two PCs when you need them – a spa, gym, rooftop pool and a night club when you don’t. Thanks to the Roca brothers and chef Felip Llufriu, the restaurant, Moo, is Michelin-starred.
This six-storey property occupies a central spot just off Karlsplatz. It has the mod-con amenities of a standard business hotel, only with far more personality, thanks to its boutique size and characterful design touches. Invite your German colleagues to dine with you in the chandelier-crowned rotunda at the Asian-themed Anna restaurant. Free WiFi throughout, plus use of the gym and spa at next-door Hotel K?nigshof.
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Don’t be fooled by the once-grand apartment block exterior or the near-Wenceslas Square location, there’s not a shred of chintz about Hotel Yasmin. The floor-to-ceiling cream rooms have modern moulded furniture and black-tiled bathrooms. Even the lobby is a striking visual treat of olive walls, silver lights and giant orange sculptures. Its corporate spec is less obvious but no less appealing, including conference facilities, a business centre, free broadband (WiFi in public areas) and secretarial services by request.
One block from the Piazza del Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, The Gray is a contemporary property packed with designer details right down to the swirly silver door handles. It may only have 21 rooms, but two of those have private gyms. All have clean lines, white-chocolate giant beds and headboards, plus cocoa-dark furniture. Free broadband and a desk you can actually sit at should help with your homework.
Just 10 minutes from Bruxelles-Midi train station, Be Manos is a modern monochrome treat from its black wicker rooftop booths to its slate-grey ensuites. Express check-out, car hire and conference facilities help smooth even the most time-pressured of stays. Invite clients to join you for aperitifs in the Sixties-style lounge, which has a rainbow-spotlit bar and tangerine cushions on velveteen sofas. Move on to dinner in the Be Lella restaurant, which serves impressive Belgian/French fare.
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Budget-friendly, staffed by hospitality students, housed in a former school – Amsterdam’s College Hotel may seem an unlikely business hero, but in fact its 40 rooms and suites cater well for corporate guests. At the edge of the city’s museum quarter, the College Hotel has free WiFi in all rooms, lamplit desks, and, downstairs, meeting spaces. For evenings out, limo hire can be arranged. Or, when you want to dine with colleagues, Pepijn Schut’s creative Dutch menu makes bearing with the still-learning staff more than worthwhile.