Hotel booking but no business centre
 

Moderators - please change to the right forum if needed.

I have a non refundable booking at a major hotel chain. The website claims there is a business centre but this is nothing more than three PCs and a printer.

To me, a business centre is one which provides a separate room with computers, printing, scan, secretarial services and perhaps a meeting room.

If my understanding is incorrect and three PCs and a printer is ok to describe as a business centre, I will accept it.

Does anyone have any comments on this?

It's not a case of your understanding being correct or not, there is no formal definition of what constitutes a business centre. so I doubt you're getting anywhere with your objection.

It is not an objection. It is very much a case of my understanding. Even if there is no formal definition, that is also increasing understanding.

It is a request for feedback from other business hotel travellers. This is why I have not mentioned the hotel chain to avoid unnecessary criticism.

Sounds to me like what most hotels would call a business center.

If I have any special need at a property, I have our corporate TA confirm the capability with the property before booking.

Three PC's is two more than many properties consider a business center.

A lot depends on where you are and the nature of the property. Many people no longer have secretaries at all, so having one on the road would be odd. But, if you need one, most properties could recommend one or might have one on staff who would assist for a fee.

Meeting rooms would be booked through sales or others. The comes down to scanning.

So, if you need a scanner, I would call and make sure there is a scanner handy.

Since this is not a hotel review I am moving the thread to TravelBuzz.

NewbieRunner, Senior Moderator

There is no standard - it means whatever a property wants it to mean - just like "garden salad", "lounge", "mixed vegetables", etc.

I always assume it to mean a computer (maybe 2 or 3) and a printer* - which is what I always encounter regardless of hotel size or type, when a "business center" is advertised. And the computer may just be a kiosk type with a web browser and a few very basic office applications. A scanner? Maybe but not likely and not expected.

Secretarial services would be highly rare to even find within a hotel and certainly not an expectation when I see "business center". Sometimes with a large hotel connected to a retail complex there may be a UPS Store or Kinko's arranged in such a way that it's convenient to the hotel - and sometimes advertised as such by the hotel - but not considered a part of the hotel-provided business center.

I wouldn't expect that a meeting room would be included in the business center - meeting rooms would be listed separately as, well, "meeting rooms" (and of course typically subject to charge for rental).

*Oh and the printer won't work 50% of the time and no one at the front desk knows how to fix it.

Most hotels have conference rooms that can be rented for meetings by the hour or day. That is separate from a business center - for which I agree that there is no standardized definition. I would consider the room you have described to meet my understanding of what one should have. If it has more, fine, but I wouldn't expect it.

I expect a hotel business center to have computers and a printer, perhaps a fax machine, too, in countries that still rely heavily on those.

As Often1 mentions, some services that might be part of a business center at some hotels can be part of other departments at other hotels. For example, meeting rooms are often handled through the meetings department, not the business center. Guest shipping needs may be handled by the business center, the concierge, the front desk or the bellhop's desk.

OP's description of what the hotel provides as a "business centre" seems reasonable to me. As others have pointed out, the term has no rigorous definition.

In my experience the extent of what is provided depends on the market segment the hotel is in. For example, a limited service property in a suburban location may provide a business center that is 1-2 computers and a printer in an open area off to the side of the lobby. A four-star hotel in a city core is reasonably expected to provide more: more machines, additional services, and reservable private rooms.

+1. Actually, a business center with two extra PCs. ;)

Secretarial services? You usually have to Google your nearest print shop for that. I'd say Kinko's but I think that brand has been swallowed up by Fedex.

What you described in your first post is pretty standard for a business center IMHO, especially in the US. In a few instances I have seen much more robust business centers, but they are usually because the hotel has large conference spaces that can hold 1000s of people.

Agreed.

IMO a business centre means nothing more than a PC and a printer, and is often not a private location (off the lobby, etc.) This doesn't seem to matter if it is a cheap and cheerful suburban 3* or a 5* city property (I was at a 5* city property in Europe last year, and had expected to working in the business centre until my room was ready (I got in early). It had 2 computers and a printer, but were on this strange raised bar area, and had to perch on a backless bar stool to work - not comfy!)

+1 :D