Speed and connectivity: The hallmarks of business hotels

Kingston is a hub for business travellers seeking to participate in the commercial and cultural activities offered in major cities in the Caribbean. Its regional importance has also contributed to its reputation as a key location for business hotels.

As a growing segment of the hospitality ­industry, business hotels cater to road warriors visiting the country for meetings, conferences and dealmaking. The success of these specialised hotels depends on high-speed Internet services and end-to-end connectivity.

“The business traveller is very sophisticated. They require 24-hour connectivity from anywhere in the hotel, the ability to connect multiple devices to the network, and extremely fast Internet speeds. In short, the changes in technology have influenced how business is conducted globally and the offerings that our customers need,” stated Andreas Cope, manager of reservations, sales, marketing, and public relations, Spanish Court Hotel.

He continued, “Meetings are held at different locations in our hotel daily. The café, lobby, and even the dinner table are places where business is also being conducted. No longer are deals and ­negotiations limited to the conference room or even our 24-hour business centre. Our customers, therefore, demand end-to-end connectivity to ensure that they can ­access the services when they need it most.”

C&W Business Jamaica, the premiere telecoms partner of business hotels, provides first-class, superfast and dedicated Internet access.

“We help hotels create wonderful guest experiences from the moment that guests walk through their doors to the memories they will take away. With Wi-Fi being critical for business hotels, we have designed our connectivity solutions with mobility in mind,” stated Delroy McLean, senior ­director, C&W Business Jamaica.

This sentiment was echoed by Andrea Atkinson-Perry, group IT manager, Courtleigh Group, which manages the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, the Knutsford Court Hotel and the Courtleigh Hotel & Suites in Kingston. “When guests visit our hotels, the Wi-Fi ­access code is among the first things that they request. Therefore, having C&W Business Jamaica as our technology partner offering stability to our Wi-Fi and broadband services is important to our guests and important to us,” she said.

In 2000, US$634 billion was spent on global business travel – half of the US $1.2 trillion spent in 2015, which is nearly one quarter of that total travel and tourism spend. By 2020, the Global Business Travel Association anticipates the spend to reach US$1.6 trillion. With the number of business hotels in the Corporate Area set to increase, the needs of business travellers have now been brought into sharp focus, the main one being reliable connectivity.