The winner's circle: times may be tough, but our Business Travel Award winners still make travel a please

Entrepreneur, April, 2003 by Christopher Elliott, Christopher McGinnis

SWEEPING CHANGE. REVOLUTION. UPHEAVAL. Transformation. Whatever you care to call it, the business travel market is experiencing it right now.

But even in these lean and uncertain times, our latest Business Travel Awards winners are still going out of their way to cater to business travelers' growing needs. Interestingly, several previous (some perennial) Business Travel Awards winners are the very companies that are flourishing today. Prior winners such as AirTran, Frontier and Southwest are now the darlings of the air travel market. Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express and W Hotels are leading the pack in their respective hotel segments in many ways. In addition, Payless and Thrifty are currently picking up where the major car rental companies have left off.

Because it's becoming increasingly important to get a bigger bang out of very business travel buck, we've found other companies worthy of joining the ranks of our previous winners. So look no further than our 10th annual Business Travel Awards for help in your search for value. This is not a formal or scientific survey, just a subjective list of suppliers who offer affordable options to value-driven travelers everywhere.

BEST CAR-RENTAL COMPANY: ENTERPRISE

With the airport "hassle factor" looming large in every business traveler's mind, more are opting to literally hit the road in a rental car instead of taking to the skies. But choosing the right car-rental company is an increasingly complex task for the value-conscious, independent traveler.

Our suggestion? Enterprise. Why? Because you get exactly what you pay for--nothing more, nothing less--which is a good thing these days. Don't expect fancy red carpets, onboard satellite radios, frequent-flier miles or other perks that bump up rates at other rental-car companies. At Enterprise, you'll find pleasant, helpful employees, easy reservations, well-maintained cars and low rates.

By providing these basic features consistently, Enterprise has won the highest rankings in J.D. Power and Associates surveys for the past four years--unseating such perennial full-service rentalcar companies as Avis and Hertz. Enterprise says that its success at airport locations is largely due to a winning combination of unique customer service and low rates, which usually run about 20 percent less than its competitors.

In addition, frequent car renters can nab even lower rates by simply signing up for Enterprise's Corporate Glass program (call 877-881-5500 for more information).

While the company has been around for many years serving local markets, in 1998, it jumped into the airport market and is currently on-site at about 125 of the top U.S. airports. For more details, call (8oo) RENT-A-CAR or visit www.enterprise.com.

BEST HIGH-END HOTEL: KIMPTON GROUP

You may not have heard of the Kimpton Group, but you've probably heard the name of at least one of its 40 stylish boutique hotels that combine both affordability with personality in 15 cities across the country--such as the Hotel Monaco in Denver and Washington, DC; the Vintage Park in Seattle; the Allegro in Chicago; or any one of 17 unique boutique hotels in the chain's home town of San Francisco.

The company's M.O. is renovating and repositioning old buildings into charming hotels which feature popular restaurants. Each hotel has a cozy, living room-like lobby where guests can enjoy a free wine-tasting session each evening.

Rooms feel almost residential and even a little bit funky--but don't be fooled by their quirky design. All the rooms are thoroughly modern, with, among other things, two-line phones; high-speed Internet access; new, oversized bathrooms; large, well-lighted desks; and fully stocked mini-bars.

Affordability is yet another important key to Kimpton Group's hotel success--rates run $100 to $200 per night, and they are usually about 25 to 30 percent less than other comparable hotels nearby.

To find out more about the hotel chain, call (8oo) KIMPTON or log on to www.kimptongroup.com.

BEST MIDPRICED HOTEL: HILTON GARDEN INN

Once you've tried a Hilton Garden Inn, it's hard to go back to any other chain. Dipping into its deep and vast reservoir of experience in the hotel business, as well as a lot of customer research, Hilton created the Garden Inn concept in 1996 to help attract a new and growing breed of value-conscious business travelers: that is, those who are no longer willing to pay for the costly trappings of large-scale hotels but still need more than just the basic amenities the inexpensive budget hotel brands have to offer.

The 150-plus Hilton Garden Inns across the country (all newly built) deliver everything you need to conduct your business, including such amenities as an oversized desk and two-line phone, free high-speed Internet access and a convenient 24-hour business center.

If you plan on staying in the area for several days, you'll surely appreciate homey touches such as an in-room microwave, a mini-fridge and an easy chair with an ottoman. Don't feel like going out? You can swing by each hotel's 24-hour "Pavilion Pantry" for a snack, or eat at the hotel's full-service restaurant.