I have never been a fan of hotel settings. They’re noisy, bustling, and if you’re unlucky enough to have a family with children in the room next to you, you’re in for a sleepless night.
Given the nature of my work, I frequent hotels more than I’d like. I’m an entrepreneur and am back and forth to the Greater Toronto Area a few times a year. After the last incident in a hotel, where I listened to screaming children running up and down the halls all night, I decided to look for a quieter alternative for my next business venture.
Airbnb for business travel looked promising. Instead of a hotel, I could rent the quiet room of somebody’s home, and have some peace for the duration of my stay. I was really excited about my trip to Mississauga because of this. The house I settled on was at the end of a quiet, tree-lined street, tucked away from a busy intersection. I had good vibes about this peer-on-peer rental service I decided to take a chance on.
It wasn’t long before things began to unfold, and not for the noisy reasons I thought.
As a business traveller, a reliable Wi-Fi connection is crucial to the success of my business and communication with clients. When I had settled in for the evening on the first night of my stay, I noticed the password for Wi-Fi was not working. The owner of the house was not around and I was forced to do my work in a local restaurant that had free Wi-fi available. It was a huge inconvenience. When I finally did get the password sorted out the next day, the Internet connection would fail intermittently throughout my stay. If that wasn’t bad enough, every time I made a call on my cell phone, the connection was so terrible that the calls kept dropping. I soon realized that a reliable Internet connection cannot be guaranteed in someone’s home, unlike an establishment.
When I returned home a few days later, I mentioned my experience to a friend. He told me about Platinum Suites – fully-furnished apartments for rent in Mississauga. He reassured me that Platinum Suites have spacious units with multiple rooms. Because of this, I’d have less chance of hearing noise than if I was in a one-bedroom hotel room.
The best part is they are designed for short term stays, so business needs such as Wi-Fi, privacy and conference rooms are available at Platinum Suites. Business trips can contribute to a company’s growth, but only if the traveller benefits from the visit. The next time I venture here, I will look into staying at these furnished apartments in Mississauga.