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Travel
The New Age of Business Travel
A guide for corporate executives, who are coping with today's on-the-road reality.
But what has not changed is that we are still traveling. Maybe not as frequently or as lavishly as before, but we are still out there, taking care of business, wherever it may lead us. Here's a guide to what's going on…
 Desktop Deal-Making
Web conferencing, an esoteric term three years ago, is an increasingly critical tool in a business traveler's arsenal. By now, you've been summoned to countless conference calls, and you know the drill well—call the 800 number at the appointed time,enter the code or tell the operator who you are, and ding-dong, you are in the meeting. Web conferencing adds a visual, interactive element to these gatherings. In addition to the phone call, web conferencing providers like Webex or Placeware will also ask you to point your web browser to a specific meeting site, where you and other attendees can view the same PowerPoint slides, CAD drawings, or even streaming video of live speeches. What makes a web conference better than a videoconference? You can attend a web conference from your PC—at your office, home, or hotel room. A videoconference usually requires you to go to a specific conferencing facility which can be located anywhere.
 Online Bookings
When it comes to online shopping for hotels, Hilton wants to keep you booking on its proprietary websites (not on third-party sites) and it's providing both a carrot and a stick to help sway you. The carrot is the assurance that you'll get the lowest rate available on a Hilton site; one that's not necessarily available on third-party sites. Hilton family websites include Hilton.com, Doubletree.com, Embassysuites.com, Hamptoninn.com, Hiltongardeninn.com, Homewoodsuites.com, Conradhotels.com, and Scandichotels.com. The stick is that members of the Hilton HHonors program will only earn points or miles for their stays if they book online through a Hilton family site. (However, offline bookings through travel agents, call centers, or corporate travel departments will still earn HHonors points.)
 It's a WI-FI World
The introduction of Intel's Centrino mobile technology earlier this year marked a good-news moment in the march toward widespread wireless—the ability to access the Internet from your laptop without being plugged into a wall socket. Nearly every new laptop sold these days has wireless capabilities, but the problem is finding so-called "hot spots" where the Internet is broadcast in small geographic areas. Currently, there are about 3,700 hot spots in the U.S. that form a loose patchwork of accessibility and pricing options. They appear in unexpected locations like a barbershop in the suburbs of New York City, or a pub on the shores of Lake Tahoe. But they also can be found in places you'd expect—at many Hilton, Marriott, or Starwood hotels, for example, or at an increasing number of airports and office buildings. Prices range from free to about $10 a day. Intel says that the most likely place to find hot spots is Portland, Ore., which it says is the most ³unwired² city in the U.S., followed by San Francisco, Austin, and Seattle. (New York City ranked 23rd.)
 Concorde: Going, Going…
By now you've heard that both British Airways and Air France will retire their sleek Concorde fleets this year. If you've always wanted to zoom across the Atlantic between New York and London at 60,000 feet, sipping bubbly and flying at twice the speed of sound, now's the time to take flight. Currently, BA is offering special round-trip fares of about $7,000 (that's about half the standard Concorde fare), good for travel through September 6 (1-800-224-0500 or britishairways.com/travel/celebrateusfares). But for a good night's sleep across the Atlantic, forget the Concorde; choose BA's Club class for your next trip to London and you'll get a seat that reclines into a flat bed that can't be beat.
 More Room in Beantown
The recent opening of a new 3.5-mile tunnel connecting Logan Airport to downtown Boston makes it a cinch to stay at a convenient airport hotel while taking care of business in the city. The brand-new Embassy Suites Hotel Boston at Logan Airport provides complimentary transportation to and from the airport terminal or downtown, 19 meeting rooms/suites, a business center, an indoor pool, and a health club. Better yet, it offers something most downtown Boston hotels can't: lots of space. Its 273 spacious two-room suites come with complimentary amenities like high-speed Internet access, and a cooked-to-order breakfast (1-800-HILTONS or embassysuites.com).
 Paying for Perks
So you want a better seat on the plane, a special (shorter) line at airport check-in, or a cherished upgrade to first from business class? These days, to get treated like a celebrity CEO you may have to pull out your wallet, and not just your frequent flyer card. Increasingly, airlines are offering perks to customers who pay the highest fares, and not necessarily to those with the biggest mileage balances. In the last year, British Airways, Delta, and American have modified their frequent flyer programs, making it much easier for those paying premium fares to get into their "elite" membership levels, and other airlines are likely to follow suit soon. Upside: If you typically pay premium fares—like full coach, business, or first class—you'll soon find it easier to get the recognition and rewards you deserve.
 Tokyo Rising
Despite the ongoing economic malaise in Japan, billionaire Minoru Mori has added an exciting new live-work-play destination: the breathtaking new Roppongi Hills development, which opened in April in central Tokyo. The 27-acre, $4 billion "city within a city" includes a 390-room Grand Hyatt, 200 upscale shops, 60 high-end restaurants, an art museum, a private club, a nine-screen Virgin cinemaplex, a television station, plus hundreds of apartments and offices. Hoping to soften the edge of Tokyo's concrete and steel urban jungle, the complex also includes 68,000 trees and shrubs in the many ³pocket parks² scattered throughout the complex. There's even a Buddhist temple. (See roppongihills.com.)
 Ease Into a Cruise
Looking for a novel way to reward top performers without making them jump through airport hoops to fly to some far-off resort? Next time, you might want to consider a cruise. Prices have never been lower, and more ships than ever are departing from convenient U.S. ports—not just Miami. Based in New York City? Then consider the luxurious all-suite Seven Seas Navigator, deployed on routes from New York City to Bermuda and Canada this summer and fall. No airplanes or airports to deal with—just take a cab to the pier on the West Side of Manhattan and hop on board. (Other ports now serving cruise lines include Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, and Mobile, Ala.)
 Tight Squeeze
The airport hub-and-spoke system is under fire, and one of the results is increased use of smaller regional jets, or RJs. For the most part, the newer 50- to 70-seat RJs are a smooth, quiet, and welcome relief from the older, noisier, and more uncomfortable turboprops. They are best when flown on routes that they are designed for—short, regional hops where it would be unfeasible and/or unprofitable to use a larger jet. But as airlines trim back on capacity, they are frequently deploying RJs on much longer routes—some lasting two to three hours, which can seem like an eternity in such cramped quarters; worse, there is no first-class cabin to upgrade to. Advice: When booking a flight, always inquire about the type of plane, since some airlines use a combination of RJs and full-sized jets on certain routes.
 On the Fast Track
Tired of the traffic jams and $40 cab fares between San Francisco International Airport and the city? Starting soon, you'll be able to jump on a train at the new Bay Area Rapid Transit station located inside the SFO international terminal for a $5 ride into town. Officials expect that about 20,000 passengers a day will use the new link. Opening dates have been pushed back several times, but the service should be up and running by the time you read this. For updates, see bart.gov. The website lists schedules, maps, trip plans, and station information. Note: Don't confuse the BART line with the airport's new AirTrain system that links various terminals, parking and rental car lots, and, eventually, the new BART station.
When you have a moment, test your travel skills on our Travel Biz Quiz, the online complement to this special section at www.fortune.com/sections. Play the game by September 1, 2003 and be eligible to win travel-related prizes.
 This section is written by Christopher McGinnis, travel correspondent for CNN Headline News and author of The Unofficial Business Traveler's Pocket Guide (McGraw-Hill). He's also the owner of Travel Skills Group, Inc., which publishes The Ticket, an e-mail newsletter and website portal for business travelers found at travelskills.com.
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