Best new business hotels of 2006 Booking into one of these 10 spots will make your next trip more bearable By Sophia Banay, Forbes, 12/26/2006 (Excerpted) A really good hotel can make even the most tedious business trip worthwhile. You're far from home. You've traded friends and family for hours-long meetings and day-long flights. You're jetlagged and cranky. On the other hand, you can order room service from the first-ever Gordon Ramsay restaurant in the U.S. You can leave a suit with your personal butler and get it back, flawlessly pressed, hours later. And if you have a minute between meetings, you can pop over to the hotel spa — located in a former Renaissance church and with the original flooring preserved under glass panels — for a quick rubdown. That's right. Assuming you've chosen your hotel wisely, you can do all this and more on your next business trip. Once again, Forbes.com has rounded up the year’s best business hotels. And while there hasn’t been an abundance of new hotel openings recently — the industry took a while to recover from the post 9/11 travel slump, and in the meantime, raw materials like steel and concrete have grown pricier — the hotels that have opened are vying to outdo one another in terms of services and amenities. "After the bed wars, we had the TV wars. Now, bathrooms are getting a huge makeover," says Jan Freitag, vice president at Hendersonville, Tenn.-based Smith Travel Research. "Chains are taking out bathtubs and putting in stand-alone showers. They are catering to a business traveler, who doesn't need a tub, so we're seeing rain showers with glass walls instead." But bathrooms aren't the only amenities getting bumped up. Freitag cites additional perks aimed at businesspeople like e-concierges, who tackle your technical woes, extended hours for ordering room service and complimentary personal trainers in hotel gyms. Even though demand for hotel rooms is high at the moment — new hotel openings haven’t kept up with consumer travel demand, giving hotels unprecedented pricing power — many properties are investing in upgraded amenities in preparation for a downturn. "Everyone knows the hotel industry is cyclical," Freitag continues. "Eventually, hotels will have to fight for their customers again. And they want to go for the premium customer — the business traveler will always be there, paying the premium rate, booking at the last minute. For the upscale hotels, the business traveler is driving the amenities and modernizations." Take The London NYC, an LXR-owned property in Manhattan that was formerly The Rihga Royal Hotel. Thoroughly reinvented this past November, the hotel now flaunts a totally redesigned lobby, guest rooms and restaurants — including Gordon Ramsay, in his American debut, who will offer special room service and fitness menus in addition to two on-property restaurants. At Palacio Duhau-Park Hyatt, which opened this summer in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, butler service comes standard with every room and the hotel itself is in a restored palace located in the Recoleta neighborhood, one of the city's most expensive. And at the new Mandarin Oriental in Prague, which opened in September, every room has two LCD high-definition TVs (suites have three), high-speed internet, and a limestone bathroom with heated floor. In the hotel spa, a former Renaissance church, weary business travelers can unwind in one of seven luxurious treatment suites. So maybe your next business trip doesn't have to be such a chore after all. At least, not if you choose the right hotel. FORBES TOP TEN HOTELS: Hilton London Canary Wharf U.K. Opened: July Nightly room rate: $202 The Hilton London Canary Wharf is located in London's financial and business district, 20 minutes from London City Airport. The property has three executive floors, instead of the standard one, and nine meeting rooms, which accommodate up to 400. In addition, there is an Executive Lounge with wireless internet access, private check-in, and complimentary continental breakfast and pre-dinner cocktails. At the LivingWell Express Health Club, travelers will find sauna and steam rooms, masseuses and workout equipment. For an even quicker pick-me-up, check out the Red Bull cocktail menu in the Cinnamon Restaurant and Bar. Hotel de Rome, Berlin Germany Opened: October Nightly room rate: $553 This Rocco Forte property is situated in an original 1889 building, the previous location of the head office of Dresdner Bank and the Central Bank of the German Democratic Republic. The property has six meeting rooms--with LCD presentation screens, overhead projectors and remote controlled light panels--including a grand ballroom, which can accommodate 220. Guest rooms are decorated with glass and steel, have sound-absorbing doors, and flat-screen LCD TVs with internet access and 40 channels of programming. InterContinental Boston U.S. Opened: November Nightly room rate: $350 With views of the Boston Harbor and 424 guest rooms, this modern hotel is poised to become Boston's next big business hotel. Guest room desks and chairs are ergonomically designed, and the Club InterContinental option offers guests complimentary clothes pressing and shoe shine, private check-in, complimentary wireless internet, fax, and use of meeting rooms and secretarial services. The James Chicago Hotel U.S. Opened: April Nightly room rates: $250 Previously the Lenox Suites, what is now The James Chicago Hotel opened this past April under new management after a yearlong refurbishment. The hotel is a haven for business travelers, with free wireless internet access in each room, adjustable lighting and climate control, and twice-a-day maid service. The 24-hour business center has computers with webcams so visitors can connect visually while on the road. At the spa, travelers can choose from an array of 30-minute beauty treatments, and room service provides "to-go" meal boxes. The London NYC U.S. Opened: November Nightly room rate: $599 Formerly the Rihga Royal on 54th St. between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan, The London NYC, masterminded by interior designer David Collins, now boasts a redesigned lobby, renovated guest rooms and several new restaurants. A new gym, plus several specialty suites, are under construction. Each of the 562 rooms has a Zenith LCD flat-screen TV, an iHome iPod docking station, a Mitel 5330 IP phone and Waterworks bath amenities. The onsite Gordon Ramsay restaurant is the first in the U.S., and global concierge service is provided by Quintessentially. Mandarin Oriental Prague Opened: September Nightly room rate: $410 Located in Prague's embassy district near the city's business center, this 99-room hotel caters to both leisure travelers and a business clientele. Each room features two LCD high-definition televisions (each suite has three), high-speed internet connectivity, and limestone bathrooms with heated floors and aromatherapy amenities. The spa, situated in a former Renaissance church, has the original floor preserved under glass. Palacio Duhau-Park Hyatt Buenos Aires Argentina Opened: June Nightly room rate: $410 This 165-room hotel in Buenos Aires' trendy Recoleta neighborhood is situated in a restored Palace and a brand-new building, connected via flawlessly manicured gardens and an underground walkway lined with art work. Guest rooms and public areas are fitted with wireless internet access, and the hotel has three meeting rooms, four boardrooms and a ballroom, which accommodates 300. Butler service comes standard, and same-day laundry and dry cleaning are available. The Ritz-Carlton Beijing Financial Street China Opened: October Nightly room rate: $500 Beijing's new financial district now has its very own Ritz-Carlton. The modern glass and chrome exterior is striking, and inside, a team of dedicated meeting planners and a technology butler cater to the needs of the business traveler. He or she may use the grand ballroom decorated with Murano glass chandeliers and motorized LCD projectors for meetings. Guest rooms feature two LCD televisions, one in the living room and one in the bathroom. Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Opened: July Nightly room rate: $127 Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts' business-travel brand, Traders, opened a new hotel in the Malaysian city of Kuala Lumpur this summer. The hotel is located at the Kuala Lumpur city center, and guest rooms feature wireless broadband internet and LCD TVs. A room on the Traders Club floor comes with access to the Club lounge and private computer rooms. W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences U.S. Opened: June Nightly room rate: $309 For a business-ready property in Texas, look no further than the W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences, the first W hotel to combine residences. Centrally located in Victory Park, across the street from the American Airlines Center, the hotel boasts guest rooms with 32'' flat-screen TVs with internet connectivity. There is a 24-hour business center, a cellphone rental service and a Bliss Spa on property.     ©1997-2007 Atlas Travel International. All rights reserved.