Home on the road: Indiana hotel operators compete for business travelers with better beds, Internet access and community space.

• Author: Held, Shari
• Position: BUSINESS TRAVEL

BUSINESS TRAVELERS make up the majority of guests for most hotels, so it's no wonder they receive TLC at both full-service and limited-service hotels all around Indiana.

Despite the state of the economy, business travel appears to be thriving, or holding its own, in the state's capital. "We are not seeing a plummet in flights in and out of Indianapolis like a lot of major cities are experiencing," says Kerry Schlaack, director of sales and marketing for the Hyatt Regency in downtown Indianapolis. "The city has great manufacturing companies, great biomedical companies, and a lot of large corporate headquarters and regional offices, so business travel has remained pretty strong and steady in the major downtown chains. Indianapolis has also remained affordable and enjoys a very big drive market, with many business travelers driving here."

Good hotel management also helps.

"Indiana has a very active hotel group and we are looked upon very highly by the national chains," says Jeffrey J. Good, president of Valparaiso-based Good Hospitality Services, Inc., which owns and operates 11 Indiana hotels, including Hampton Inns, Homewood Suites and Holiday Inn Express. "We have a lot of good operators in the Midwest. I think that is because of our hospitality mindset and our willingness to work."

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Inviting community environments. To attract today's business travelers, hotels are making changes to their environments that go a lot deeper than changing out drapes or furniture. Major changes include how space is being used and how it impacts the senses.

Hotel Indigo, labeled the "first branded boutique hotel" by brand owner Intercontinental Hotel Group, was designed with business travelers in mind. "Research showed they wanted inspiring surroundings and an invigorating experience," says Julie Garrett, corporate director of sales for Fishers-based Dora Bros. Hospitality Corp. "At Hotel Indigo, everything is inspired by nature." Dora, which also owns and operates Hilton Garden Inns, Holiday Inns, Holiday Inn Express and Suites, StayBridge, Candlewood Suites and Comfort Suites brands in Indiana recently opened two Hotel Indigos, a 115-room hotel in Fishers in March and an 85-room hotel in Columbus in January The spa-like hotels use many materials and colors from nature, and have nature-themed murals that change with the seasons, as do the music and the scent used in the rooms. Each hotel is reflective of its own environment and the decor...