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In my life, I need what I call a three-in-one automobile.

I need a car to transport my family, I need a vehicle to transport tools and equipment for my business, and I also need a car to meet with clients when I put on my business suit.

The trouble is – I really only want to own one vehicle for reasons of cost, sheer hassle and because of environmental concerns.

What I’ve found is that the only way I can really tick all these three boxes at one time is via the right sort of estate car.

An estate enables me to pack up my tools, paints and other stuff for my property maintenance business but as long as I keep it clean in the trunk and pick an estate with no lip at the edge of the trunk) then I can load and unload everything I need without needing a pick-up truck or continually fixing a trailer on and off.

Perhaps more to the point, the car doesn’t look like a work vehicle when I don’t want it to. And this is quite often as I have to meet clients in more of a professional capacity for a lot of the time – and I really need to look the part.

And finally as a home-owner and family man, I need to take the family everywhere they want to go with all their sport equipment, friends, and, of course, on vacations for which an estate really is ideal.

I’ve looked into the low emission cars available, but overall, the estate which is conventionally gas-powered fits the bill better for now. I’m sure this will change in the future, but for the time being, I’m real happy with my three in one car!

You may wish t consider the same option if you have a similar needs.

There are only two ways to improve margins; you either charge more or you spend less on production.

In today’s tough economic climate, the former just isn’t a realistic option for most business enterprises, so everyone is busy cutting costs in an attempt to stay competitive. But some of the most obvious cost-cutting measures are very often not taken by small businesses as they’re seen as too trifling.

Cutting down on expenses like meals and hotels, or even the small things like stationery items can make a real cumulative difference. Depending on the type of business you’re in – just the smallest cut in costs can often enable you to cut sale costs by tiny amounts which make a huge difference to sales. When all other factors are held equal, price is the only important variable. And in today’s lean times, buyers are looking at price before other factors more than ever before.

Fuel costs can also be a big potential area to make easy savings. If yours is a high mileage business, then driving so as to conserve fuel and ensuring that all staff do the same can make a real difference. Anticipating congestion and timing your journey accordingly or taking another route can help.

Then if you do find yourself in a traffic jam, turn off the engine. Even if the car will be stationary for 10 seconds or more, this has been shown to be worthwhile. And always try and drive at the optimal speed. This was always thought to be 55 mph, but it’s recently been suggested that 40 mph is better for fuel economy. In short, driving more steadily and slowly and planning journeys better will save money on fuel and wear and tear. Vehicle costs are often one of the single biggest costs for small businesses.

Or, if you need to invest in new vehicles, a little up-front investment in hybrids or other fuel-efficient vehicles can make a real difference to on-going costs.

Do your research here, too. For example, Honda has been shown to be the most reliable car on the UK’s roads according to a recent “What Car?” survey.

Many people wonder why they get charged one rate at a Super 8. airport hotels and another at a Hilton when they are using nothing more than a bed. If that is the case, they may be staying at the wrong type of hotel facilities and could use a little guidance as to what to expect based on the top of property that they are staying. Lodging comes in three different tiers and each one of them is meant to service a specific market.

The lowest level of amenities will be received at extended stay properties. These are properties that are strictly meant for longer stays that will not cost as much money as any other type of hotel or motel. The reason the rates are so low is because they do not usually offer the types of amenities that people would generally expect from a hotel.

It is a rare extended stay property that will have a rate anywhere near $100/night. The longer the guest is staying, the more likely that the rate will be lower. For this generous rate, they get very little other than a bed and a parking spot. There will usually be laundry facilities of some type and maid service will be very limited.

One step up would be considered limited service properties. These are properties like the Garden Inn or Days Inn. Room rates are a little higher, but there is not much more in the way of the typical hotel amenities. Owners of these properties make some of the highest profits in the industry so you can expect them to be clean, but they will be run very tight.

Maid service in limited service properties will usually be a daily occurrence, unless they are at the bottom tier of the scale. They may even only offer it on request. While some of them offer meeting rooms and banquet space, it is very limited. There may or may not be a restaurant on property and will probably offer a continental breakfast for their guests.

The hotels with the best hotel facilities are known as full service hotels. For these amenities, the guest can expect to pay considerably more. A nice travel tip is to look for full service hotels that are surrounded by limited service hotels. They will have to drop their rates to stay competitive in their market.

Types of full service hotels would be properties such as Hilton and Marriott. They are typical of full service hotels in that they treat their VIP members like gold. Their highest levels can expect free breakfast, a welcome amenity, honor bar with free hours d’ oeuvres and express check ins. These types of properties are generally required to have a full service restaurant, health spa, snack shop along with high end banquet facilities.

If a travel is doing nothing more than sleeping in their room, why waste the money at a full service hotel. A place like the Garden Inn will still offer a free continental and a high level of service. When the guest wants to be pampered, pay the few extra dollars and take advantage of the hotel facilities that are offered.

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