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Hotels for female business travelers?
International Journal of Hospitality Management 41 (2014) 158–159
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
International Journal of Hospitality Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijhosman
Editorial
Hotels for female business travelers?
Recently I came across an article published on the Internet by Skift and titled “The Rise of Female Business Travelers” (Skift Report #18, 2014). The article reports the results of a study that was conducted by a cloud based digital marketing system for hotels called “Buuteeq.com.” According to its website, Buuteeq.com “creates easy-to-use, cloud-based digital marketing software that gives property owners complete control of their online content across all devices anytime, anywhere.” (Buuteeq.com, 2014). The Skift report emphasizes the rising influence of the women business traveler segment, which is growing by leaps and bounds, a fact that was confirmed by Carolyn Pearson the founder of Maiden-Voyage.com who stated that “women are nearing half of all business travelers, and they make up 85% of purchase choices in the household,” (Carrington, 2013). The Skift report highlighted the importance of satisfying female business travelers’ special needs for comfort. According to it, the key factors which, when combined, constitute comfort are: (a) security (b) reliable and empathic personnel (c) privacy (d) healthy options (e) accurate guides (f) conveniences (g) cleanliness and (h) amenities (Skift Report #18, 2014). In a follow-up report titled “Designing Hotels With the Female Business Traveller in Mind,” Garcia (2013) suggests that hotels should not design their properties to pander to stereotypes of women such as paint the rooms in pink colors, scent them with sweet flowers and make them dainty, quaint or cute. But they should, however, cater to the identified needs of women travelers and provide features such as: “revamping check-in procedures, personalizing through ‘host’ associates. . .double-locking doors, improving lighting and positioning peep holes so that women can see out of them. . .include toiletry items for women, provide power hair dryers and magnifying mirrors in the bathrooms, install full length mirrors in the room, add herbal teas to the coffee service, and healthy options in the room service menus. . .” (Garcia, 2013). Reading the reports mentioned above poses the following questions before us: (1) Should hotel developers build properties restricted to women-only? (2) Should existing hotels dedicate special floors or rooms for women-only? (3) Should hotels incorporate all the identified needs of women business travelers throughout their hotels, so that they are available for both genders? In my humble opinion the answer to the first question is a categorical no for most countries around the world. Women-only hotels were popular in western countries up to the beginning of the 20th century but have vanished with the advance of the women’s liberation movement. Today’s women do not want to be singled out and portrayed as weak, defenseless and delicate creatures that need the
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2014.06.012 0278-4319/© 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
protection of men. This is especially true for business women who have worked and fought hard to prove themselves as equal to business men in all respects. Staying in female-only hotels would be an affront to all they stand for. As to question number two, while the custom of designating certain floors or rooms for females-only still exists in some traditional societies where religious and cultural norms prohibit the mixing of opposite sexes, in most other countries and especially in western ones, this practice has been diminished or terminated because of lack of demand. “Some hotels that originally instated single-sex units have since done away with them. Don Shula Hotel in Florida was one of the first hotels to introduce the concept back in 2006. Their Patrician Rooms had enlarged makeup mirrors, women’s magazines and breast exam cards in the showers. During renovations last year, the hotel decided their occupancy was too low to justify their continuance. ‘They served their purpose a few years back but simply lost their luster over time,’ admits Lisa Gory, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing (Carrington, 2013). This leads us to question number three which is: should hotels incorporate all the identified needs of women business travelers throughout their hotels so that they are available for both genders? If one carefully examines the business women travelers needs’ that were identified in the Skift #18 report, one quickly reaches the conclusion that most of them are appropriate for men as well. This is certainly true for security, reliable and empathic personnel, privacy, healthy options, accurate guides, conveniences and cleanliness. The only exception might be the provision of some bathroom amenities such as skin products, curling irons, hair straighteners, etc. And indeed this is exactly what Hyatt Hotels have done throughout their properties worldwide. “Through their ‘Hyatt Has It’ program Hyatt hotels stock everything and anything a traveler might have forgotten to pack, from deodorant to humidifiers (and every color of nail polish under the sun). Guests can borrow these items free of charge, or purchase them at retail value. Though the initiative benefits all guests, regardless of gender, Kristine Rose, [Hyatt’s vice president of brands], says the program was inspired by the survey responses of their women travelers.” (Carrington, 2013). Based on the above arguments my recommendation would be to neither build hotels for women-only, nor designate special floors or rooms for them. Instead, continue to find out what women want and need and provide these services and amenities for all guests regardless of gender. By doing this, the needs and wishes of women will be satisfied but without being singled out and made to feel inferior to men.
Editorial / International Journal of Hospitality Management 41 (2014) 158–159
References Buuteeq.com, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2014 from www.Buteeq.com/about-us Carrington, D., 2013. What Women Want: Hotels Look to Cater for More Female Business Travelers. Retrieved June 15, 2014 from www.cnn.com/2013/03/06/ travel/business-travel-women-hotels/ Garcia, M., 2013. Designing Hotels With the Female Business Traveller in Mind. Retrieved from www.Skift.com/2014/06/13/designinghotels-with-the-female-business-traveller-in-mind
Skift Report #18, 2014. The Rise June 12, 2014 from Retrieved riseoffemalebusinesstravelerspromo
159 of Female Business Travelers. www.slideshare.net/skift/skift-the-
Editor-in-Chief Abraham Pizam University of Central Florida, United States
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
International Journal of Hospitality Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijhosman
Editorial
Hotels for female business travelers?
Recently I came across an article published on the Internet by Skift and titled “The Rise of Female Business Travelers” (Skift Report #18, 2014). The article reports the results of a study that was conducted by a cloud based digital marketing system for hotels called “Buuteeq.com.” According to its website, Buuteeq.com “creates easy-to-use, cloud-based digital marketing software that gives property owners complete control of their online content across all devices anytime, anywhere.” (Buuteeq.com, 2014). The Skift report emphasizes the rising influence of the women business traveler segment, which is growing by leaps and bounds, a fact that was confirmed by Carolyn Pearson the founder of Maiden-Voyage.com who stated that “women are nearing half of all business travelers, and they make up 85% of purchase choices in the household,” (Carrington, 2013). The Skift report highlighted the importance of satisfying female business travelers’ special needs for comfort. According to it, the key factors which, when combined, constitute comfort are: (a) security (b) reliable and empathic personnel (c) privacy (d) healthy options (e) accurate guides (f) conveniences (g) cleanliness and (h) amenities (Skift Report #18, 2014). In a follow-up report titled “Designing Hotels With the Female Business Traveller in Mind,” Garcia (2013) suggests that hotels should not design their properties to pander to stereotypes of women such as paint the rooms in pink colors, scent them with sweet flowers and make them dainty, quaint or cute. But they should, however, cater to the identified needs of women travelers and provide features such as: “revamping check-in procedures, personalizing through ‘host’ associates. . .double-locking doors, improving lighting and positioning peep holes so that women can see out of them. . .include toiletry items for women, provide power hair dryers and magnifying mirrors in the bathrooms, install full length mirrors in the room, add herbal teas to the coffee service, and healthy options in the room service menus. . .” (Garcia, 2013). Reading the reports mentioned above poses the following questions before us: (1) Should hotel developers build properties restricted to women-only? (2) Should existing hotels dedicate special floors or rooms for women-only? (3) Should hotels incorporate all the identified needs of women business travelers throughout their hotels, so that they are available for both genders? In my humble opinion the answer to the first question is a categorical no for most countries around the world. Women-only hotels were popular in western countries up to the beginning of the 20th century but have vanished with the advance of the women’s liberation movement. Today’s women do not want to be singled out and portrayed as weak, defenseless and delicate creatures that need the
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2014.06.012 0278-4319/© 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
protection of men. This is especially true for business women who have worked and fought hard to prove themselves as equal to business men in all respects. Staying in female-only hotels would be an affront to all they stand for. As to question number two, while the custom of designating certain floors or rooms for females-only still exists in some traditional societies where religious and cultural norms prohibit the mixing of opposite sexes, in most other countries and especially in western ones, this practice has been diminished or terminated because of lack of demand. “Some hotels that originally instated single-sex units have since done away with them. Don Shula Hotel in Florida was one of the first hotels to introduce the concept back in 2006. Their Patrician Rooms had enlarged makeup mirrors, women’s magazines and breast exam cards in the showers. During renovations last year, the hotel decided their occupancy was too low to justify their continuance. ‘They served their purpose a few years back but simply lost their luster over time,’ admits Lisa Gory, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing (Carrington, 2013). This leads us to question number three which is: should hotels incorporate all the identified needs of women business travelers throughout their hotels so that they are available for both genders? If one carefully examines the business women travelers needs’ that were identified in the Skift #18 report, one quickly reaches the conclusion that most of them are appropriate for men as well. This is certainly true for security, reliable and empathic personnel, privacy, healthy options, accurate guides, conveniences and cleanliness. The only exception might be the provision of some bathroom amenities such as skin products, curling irons, hair straighteners, etc. And indeed this is exactly what Hyatt Hotels have done throughout their properties worldwide. “Through their ‘Hyatt Has It’ program Hyatt hotels stock everything and anything a traveler might have forgotten to pack, from deodorant to humidifiers (and every color of nail polish under the sun). Guests can borrow these items free of charge, or purchase them at retail value. Though the initiative benefits all guests, regardless of gender, Kristine Rose, [Hyatt’s vice president of brands], says the program was inspired by the survey responses of their women travelers.” (Carrington, 2013). Based on the above arguments my recommendation would be to neither build hotels for women-only, nor designate special floors or rooms for them. Instead, continue to find out what women want and need and provide these services and amenities for all guests regardless of gender. By doing this, the needs and wishes of women will be satisfied but without being singled out and made to feel inferior to men.
Editorial / International Journal of Hospitality Management 41 (2014) 158–159
References Buuteeq.com, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2014 from www.Buteeq.com/about-us Carrington, D., 2013. What Women Want: Hotels Look to Cater for More Female Business Travelers. Retrieved June 15, 2014 from www.cnn.com/2013/03/06/ travel/business-travel-women-hotels/ Garcia, M., 2013. Designing Hotels With the Female Business Traveller in Mind. Retrieved from www.Skift.com/2014/06/13/designinghotels-with-the-female-business-traveller-in-mind
Skift Report #18, 2014. The Rise June 12, 2014 from Retrieved riseoffemalebusinesstravelerspromo
159 of Female Business Travelers. www.slideshare.net/skift/skift-the-
Editor-in-Chief Abraham Pizam University of Central Florida, United States