We fly, we stay, we hire cars and we attend meetings, all in the name of business. Yet in a recent online Business Traveller survey we asked whether hotels cater adequately for female business travellers. Sixty-five per cent of respondents said “No”. It’s a damning statistic, made more extraordinary when you consider how many women work in the hotel industry.
Sofia Vandaele is hotel manager for the Sheraton Belgravia Hotel in London. She believes feeling safe is one of the most important considerations in ensuring a female traveller is comfortable in a hotel (and then will return to it regularly). The Sheraton uses an online guest satisfaction measurement tool to assess the priorities of its female guests. “We ask what it is that triggers our female travellers to stay here,” says Vandaele. “We send them a personal email and we’ve found that a sense of security and feeling at home was in the top three or four reasons.”
Of course there are many different ways of making people feel at home, especially if they are regular guests. Vandaele explains: “It’s about creating the environment and the atmosphere, and the responsiveness of our staff – that’s why they stay. The hotel is located in a tranquil place in London and with only89 rooms we don’t have that big ‘I feel lost’ feeling. In a hotel with 89 bedrooms you canbe more personal.”
Hotels have different ways of making female business travellers feel safe. Some have gone as far as reviving women-only floors, an idea that was popular until the 80s when many women refused to be segregated. The Hilton London Park Lane has recently launched a women-only floor designed for the “security, discretion and comfort” of women. All 21 rooms have double locks as well as a more “feminine” touch. “We want female travellers who have concerns about travelling alone to feel safe, comfortable and catered for,” says general manager Michael Shepherd. “The number of female travellers has increased dramatically in recent years, and it is a big growth area for the future.”Yet women-only floors aren’t widely popular. Elena Bruno, general manager of Rocco Forte Hotel de Russie in Rome, says: “We don’t have women-only floors. I think it’s very discriminating and the more we think this way the more discriminating people become.”
Indeed, the 2004/05 Barclaycard business travel survey showed that only 24 per cent of women wanted more of them. Instead, it was better gyms and a wider range of dining options that came further up the wish list. This could be showing the positive side of travelling solo – instead of being negative and uncomfortable about being alone, we are embracing the precious time to ourselves, and making the most of it.
There are other elements to security, which are more subtle yet just as effective. Jan Wilson is managing director of RPW Design, an interior design company which focuses on hotels. She disagrees with women-only floors but says: “Once I was in Italy, checking in and the member of staff held up my key and shouted across to me,’Mrs Wilson – here is your key, room number 316′. I mean I don’t want people to know where I am staying.”
Evelina Conti, director of sales and marketing for Rocco Forte Hotels’ two Italian properties Hotel Savoy, Florence and Hotel de Russie, Rome, says: “In our hotels we assign rooms [for women] close to either security places or elevators and not on very high floors so they are closer to reception. In addition, all hotels have security locks and a personal assistant and valet butler service. If someone is travelling on their own, then in the restaurant or in the bar they are offered a magazine and a newspaper to read.”
Linked with security is the issue of comfort in public areas. In the Barclaycard survey, 61 per cent of females disliked drinking alone in the hotel bar compared with only 25 per cent of men. The figures are similar for eating alone in the restaurant with 34 per cent of women feeling uncomfortable compared with 18 per cent of men.
Sofia Vandaele at the Sheraton Belgravia says: “In the restaurant I know that female travellers don’t want to sit in the middle of the room, so I give them a seat where they can see everything but not feel in the middle. I like to feel I’m part of it but not in the middle of it. Also we always have magazines to give to female travellers on their own.”
The design of public spaces in hotels can affect the atmosphere and whether guests feel at ease. Some restaurants and bars have booths where a lone traveller may feel more comfortable than in the middle of a busy room. Olga Polizzi, director of building and design for Rocco Forte Hotels who oversaw the recent renovation of Brown’s Hotel in London, believes her design comes naturally. “When I design hotels I do what I think I would like. I think I am a pretty average female traveller. With Brown’s Bar, a lady came up to me and said that she doesn’t usually go into bars alone – she usually sits in her room – but she felt she could go in there. I don’t design a harsh bar; it’s not a hard drinking bar. It’s quite an intimate space and it has panelling and a lot of seats. It’s somewhere a lone female would feel comfortable because it’s busy.”
Vandaele also recognises that there are certain details which can make life more comfortable for female travellers in hotel rooms. “They are looking for other things, so we have cotton wool pads rather than balls, and plugs near the mirror for hairdryers and smaller dressing gowns, because they are all for a six-foot tall man.”
Laura Selman of the Stein Group of hotels travels regularly, and notes: “Most hotels nowadays realise the importance of good amenities and facilities for the frequent traveller, and if they don’t have it in the room a phone call to reception or the concierge usually solves the problem. It’s important to have good bathroom amenities, a good light for make-up and hair, a full-size mirror, cleanliness and comfortable beds.”
Evelina Conti agrees: “It’s always difficult to find the right hangers for skirts; now more hotels have hangers for skirt suits. Also, light is important when you have to apply make-up – in some trendy hotels you can’t see properly. And it would be good to have long mirrors to see how shoes fit with a skirt.”
Apart from these practical details, Vandaele thinks that too much emphasis is placed on gender. “Female travellers want to be recognised as individuals and don’t want a fuss made over them; they just want to feel at home.”
When it comes to flying it is, once again, the small details that make the difference, such as where you sit, who you sit next to and what the amenity kit has to offer. A Bmi spokesperson said: “We have no specific instructions that we give to the crew or check-in team regarding lone women travellers. But we use our common sense.If there is a specific seat requested then we do our best to give that seat.”
Bmi has different amenity kits for men and women in business class (the women’s includes Temple Spa moisturising balm for face and body and vitamin-rich lip balm). British Airways’ Club World and first class also have different kits, reflecting the growing number of female business passengers, which currently represents 25 per cent of travellers (50 per cent of new Executive Club members are female).Laura Selman thinks separate amenity kits are a good idea: “I feel airlines could be more woman-friendly. In most toilet bags there is always a razor and shaving cream, but not always facial wipes or something similar that a woman would find useful. When travelling for long hours, it’s nice to be able to get out of a plane/train without looking and feeling like a wrinkled, dehydrated mess. Hand cream and lip balm would be great too.”
In the past three years, around 30 per cent of Virgin Atlantic’s business and premium economy passengers have been women. They don’t have a separate amenity kit for men and women, but designer Ozwald Boateng has made up the kits with socks, washbag, luggage tag, toothbrush, toothpaste, ear plugs, eye mask, breath-freshening strips, pen and lip balm – items every traveller would find useful. But making a flight comfortable is more than just the amenity kits.Elena Bruno says: “In general with airlines,I still think men on business are given a sort of priority. It’s just a feeling. In some countries a lady is treated nicely, but when you see a lady travelling for business she is still perceived as less important.”
Some areas of the world do throw up more tricky gender-specific challenges for women. In some countries it may be unusual for a woman to be a business executive. This may result in treatment we find difficult to accept as Jan Wilson found out (see interview, opposite). The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not have specific advice for female business travellers, but it does have sections on different cultures and customs. However, the Canadian Consular Affairs does advise female business travellers that, “understanding the customs and proper business protocol at your destination is imperative”. It also suggests: “Print your business cards in English on one side and in the language of the host country on the other. In countries where women generally don’t hold key corporate positions, this will eliminate any misunderstanding about the rank and position you hold within your profession.”
When I was working in Asia with my partner, I was especially exasperated when I asked direct questions to people and the answers would always be directed back to him. Although this was frustrating I had to accept that we were in another country and so should respect the way they viewed me.
Men and women have roughly the same needs. We all want to reach our destinations in a fast and hassle-free way. We all want to feel safe and comfortable in our hotel and it would be better for all of us if there were healthier options on the menu. It seems it’s the practical details in hotel rooms and on flights which need to be updated but these are not huge changes. We all travel, we all stay, we all hire cars and go to meetings. Venus and Mars are not so far apart after all.
Taxi tips
1. “I love Zingo, the black-cab service in London,” says Loraine Ward, Vice President of the Network of Executive Women in Hospitality (NEWH): “You store the Zingo number in your mobile and whenever you need a cab, call them and the nearest black cab is found and the driver contacted. You can speak to him direct to arrange your collection point, so no more hanging about looking for a cab, and you can wait in a safe place. Visit zingotaxi.com.
2. In New York it’s hard to get a cab at around 5pm — this is when the drivers change shifts. Car services are good when you are out of Manhattan. The fare has to be negotiated first, but you get to know which companies you like and which you feel safe with.
3. The Beijing Taxi Dispatch Center will send you a cab any time, anywhere and you can request a female driver. The operator tells you the arrival time and the licence plate of your taxi. Call 68373399.
A web page for women
As frequent travellers, we come home with tales of where we stayed and wherewe ate, often to find that no one is very interested. But help is at hand. There might be a more appreciative audience out there than our friends and family.Ray Lehky spotted the potential of sharing this information and set up the Ladiesaway.com website last year. The idea is to collate information and experiences from female business travellers about hotels and cities.He says: “I see it as a travel aid and a forum to network for business. People can put on a personal profile or a business profile so it’s like a travel aid, whereby they can grade hotels for comfort and security and say whether things like the parking are safe.”
Deborah Foster, an education and training facilitator for the NHS, travels frequently for work and uses the site. She says: “It is a useful site and is one of those things that, once people catch on, is something that is needed. Once I’ve been somewhere I put in data and give my own opinion on a place. There’s also a part where you can recommend taxi services and restaurants that you have found.”
The site is free to join and currently has around 200 members, although in the next 18 months this is expected to increase to 2,000. Members can talk to each other or just post up advice and tips.Deborah adds: “I was recently in the Newcastle Hilton hotel and there were a few of us and it was very women-friendly, which I think it was good for everyone. I think when you come across a hotel where you feel very comfortable you should share it with other people.”
Ray Lehky says: “Now that there are more and more budget hotels, a lot of them don’t have restaurants or bars, so members can recommend a restaurant they tried nearby the hotel where they stayed.”
“It’s really nice to be able to chat to other people, so I hope the site grows sufficiently.” says Deborah. “I always recommend it.”
For more information, visit ladiesaway.com.
Leading ladies
Jan Wilson is managing director of RPW Design, a company specialising in the interior design of hotels. Established in 1988, RPW Design works with major international hotel operators, independent hotel owners and with the developers and investors who shape the hospitality industry.”My worst experience was staying in a five-star hotel in Jeddah. I had an Olympic-sized pool to myself as it was ‘women-only swimming’ and there was also a separate dining area particularly for single women. As a result, there was no service around the pool and so I really felt like a second-rate citizen. I think it’s really creepy and sad. Having said that, it’s very difficult as a designer to create a space which really gets the balance right.When hotels took trouser presses out of rooms and started putting in ironing boards for women, that was in fact reflecting a need that everyone has, so designing is about being sensitive to everyone’s needs. I like the Charlotte Street hotel, London — any night of the week there are proportionally more women than men.
The atmosphere there is great. The way it is managed and the way the staff are means that you are made to feel comfortable. The design of a space has an effect on comfort. RPW designed the last two Swan Hellenic Cruise ships and the restaurant offers a facility where you can either go with friends or they will say, ‘Can I put you at a table with other people?’ Again, that’s about design.” rpwdesign.com
Isabell Kristensen is a haute couture designer for top business people and celebrities. She recently designed the wedding dress and suit for Katie Price (Jordan) and Peter Andre. Based in Monaco she travels regularly between France, London, Scandinavia and America.”Women-only floors would make me uncomfortable. It’s better to have a good beauty salon with a hairdresser nearby — that’s what I want. If you don’t know where one is, it can be annoying.For me personally — because I have travelled so much on my own — if some man approaches me and says to me, ‘What are you doing in a place like this?’ it doesn’t bother me; I just say, ‘I’m working, like you’.In terms of hotels, I think for a woman there should always be a hairdryer in the room. Sometimes I ring housekeeping to ask and they can take a long time to bring it up when it could be already there. Another thing is adaptors in hotels: for some reason they never have adaptors and guests must be asking all the time! Whenever I ask they never have it for the hairdryer, heated tongs or mobile phone.”
Michelle Mone is managing director of lingerie company MJM International Ltd, which has seven brands: Ultimo lingerie, Ultimo swimwear, Michelle at George (ASDA), Warners, Young Attitude, Nancy Ganz and Staykups. Michelle travels regularly, especially between London and Moscow.
“I’m quite nervous about staying in rooms by myself and it would be nice to feel a bit more secure. I was in a hotel a couple of weeks ago and there were interconnecting rooms, and I could hear all these guys next door. I kept thinking, ‘What if they open the door?’ I’ve not really felt threatened but I have felt unsafe in certain hotels.In terms of female-only floors, I don’t think we should be separated. I don’t like it when women are treated differently in the business world. But it would be nice to have some extra comfort and security.I don’t really like sitting in a restaurant on my own so I tend to get room service instead, but it would be nice to have a casual place like a bar where I could sit and have dinner and watch TV rather than sit alone in my room.Another thing is that hotels never seem to provide a really good hairdryer and it would be fantastic if they could supply straighteners because they take up so much room to pack.My favourite hotel is the Dorchester. The service and the food are incredible. I know all the staff and, yes it’s expensive, but they have everything you could possibly need. And it’s the only place I can sit on my own. At the Dorchester they make you feel at home.”
Olga Polizzi is director of building and design for Rocco Forte Hotels. Last summer she opened the newly refurbished Hotel Endsleigh in Devon and has just refurbished the Rocco Forte- managed Brown’s Hotel in London.”I think a lot of people come into a hotel room and think, ‘This is very masculine’. My work is not particularly feminine but I would say that I major on comfort. And I think women and men need the same comfort.
Perhaps if I’ve put together a strong room which people think is masculine, then I might do a balancing act and add something more feminine. The problem with rooms now is that people are always trying to find something new and they put 150 ideas in a room. I think a hotel room has to be calm and not too cluttered. Perhaps there should be a few books around, even poetry, which both men and women like.People used to try and tell me to design female business rooms and it always annoys me. It is ridiculous. If it is comfortable for a woman then it’s comfortable for a man. We’re not that different, men and women. What I do make sure there is, is a plug and a mirror handy, and that there are always illuminated mirrors for putting on make-up.I really would not design a women-only floor. I just wouldn’t want it myself and I don’t particularly want an ironing board in my cupboard either, when I can just call down and get one brought up.
For me, comfort and everything in the right place is the key.”
Elena Bruno began her career at the Grand Hotel Palazzo della Fonte and Hotel Eden, both former Forte plc properties. She moved in 1998, to launch Hotel de Russie and Hotel Savoy as the sales and marketing director and last year became general manager of the Hotel de Russie, Rome.
“My first plan was to give a cleaner, fresh atmosphere around the hotel. I think for a lady the hotel is like a house so I concentrate on all the details.We don’t have women-only floors. I think it’s very discriminating and the more we think this way the more discriminating people become. And to have stockings in the minibar?! Why? You just ask the concierge. I really don’t see women or men asking for different things so I decided not to do anything more dedicated to ladies — I don’t think I would change anything.Being comfortable at a hotel is more about the atmosphere and the staff working there. Our staff know how to talk to a lady and how to talk to a gentleman. It’s a hotel for ladies and gentlemen.
When I travel I don’t like eating alone because I love chatting and talking about my day so whenever I am alone I do room service. I want to find time for myself. I check in, I book a massage around 7.30pm, then at 9pm I have a quick something to eat.”
