As women spend more and more time travelling for work, we are constantly striving to balance our worklife and our personal lives as well as looking after ourselves on the road. In the most recent Barclaycard Business Travel Survey 2006/2007, 1,078 women were asked if they feel safe when travelling for work and only 54 per cent said yes, compared with 72 per cent of men.
Today 40 per cent of business travellers are women, and airlines and hotels are beginning to reflect this in offering more feminine products on board and in the room, but if feeling safe is an issue what could be done to make us feel more protected?
SECURITY
Feeling comfortable is as much about being prepared as anything else. If we know where we are going and what will happen when we get there we can greatly reduce the risk of looking vulnerable in a foreign place. Susan Thompson, partner and head of global aviation practice for Odgers Ray & Berndtson, an international executive headhunting firm, thinks preparation is essential. “Planning your trip is the most important thing and trying to understand the business etiquette and the cultural etiquette for women in different parts of the world,” she says. “Then you won’t feel threatened and intimidated because you’ll understand what’s going on around you.”
The Barclaycard survey found that 30 per cent of women felt unsafe because of the threat posed by other people they met when travelling on business and 10 per cent felt unsafe because they were women travelling alone. Many hotels have introduced key-card access to lifts to prevent strangers entering the room floors, doors with spyholes and extra safety locks, and staff are trained to be discreet about room numbers. And, although the concept is less popular than it was in the 1980s, the Hilton Park Lane has reintroduced a women-only floor.
Karen Hanton, founder of online restaurant booking phenomenon toptable.co.uk, believes the travel industry has changed over the years in its attitude towards female business travellers. “The only negative experience I can really remember was about 12 years ago when I was away for a couple of days and I had just checked into a really big hotel and thought it would be OK being alone,” she says. “But then the first time I ventured into the bar, I was immediately propositioned by a strange man.”
Sharon Smith is co-ordinator of Women Aware, a grading system which Expotel, the online reservations website, gives hotels if they are classified as “women friendly” She says: “We started Women Aware seven years ago because we began to get a lot of feedback from female business travellers about security and so we take note of hotels that women are positive and negative about.”
To become “Women Aware” certified, a hotel has to be nominated by three different businesswomen, independently, and meet the Women Aware criteria. Smith adds: “General managers recognise now the need to listen to their female guests as opposed to 15 years ago. Now 40 per cent of business travellers during the week are female so it would be bad business not to take note of their needs.”
Travel management company Portman launched the “Portman Seal” in 2006 which, while not specifically aimed at women, recognises hotels which make their guests feel safer, including the provision of CCTV, safes, secure check-in procedures and
room allocation.
But is there a genuine problem with security in hotels? Karen Gill is co-founder and director of Everywoman, which she set up with Maxine Benson in 1999 to support women in business and female entrepreneurs. Gill worked for Intercontinental for eight years. “I have spoken to women about travelling alone and none of them as far as I am aware have ever felt threatened. I worked in the hotel business for years and never really came across any problems like that. I think that the only thing women like in hotels is to be close to the lift but I think both men and women do feel the need to be secure.”
EATING ALONE
Being comfortable could actually come down to your company travel policy rather than what the hotel has to offer. Kerrie Keeling is managing director and founder of A Woman’s Touch, an interior design company with mainly female skilled workers. Before she set up her own business she travelled a lot as an investment banker. “Company policy was that you weren’t allowed to buy films in your hotel room or have room service but I didn’t want to go out to eat alone in a restaurant so I used to have a sandwich in my room, which was pretty miserable.”
Elaine McCormack, regional director of sales and marketing for Concorde Hotels and Resorts, says: “I must admit if I am travelling on my own I would tend to eat something in my room. I wouldn’t sit at a bar on my own because I just think as a woman sitting on your own you are a bit more noticeable and perhaps it could give the wrong impression.”
Thompson agrees: “In big hotels I don’t sit in hotel bars and I don’t go to hotel restaurants alone. In some countries a woman sitting alone doesn’t sit well with the culture so I always stay in my room or the business centre, or I try and meet up with friends in the city.”
To be fair, hotels have not ignored the solo restaurant guest. Often newspapers and magazines are given out to single diners and guests eating alone are seated against the wall rather than in the middle of a busy restaurant. And Novotel has recently gone a step further, introducing the concept of “TV dining” in its New Generation Elements restaurants. Roger Smith, director of marketing and distribution for Accor Hotels UK, says: “We know guests travelling alone frequently avoid restaurants because they stand out from other diners. With TV dining, they have an experience that’s designed for them with in-built entertainment that doesn’t intrude on other guests.”
Keeling says: “That’s exactly what I was trying to recreate when I used to eat in my room. It’s a great idea – you don’t have to feel awkward and you can still eat at a leisurely pace and not have to scuttle back to your room. Eating out is not as much fun as it sounds when you are alone.”
SHARING EXPERIENCES
Being away from home in an unfamiliar environment is what can make travelling exciting, but also lonely. To help with this issue, Ray Lehky set up ladiesaway.com, a networking site for female business travellers who share tips with each other on the hotels and cities they have visited, and can arrange to meet up. There has been so much interest worldwide that Lehky has had to adapt it for other countries too. “Now if you are travelling to New York, not only will we be able to offer tips on the hotels and what to do but you will see which members are staying or living in there.” Ladiesaway.com is free to join. You have to be verified by an independent party to ensure you are female before you are sent a password to access the site.
HOME COMFORTS
Apart from the issues of security and loneliness, it is often the simplest things which can make a difference to the comfort of the female business traveller. Susanne Hatje, general manager of the Mandarin Oriental Landmark Hotel in Hong Kong, says that we spend around 70 per cent of our waking time, when staying in a hotel, in the bathroom. So it is surprising that this seems to be a part of the hotel experience which lets female guests down. Hatje says: “When I go away I always think, why is the conditioner like this? And why is there no nail varnish remover? It is the details which are important.”
But with all the minor complaints and more serious concerns, travelling alone is not all bad. In fact it certainly has its upsides. Susan Thompson says: “I actually get more time to pamper myself when I go away and I often come home more groomed than when I left.”
PERSPECTIVES
Karen Gill, co-founder and director of Everywoman
Gill worked for Intercontinental Hotels Group for eight years before setting up Everywoman. The company offers advice, support, training, networking, conferences, reading material and contacts for women starting their own businesses and those in management roles.
“I left my job because I did not want to be away three days a week. I think women still do a lot of the care in the domestic set-up, and although men are much more involved in this side of things these days, when I go to the school playground 90 per cent of the parents picking up and dropping off their kids are women. That is not going to change quickly. It is the way our society and culture is at the moment and even though everyone is aware of it, and it has changed quite a bit, it is going to take a long time.
“I think travelling has become a lot more difficult for everyone, especially international travel, with all the time needed for security. Now I take economy all the way – as a small business that’s what you do – and it is very, very different from business class.
“As a mother, even a short trip means I have all the added problems of organising childcare – although I do have a great network it is always the working mothers I ask as they are the ones who understand best what it is like.
“When I used to travel, the amenity kit on planes was always an issue for us women but then the kit became more female-friendly. What is very interesting about that is that it will be metrosexual soon because all the beauty products are appealing to men too.”
Kerrie Keeling, founder of A Woman’s Touch
Kerrie Keeling (pictured left) founded her female-focused decorating firm A Woman’s Touch in 2003. She had the idea after getting constantly let down by workmen who did not turn up.
“Inevitably it is hard to find women who specialise in traditionally male areas such as plumbing and decorating, but I get enormous satisfaction out of seeing them flourish. I’ve travelled a lot in business class to New York and on European trips to Italy Frankfurt and Ireland. I loved that part of it. Staying in hotels wasn’t so much fun as it was company policy that you weren’t allowed to buy films in room or have room service but I didn’t want to go out.
“I thought that running my own business would be more flexible but I think I am working longer hours and, although there is a lot more flexibility, I don’t know how I would manage a family too!”
Keeling plans to open branches of A Woman’s Touch in Manchester, Brighton and Edinburgh this year, and is then looking to expand to the east coast of America and possibly Australia. See awomanstouch.org.uk for more information.
Elaine McCormack, regional director of sales and marketing, Concorde Hotels
Elaine McCormack has been in the hotel industry for 20 years. “I travel quite a bit back and forth to Paris and around the UK as well. I have to be honest, I don’t have any problems and I would not even think of asking to be on a women-only floor as I don’t think we have to be treated as a separate category.
“I always take my own hairdryer and certainly when you go to the States the quality of hairdryers have improved considerably. When I first travelled it was a funnel-like thing that blew everywhere, so if I had any criticism of hotels’ attitude to female travellers it would be the quality of hairdryers – the lighting in hotel bathrooms can be very poor too. Also in Europe you never get an ironing board and iron and so I take my own iron with me.
“I think amenity kits could be better – a lot of them seem to be geared towards male travellers and the assumption is that business travellers are male. Once I was flying in business class with a female friend and we were the only two women in the business class cabin, and she was quite indignant because we were the last to get the amenity kits, but I didn’t really notice.
“I have certainly never felt unsafe when travelling. Within a hotel I have always felt safe, although if the area is not so good it can be a problem. I was once in a hotel and wanted to rent a car so they recommended the car hire place outside which was in a very ropey area.
“They just didn’t think about it, so when I came back to the hotel I said, ‘you can’t send anyone, male or female, down there’ – but that is the only time I have ever felt uncomfortable. At night I wouldn’t got on public transport, I always get a taxi wherever I am in the world.
“I might use a website like ladiesaway.com to meet up with other women when I’m travelling but a lot of the time I am just feeling exhausted and I probably wouldn’t be very sociable anyway. But I think it’s a good idea for those who do want to go out and explore.”
For information on Concorde Hotels and Resorts see concordehotels.com.
Susan Thompson, partner and head of global aviation practice, Odgers Ray & Berndtson
Susan Thompson was born and brought up in Hong Kong and has been travelling widely nearly every week for 21 years. She has a three-year-old son.
“I travel all the time to Asia, the Middle East and the States, so much so in fact that my team sent me a picture of my desk as a Christmas card! I am used to travelling and never feel unsafe as a woman. I think if you were not so cosmopolitan then some countries might be intimidating but I just find it fascinating observing the people and different cultures.
“I personally don’t have a problem with travelling alone and I think it is because I always plan my trip really well. I think you have to have a hotel car booked so that when you arrive you are not hanging around at the airport getting bothered by people. You also need to make sure you have the local currency and that you know you are being picked up and a bit about the hotel – all these things protect you.
“Maybe when it’s late at night, transferring in airports it can make you uneasy, but providing you look confident and use the business lounges you should be fine. I think you adapt – if you are interested in the culture and are prepared to integrate you feel more comfortable.
“Being a working mother and travelling a lot can be very difficult but fortunately I have a great support structure and I look at other people with more kids and more travel and think, ‘if they can do it I can’. It means that you have to plan and organise the trip. I explain to my son that I am going to work and will be away for a few days and then I always try and get him something from where I visit.
“We have been travelling quite a lot together but I wouldn’t take my son in business class. I have seen it happen and I think that is something the airlines may have to address when there are people paying full business class fare for the space and privacy and then there are children disturbing them for the whole 12 hours.
“I always look for a hotel that has a spa so that you can relax, otherwise you are in danger of living in the room and having room service. It’s nice to be somewhere you can walk around and or fit in some time to go shopping or to visit the spa. Staying in touch is important, particularly if you go to developing countries because communications can sometimes be difficult, so it’s a good idea to have different options like a BlackBerry as well as a mobile.”
See odgers.com for more information on executive headhunting.
Karen Hanton founder of toptable.co.uk
Toptable.co.uk, the restaurant booking and review website which has two million visits a month, was launched in February 2000.
“It was right at the height of the dot.com bust but we battled on because we had the ultimate belief that we could make it work. It took four years to get somewhere. We just held our nerve. Being a female entrepreneur – in some ways it has been easier because I am a woman – it cuts both ways. If I have to be gender-specific I think that when you first start a business, being a woman can actually be helpful because we are generally better at communicating and we are better at multi-tasking.
“I don’t think being a woman is a disadvantage. I believe in being natural and being myself. If I don’t know something I’ll say, ‘has anybody got any better ideas?’ I think with Toptable I needed these skills even more so than with any other venture that I’d been involved in.
“I travel alone and I like travelling because it really is a genuine excuse not to get interrupted and it’s one of the few times I can get time to think. What is not so great about air travel is that it takes longer to get everywhere now – twice I’ve been to Paris on the train because of the palaver at the airport. I don’t really eat alone because I tend to meet people for dinner – eating out when I’m travelling is never a problem for me as I am in the restaurant business.
“Toptable is expanding and in 2007 will have New York, Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Rome and Berlin bases. The idea is not just to focus on main restaurants but to find the local food and authentic cuisine. There are also plans to offer ‘things to do’ in these cities. We profile a city from Michelin stars down to hidden gems which you would never read in a restaurant guide.”
See toptable.co.uk for more information.
The facts
Women business travellers are on the increase, but remain in the minority, according to research by Mintel:
- 41 per cent of men had been on a business trip in the past 12 months, compared with 28 per cent of women. For trips abroad the figures were 14 per cent and nine per cent respectively
- 47 per cent of female business travellers are concerned about personal security when travelling, compared with 35 per cent of men
- 49 per cent of women feel as safe as they did 10 years ago when travelling for business, 23 per cent feel less safe and 13 per cent feel safer.
What is women aware?
Expotel started Women Aware in response to feedback from female business travellers. To become Women Aware a hotel must fulfill the following ten criteria:
- Well-lit, secure car park or valet parking
- Room security locks as standard
- Permanently lit corridors during hours of darkness
- Room door peepholes as standard
- Room number allocation is discreet at reception
- Lone female never allocated a ground floor room (unless requested)
- Provision of hairdryer (near a mirror)
- Ironing board and iron available
- Space to work comfortably in room
- Provision of full-length mirror.
Useful websites
ladiesaway.com – a free website for female business travellers to share travel tips and arrange to meet.
womentraveltips.com – an American site with tips for female travellers.
womenstravelclub.com – linked to the Red Carnation hotel chain with a special section for female business travellers.
montaguehotel.com – a Red Carnation Hotel in London, which has 50 safety tips for female travellers – downloadable as a pdf.
travelhealth.co.uk – general travel health advice and a section for female business travellers on staying healthy while travelling.
Everywoman and the female entrepreneur
A RECENT SURVEY by Natwest and Everywoman revealed that the number of women setting up their own businesses grew by 9 per in the last year. Today female entrepreneurs make up 6.8 per cent of the UK’s working population but another survey found that 51 per cent of women believed setting up on their own was harder because of their gender (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, GEM, January 2004).
In fact the UK has a long way to go and it has been calculated that, if we invested as heavily in female entrepreneurs as the US, we would have 750,000 more successful businesses.
This is where Everywoman steps in: Karen Gill, the company’s co-founder and director, says: “When we first had the idea for Everywoman there was quite a bit of negative feedback but then the government got all over it and started to support it and it went right to the top because the Treasury recognised that female entrepreneurs were an economic imperative.
“Actually the UK has a drastic record of female entrepreneurs in comparison with the US and Europe. More than 70 per cent of women in the UK are working below their skill set. They excel at school and are ahead of boys but then when they leave they seem to get lost in the system and it is the men who prosper.
“I think that Everywoman has really helped to put this issue on the agenda and there is a business case for mobilising the female workforce. Some of the big work we do is around maternity returnees because some companies may well have trained that person for 10 years and then when they go on maternity leave suddenly that skill is lost. We are trying to encourage those women to go back to work.
“The thing that we are really focusing on at the moment with Everywoman is helping women to fulfil their career potential by asserting themselves. We are looking at specific industries, where women are not achieving yet. For example, in the construction industry only 5 per cent of leaders are women.”
Kerrie Keeling, founder of A Woman’s Touch, says: “I actually only found out about Everywoman when I won the Demeter Award from them [for the most inspirational woman running a business between the age of 26-35]. I wish I had known more about them before because they arrange training and are particularly helpful for male-dominated industries and mentoring. I think they are an absolutely brilliant resource.”
Everywoman also publishes eight titles addressing certain aspects of women’s working lives, from balancing work and family to being assertive. Gill says: “The women we talk to have embraced the idea of focusing on their leadership skills, so we do a lot of training around that.”
On May 10, they are holding a two-day training course “The inspirational female leader programme” in London. See everywoman.co.uk.
