Business Travel Industry: Catering To Female Business Travelers

If you stand in an airport or a hotel lobby for any length of time, you will notice that a growing percentage of business travelers are women. Actually, nearly half of all business travelers are female with 80% of business travel decisions being made by women. This fact alone is changing the industry.

Larger hotel chains in particular are designing programs to attract female travelers. Companies such as Choice Hotels, Kimpton and Hyatt have studied the needs of women and have found that safety and security is more important than anything to a female traveler. A male traveler may choose a hotel based on location, but a female will choose a hotel she feels comfortable in–even if it is a little bit out of her way.

Knowing this, many hotels are offering entire floors dedicated to women. Should a female business traveler book one of these rooms, she will often find the room amenities are tailored to her needs. It is not uncommon for hotels to provide an emery board, makeup remover, bath salts, upgraded bath amenities and a fashion magazine in these rooms. Hotels have also begun to stock their “guest request” inventories with items such as flat irons or curling irons for female guests to borrow.

While many female travelers appreciate the extra effort, some women feel they are being singled out in an unnecessary way. What do you think? Are these efforts “too much” or are they just what is needed to encourage more female business travelers to book that next business trip?