Women travelers

Do women travelers really have divergent needs? Many hotel chains focus on women travelers which is a good thing but it would seem that their main needs (apart from obvious ones like hair dryers) are not really different. A survey by Tisch Center for Hospitality reports that female travelers emphasize security, location and facilities for kids among other things. Healthy in-room food & tasteful colors also curry favor with women.

Would male travelers, if surveyed, respond differently?
I believe males would equally rather stay in a safe, well-lit hotel. Parking spaces & hotel corridors should reflect an overall security trend. Healthy, light food is an option that would appeal to all. Majority of women in the survey also wanted a minibar (71%). Male travelers would likely agree.

Published by

Vijay Dandapani

Co-founder and president of a New York based hotel company for 24 years. Grew the firm to five hotels in Manhattan and also developed a greenfield project at MacArthur airport, New York. Speaker at numerous prestigious forums including Economy Hotels World Asia, Lodging Conference, NYU, Columbia University Real Estate Roundtable, Baruch College's Zicklin School and ALIS. President and ceo of New York City Hotel Association since January 2017.

2 thoughts on “Women travelers”

  1. Being a woman, I have never experienced any discomfort from a hotel that I would attribute to a lack of addressing women’s needs. Poor bedding, loud air conditioners, less-than-desirable security, broken this-and-that, lack of mini bar or even hair dryer does not prompt me to take offense to a perceived “insensitivity to women”. Unless a hotel feels like the ultimate bachelor pad, equipped with beer signs, dance pole and showing only Spike TV, I don’t see how what’s comfortable for a man isn’t comfortable for a woman. And design style these days typically plays to both sexes. Actually, if a room or hotel is particularly geared towards women in a traditional view of what women like – floral designs, pastels, etc. – I’m turned off. It feels presumptuous to me. Lastly, I’m not so sure about the concept of offering floors for single female travelers only – it seems to be asking for trouble, even with security guards in place. And while I’m sure it is well-received, it is my feeling that this “amenity” exacerbates fear: Not only does it create a potentially false sense of security, but how comfortable would a woman be who then can’t find a hotel on her next trip to accommodate her so “securely”?

  2. I agree with your comments particularly with regard to women and separate floors. Along the same lines far more hotels have a similar mindset with regard to areas like business and fitness centers. The former are usually tucked away in a corner and often unattended while the latter are often curtained off in the name of privacy that results in some women feeling insecure when working out in the wee hours.

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