Hotels cater for surge in solo women travellers

London – Who needs a man or even a travelling companion on holiday? Exploring the world alone is not only becoming more accepted, but is also the preferred option for many women, research has found.

IOL reports that demand for hotel rooms booked by single-occupant women is on the rise and the trend has led to hotels going further in trying to make women feel safer by offering women-only floors and rooms with more feminine touches.

Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) has experienced a rise in the number of women booking rooms as single occupants across their portfolio in the US, China, Australia, the UK and other countries.

In 2011 and 2012, the group saw a surge in bookings by lone women, with a 53 percent increase in demand for rooms.

Last year, France was the only country to see a drop in female single occupancy travel, with a fall of almost 6 000 room nights year on year.

This matches an overall decline in travel to France from the UK, according to the UK’s Office of National Statistics, which reported a drop of 19 percent between 2008 and last year.

“According to the results of a survey on female travellers in the UK and US, by CAP Strategic Research in 2011, women represent the most important and fastest-growing segment of the travel market,” a spokesperson for the hotel chain said.

The ways the group is appealing to woman travellers include having women-only floors at its Naumi Hotel in Singapore, Duke’s in London, and The Chesterfield, Palm Beach.

The spokesperson for the group added that the “trend towards embracing solo female experiences has certainly gone beyond the ‘spa and beauty’ focus”.

At the Naumi Hotel the rooms on the women-only floor have specific feminine touches, such as in-room girly magazines, premium toiletries and hair straighteners. While the Capital Hotel has created a list of restaurants and bars that are recommended for solo woman travellers. They also offer a female private guide to accompany guests on sightseeing trips.

And just in case any woman travelling solo gets lonely, L Hotel Seminyak in Bali can provide “in room guppy love” – placing a fish bowl in hotel rooms with fish to keep guests company.

Do you think hotels catering for women in this way is hospitable or simply sexist? Tell us in the comment section below or send your thoughts to info@news24travel.com

Hotels cater for surge in solo women travellers