Female clients place more and different demands on hotel accommodation
17 Dec. 2009 – There was a time when business travel was a male domain but those days are long gone. More and more women work, have good jobs within their company and travel around the world on business. This has not gone unnoticed by the hotel industry.
“The proportion of women travelling alone has been rising fast and consistently for years. Now one in every four business travellers is a woman. Women impose different standards on hotels”, explains Fritz G. Dreesen, Chairman of the German Hotel Association (IHA). This is why the IHA will be addressing this target group at the next Heimtextil with an information event.
(Photo: © Sarah Schipper)
In the context of a study, Uta Brandes, a lecturer and professor for gender and design and design research at the International School of Design in Cologne, has condensed the expectations of female hotel guests into three key words: socialisation, security and sensuality.
Out of this comes a list of things women don’t like or highly value.
For example, women expect a friendly, efficient approach. Long, dimly lit corridors, on the other hand, make them uncomfortable. It is extremely important to them that hotel rooms smell nice.
They also expect well lit car parks. Hotel bars should be designed to ensure that women can sit anywhere without feeling they are being watched. Plenty of storage space and large surface areas are an added bonus as are a welcome basket of fruit and bottle of mineral water. Things like healthy snacks in the minibar, one or two skirt hangers in the cupboard and a working hairdryer in the bathroom are gratefully noted by female guests. In general, women place a great deal of importance on details, which make hotel living easier and more pleasant. Brandes sums up the list as follows: “Women simply want a home from home”.
comfortable seating (Photo: © Hotelverband
Deutschland (IHA)/ Mercure Hotel Aachen
Europaplatz)
“At many hotels, however, the focus is clearly on men”, the design expert opines, linking this to the atmospheric impression created by the materials used and service received. In her view an industry rethink is absolutely essential. “The hotel industry should take a commercial view in terms of the action needed, because women recommend a hotel where they feel good to others”, Brandes went on.
Brandes has compiled a book of her findings entitled “Frauenzimmer – Wünsche von Frauen an eine gastliche Hotelkultur”[Rooms for Women – What Women Guests expect of Hotels]. According to the author, the book is a pragmatic piece of literature, aimed directly at hotel managers. The book is due to be published shortly.
“Rooms for Women in Hotels”
The lectures on “Rooms for Women in Hotels” will be held in Hall 3.1 (Stand F40) on 14 January 2010.
Besides Professor Uta Brandes, other renowned speakers will discuss the subject of rooms for women.
Thus, one of the Preferred Partners of the German Hotel Association (Hotelverband Deutschland - IHA),
SELVA Hospitality, will ask “How much femininity does a hotel room need?” while Messrs.
Franz Kaldewei, also a Preferred Partner, will offer psychological insights into the differences
between men and women when it comes to bathing and why it can be worthwhile to include a bathtub
in en-suite facilities. Naturally, practical tips are also important in this connection. Therefore,
Wilhelm Luxem of Excelsior Hotel Ernst in Cologne will give best-practice examples for the realisation
of design concepts aimed especially at female guests. A detailed programme can be found on the internet at
www.hotellerie.de.
You will find further information about the Heimtextil complementary programme here.
