Other than an occasional road trip back to the home office in Cincinnati, to which I safely venture in the confines of my own Volvo S-40, I don't have to do a whole lot of business travel. I'm part of a growing minority, however, as more and more female professionals are hitting the jetways and highways for business travel. The increased number of female travelers is having a palpable impact on business travel, from improved hotel rooms to enhanced safety features. Typical hotel rooms have bettered their creature comforts, supplying better bedding, more palatable room service, and improved closets and work spaces. Improved lighting is helping business travelers of both genders feel more safe. Many attribute these changes to the ramped-up presence of female business travelers, who are more apt to share their experiences with friends and co-workers.
Yesterday, American Airlines - parent company AMR. Corp. (NYSE: AMR) - launched a web site for female travelers, becoming the first air carrier to do so (the airline notes that 48% of its passengers are women). The site provides ticket booking and offers from Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN), as well as advice and tips. In 1995, Wyndham and American Airlines jointed forces in a marketing program called Women on Their Way.
Experts do still see room for improvement where safety is concerned. Kathleen Ameche, who authored The Woman Road Warrior: A Woman's Guide to Business Travel in 2005, recently told The New York Times that "Ninety-eight percent of [500 female business travelers surveyed] said they had their personal safety compromised on a business trip within the last 45 days." A chief complaint is the practice of hotel desk clerks audibly announcing one's room number during check-in procedures.
Reflecting back on my few business travels, I suppose that my personal safety was compromised once, but it was more than five years ago, at a San Francisco hotel that will remain nameless. As I unpacked in my bare-bones room on the fourth floor, I noticed an unpleasant odor. It seemed as though the previous occupant may have ignored the no-smoking rules and tried to cover up the tell-tale signs by spraying decades-old cologne and then running 26.2 miles in circles around the bed. In a misguided quest for fresh air, I attempted to open the window, which slipped off its track, swinging to hit me in the face and knocking me onto the less-than-fresh carpet. I changed rooms immediately. To be fair, this scenario would irk a traveler of any sex, in the hotel for business or pleasure. Maybe next time my stay will be less perilous.
Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.
Experts do still see room for improvement where safety is concerned. Kathleen Ameche, who authored The Woman Road Warrior: A Woman's Guide to Business Travel in 2005, recently told The New York Times that "Ninety-eight percent of [500 female business travelers surveyed] said they had their personal safety compromised on a business trip within the last 45 days." A chief complaint is the practice of hotel desk clerks audibly announcing one's room number during check-in procedures.
Reflecting back on my few business travels, I suppose that my personal safety was compromised once, but it was more than five years ago, at a San Francisco hotel that will remain nameless. As I unpacked in my bare-bones room on the fourth floor, I noticed an unpleasant odor. It seemed as though the previous occupant may have ignored the no-smoking rules and tried to cover up the tell-tale signs by spraying decades-old cologne and then running 26.2 miles in circles around the bed. In a misguided quest for fresh air, I attempted to open the window, which slipped off its track, swinging to hit me in the face and knocking me onto the less-than-fresh carpet. I changed rooms immediately. To be fair, this scenario would irk a traveler of any sex, in the hotel for business or pleasure. Maybe next time my stay will be less perilous.
Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.
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