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.
Perhaps inspired by the book and Julia Roberts’s film, Eat Pray Love, demand for hotel rooms booked by single-occupant women is on the rise.
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.
The Small Luxury Hotels chain’s properties in the UK and US were the most popular for solo travellers of both genders. Australia was the next most popular destination for solo woman travellers, while Hong Kong was also popular.
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.
A spokesman for the hotel chain said: “Across the globe SLH has not only noticed a rise in the number of female guests travelling alone or in all-female groups, but also reported that they are staying for a longer period than before.
“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.
“SLH properties recognises the potential and is now actively catering for women travellers. As more women gain the confidence to explore alone, hotels need to recognise the potential of making a concerted effort towards (meeting) their needs.”
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.
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.
At Austria’s Das Tyrol, conveniently located on Vienna’s longest shopping street, the Women’s Shopping Package can be booked by woman guests. The package includes a two-night stay with use of the sauna and steam bath, a beauty set and coupons and tips for shopping in the city.
In London, the Capital Hotel has created a list of restaurants and bars that are recommended for solo woman travellers, while offering a woman private guide to accompany woman guests on sightseeing trips.
The St James Hotel and Club in London is the only Small Luxury Hotels hotel in the capital with a woman head concierge, while the Chester Grosvenor has a woman chauffeur it says is particularly appreciated by women travelling alone.
The spokesman for the group added that the “trend towards embracing solo female experiences has certainly gone beyond the ‘spa and beauty’ focus”.
La Maltese Estate in Santorini, for example, offers a “Mediterranean culinary journey” exclusively for women, while Slovenia’s Grand Hotel Toplice holds a weekly ladies’ day at the Bled Golf Club.
At Hotel Punta Islita in Costa Rica, solo woman travellers can explore communities surrounding the property through an outreach programme. Woman travellers can take part in art sessions with local female artists, learning first-hand about the lives and experiences of rural communities.
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. – Daily Mail