Wimintra is fresh back from Thailand Tourism Forum 2018, where she presented HotelIntel’s proprietary survey of what women travelers from all over world want hotels to do better. The video is posted online, and you really should watch it. It’s amazing how many things hotels get wrong, which can be a big let down. In this episode, Wimintra and Stu cover some of those findings, like

• Bathrooms are a big issue that’s often overlooked by hotel planners. According to the survey data, women want more privacy in their rooms, which stands in stark contrast to the trend of bathrooms with open floor plans, glass walls, no locks, and in some cases not even a door. So much for privacy.
• If your hotel is in a municipality with code restrictions that prohibit you from building a bathroom with quality lighting and electrical outlets, go the extra mile and prepare an alternative area for things like hair styling and makeup. Sharing space with the TV or standing in the foyer are not acceptable options.
• Be wary of using furniture inside rooms or in common areas that leave a lasting impression on your female guests -- literally. No one wants to be part of a #wafflelegs when it’s trending on Instagram.
• Consider your guests’ safety and security when they leave your hotel grounds as well. Make sure you staff is help able to assist with hailing taxis that actually turn on the meter rather than cozying up to the local taxi mafia.
• When launching campaigns you think will appeal to women, check in with those women to make sure. You don’t want to be on the wrong end of the next hack a hairdryer campaign. Sorry, IBM. But it’s your fault.

In short, the message is simple: Pay attention to female travelers, but not as some monolithic block. Female travelers may be mothers, girlfriends, wives, group travelers, busy executives, or solo travelers. And while their needs are similar, they aren’t the same. Spend some time -- and some money -- to make sure your initiatives support this group of travelers who have a lot more influence on discretionary travel funds than you think.

And if you need help with that last bit, we have plenty of data we’d love to share with you. Get in touch by sending us a message on our website, Twitter, or Facebook accounts.