"For Richelle Hunt, Fazoli's brand manager, business travel has become second nature. She oversees the development of the company's advertising, which means she travels many times a year to places like Los Angeles, New York, Nashville and Minneapolis.
"When you travel so much, you want it to be comfortable and feel as close to home as possible," she said. "I look for a work-out facility that offers what I use at home, breakfast and laundry service. If I'm going to be away for several days, having a laundry service means I don't have to pack as much."
Hunt says she avoids hotels right off highway exits and those with outside entrances. She looks for hotel brands she knows. Hunt also likes to be close to a lot of restaurants and shopping that are in neighborhoods where she feels safe enough to walk. Another must for her is in-room high-speed Internet access.
Hunt is part of a growing number of women business travelers. Research shows that women make up nearly half of all people who travel for business, and that number is expected to increase as more young women enter the workforce. The majority of college graduates today are women, and by 2010, it is estimated that women will account for 60 percent of those earning undergraduate degrees.
All of those traveling businesswomen are a prime market for hotels, and marketers are asking women what appeals to them. A 2006 survey by National Business Travel Monitor found that 99 percent of women surveyed said cleanliness was very or extremely important to them. Like Hunt, many said they were concerned about safety and security. Eighty-eight percent said they would like hotels to have extra security measures in place to ensure personal safety.
Don Howard, president of H&W, a Lexington-based hotel development and management company, said security is a top issue for his managers. H&W manages a wide variety of hotel brands, and Howard says staff members learn early on that they never say a customer's room number out loud.
"I can see how it would be unnerving for a woman traveling alone to have everyone around her hear what room she's in," he said. "Our policy is to write it on the key holder card so the customer is the only one who sees it."
Howard also said a well-lit parking lot and electronic door locks for both guestrooms and exterior entryways are good security measures. For security and convenience, Marriott's Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington offers valet parking and escorts women to their cars if requested.
Businesswomen want hotel restaurants that make them feel comfortable if they are dining alone. Room service also is important. Marci Krueger, director of sales and marketing at Marriott's Griffin Gate Resort, said one aspect female business travelers like about her hotel is the variety of dining options on site.
"We have three options on our property that offer flexibility," she said. "Women can feel comfortable in any of them if they are alone. Also, if they want to invite a client to a business dinner, they don't have to leave the property.
"We also have a Starbucks in the lobby, and a lot [of businesswomen] say it's one of their favorite things about our hotel."
Krueger estimates 35-40 percent of business travelers who stay at her hotel are women. She said many of them have been pleasantly surprised to find the new spa at Griffin Gate. The spa was designed with working women in mind and stays open until 8 p.m. to accommodate women after their workday is finished.
Even if a hotel doesn't have a spa, research shows women business travelers enjoy thick towels, large bathrooms with plenty of counter space and high-end toiletries.
Managers of Hilton Suites at Lexington Green said they listened to women's requests for such items and developed the Serenity Collection, which includes fluffy towels and the Serenity bed, which is triple-sheeted and has a thick down comforter and pillows. The hotel also offers toiletries made by Crabtree and Evelyn as well as make-up mirrors and high wattage hairdryers that are not attached to the walls.
Kristi Yahn, the director of sales and marketing, said she travels a good bit for work and measures her hotel against others she sees. She said her newly renovated, all-suites hotel featuring high-speed wireless Internet access is popular among women business travelers. Each suite contains a desk, and the work area is in the front part of the suite so it is separated from the sleeping area.
Yahn said businesswomen and those who travel for leisure chose the Hilton Suites at Lexington Green because of its proximity to shopping and dining.
Female business travelers traditionally have been a little neglected by the hospitality industry, but that's certainly changing. Hotel marketers know that businesswomen are not all work and no play and that women make the majority of decisions when it comes to any type of travel. So when it's time for the family vacation or a weekend getaway with friends, businesswomen will remember the hotels that reached out to them.
Mary Hemlepp, APR, is a principal of Wiser, Hemlepp & Associates, a public relations, marketing and research firm based in Lexington.