In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled, in Brown V. Board of Education, that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. In studying her history, Jane of course concurs. So a recent announcement by a Michigan hotel (NOT a Wyndham property) hailing its women's only floor left Jane pondering. Is separating the sexes at a hotel discrimination or good business?
The handful of hotels that host female-friendly floors make the claim that women feel more comfortable and safer on such floors. Regarding the latter argument, Jane wonders, shouldn't a hotel be safe for all guests, not just for women? Furthermore, in spite of all security issues, wouldn't an all-female floor potentially be a greater target for ne'er-do-wells? For guests wanting an extra sense of security--well, let them all pay extra and get restricted access to the co-ed club floor. Let all guests be able to ask for an escort to their rooms, or their parking spaces, regardless of gender. After all, men want to be safe, too.
Maybe some hotels are promoting female-friendly floors, not from a sense of loyalty to its female friends, but out of loyalty to the almighty dollar. The Michigan hotel was going to charge $30 extra a night on its women's only floor, for the privilege of comforting amenities such as special hair dryers, upgraded toiletries, and chenille throws. Jane asks, shouldn't comfort be included in the regular price?
Even more offensive to Jane was when a Washington, DC hotel announced its women-only floor a few years back by noting it was stocking its rooms with "items of special appeal" to females. Among said items--paperback novels by Danielle Steel and Nora Roberts, magazines such as Bazaar, and potpourri in the bathroom. Well, I don't know about you, dear reader, but Jane has never deigned to read chick trash, preferring instead classic literature and current non-fiction. As a business traveler, Jane would prefer a copy of The Economist or Forbes in her room. And potpourri, in Jane's mind, should solely show up as a category on "Jeopardy." Jane really wonders the gender of the "decider" who selected Danielle Steel as the author of choice for the high-powered businesswomen who visit the nation's capital. Jane finds the offerings of such stereotypical girly amenities insulting and sexist.
Feminista attorney Gloria Allred goes a step further. Women-only floors and lounges in hotels are simply discrimination, she says. "What women (sic) want are equal rights," says Allred. "Not more rights, not less rights, but equal rights." Jane has to agree. Women have come far too far in the business world to take steps backward.
What if a hotel offered a male-only floor? After all, if nearly 60 percent of all business travelers are men, why don't hotels have special floors devoted to a majority of their market? Features could include a special room-service menu made up of brats and beer, magazines such as Sports Illustrated and Playboy (for the interviews), and a musky scent emanating through the hallways. After all, all men like that stuff, right? Just like women like frilly scents and mindless magazines and books. And certainly, a separate floor for male business travelers wouldn't be discriminatory, would it? Hah.
Lalia Rach, divisional dean of The Tisch Center for Hospitality Tourism and Sports Management at New York University, thinks the very idea of female floors sounds "nineteenth century… incredibly outdated. There is no answer to the women's market just as there is no answer to the men's market."
Wyndham Hotels actually worked with NYU's Tisch Center more than ten years ago to spearhead research into the female business travel market segment. The result of that research was Wyndham's WOMEN ON THEIR WAY, a program designed to better serve the needs of female travelers. This is done not by segregating women on separate floors, but by giving them what they truly want and need. Wyndham doesn't paint its rooms pink, but it does offer complimentary female-friendly amenities (upon request) such as nail polish remover, hair products like gel and holding spray, panty hose, and, ahem, feminine hygiene products. Jane says, that's fine. Female business travelers have special needs for these products, and for a hotel to provide them is nifty.
In many cases, the research found what women want is exactly the same as what some men want--healthier room service menus, complimentary snacks upon check-in, a way to express preferences for a customized stay (Wyndham ByRequest), and so forth. Furthermore, the Women on Their Way program puts its money where its lipstick-lined mouth is. Wyndham is a founding sponsor of the Women's Leadership Initiative. Designed in conjunction with Meeting Professionals International, WIL implements and funds academic scholarships for female professionals. Sure beats Danielle Steel and a sachet of potpourri on the pillow.
It's hard enough as it is to be accepted as an equal in the business world. Jane believes that the concept of women-only floors simply caters to the stereotype of females as the weaker sex, fragile fillies that need to be protected and cosseted. To this Jane says, "balderdash." If we want equality with men in the workplace, it means being on their turf, regarding of whether it's a home game or a road game. Yes, as women, we might like access to healthy food and magnifying mirrors and tampons. But we don't need to be put in "our place" on the female-only floor. Separate is not equal.
