Are Women-Only Hotel Rooms the Hot New Hospitality Trend?

Would you pay extra to stay on a women-only floor?
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In the past, getting a hotel upgrade meant a bigger room with a balcony or a view of the pool. While we've got a ton of tips for getting these deals, there's a new trend in hospitality: women-only hotel rooms and floors.

If you're imagining pink curtains and frills, think again. TIME reports that these rooms include perks like fresh flowers, women's magazines and bath salts as well as little conveniences like hangers for skirts and full-body mirrors.

With women making up about 50% of today's business travelers, these options are part of a growing effort from the hotel industry to cater to this growing population. And it seems to be working: In a recent Copenhagen focus group, more than half of women found the floors more secure, more hygienic and more female-friendly than unisex floors.

Snagging one of these rooms does require an upgrade fee -- according to TIME, anywhere between $30 and $50. But travelers from New York to Copenhagen are willing to pay the price: Since adding their "Duchess Rooms," the Dukes of London hotel has seen the number of rooms booked by women increase by 30% in the last two months, and Vancouver's Georgian Court Hotel is already talking about adding a second women's-only floor.

Not everyone enjoys this new trend. Marybeth Bond, a National Geographic author, told CNN that she's "seen the hotel industry cater subtly to women without being patronizing... Why not have standard rooms and extras being offered at the front desk? We've lived through fighting for our equal rights and this is making us unequal." Already in Denmark, one hotel has been asked to close its women-only floor after accusations of discrimination, although the group is taking the case to court.

While we understand Bond's concerns about gender equality, we're not about to turn down free bath salts and fresh flowers. Would you pay extra to stay on a women-only floor?


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