| ALONE
ON THE ROAD
Travel
industry responds to women's security needs
Dawn McCoy-Ullric Security
became quite an issue for me during a recent stay at a large hotel. As I entered
the hotel from the parkade, a man carrying a mop was getting on the empty elevator.
He held the door for me. Feeling somewhat rude, but concerned about my personal
safety, I politely declined to ride with him. As the elevator door closed, he
shook his head. Although
some may think I was being overly cautious, the reality is that in this day and
age, women have to take extra precautions to stay out of vulnerable situations
that could lead to physical or emotional harm. I
didn't always concern myself with personal security issues. Like most independent
women, I believed I was capable of taking care of myself and never considered
the potential dangers of parking in hotel parkades or walking alone at night in
strange cities. All
that changed several years ago when my stepsister responded to a request for help
in a Calgary parkade from a man who claimed his vehicle needed a boost. When she
turned her back to open her car door, she was attacked and stabbed repeatedly.
Although she survived the incident, it left her physically and mentally traumatized. Personal
safety has become a major issue in the marketplace over the last decade as the
number of women traveling solo increases. A 1998 Total Research survey suggests
the percentage of women who travel on business grew to almost 50 per cent the
prior year from just one percent of all business travellers in the 1970s. And
of those, 78 percent were women travelling alone. Because
women have been outspoken about their needs, many in the travel industry have
risen to the challenge of addressing security concerns. Some hotels, car rental
agencies, airlines and travel providers have developed marketing programs aimed
at a female clientele, not just because their numbers are increasing, but also
because their allegiances are still forming. The Total Research survey found that
81 per cent of 217 female business travelers surveyed said they would be more
loyal to companies that address their special needs. "True,"
said JoAnn Hines, executive director of Women in Packaging Inc. "Once I have
found a hotel I like, I rarely change my routine." Hines appreciates hotels
that go out of their way to make a woman travelling alone feel comfortable and
said she travels light to avoid carrying heavy bags and appreciates the extras
like coffee pots, blow dryers and irons in the rooms.
Women
should not be afraid to admit to travel agents, car rental agencies and hotels
that they have additional safety requirements. Valet parking or escorts to parkades
ease safety concerns at check-in or checkout times. Women should not be reluctant
to use the bell service -- women are more vulnerable when they're carrying luggage
because, with their arms full, the ability to defend themselves is limited. (CONTINUE...)
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