Within the next few years women will be 50 percent of all business travelers, and they will travel more frequently, says Lalia Rach, dean of the Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Travel Administration at New York University. Sticklers for Safety High on the list of things women business travelers care about are safety and security. Female federal travelers often complain of having trouble finding hotels within their per diem rates where they can feel secure. That office adopted the policy after two female employees were awakened at 2 a.m. by a man knocking at their hotel room doors. However, they did not sleep the remainder of the night.
Many women say safety concerns limit their options for after-work activities on the road.
This problem can be more extreme in countries where women customarily do not go out alone at night or where women and men do not socialize together. Still a Man's World Traditional attitudes toward women can be a barrier to effective or comfortable business travel even in the United States. Women business travelers routinely encounter harassment and second-class treatment. A poll cited in USA Today found that 61 percent of women travelers have received poor, inadequate or unacceptable service because they are women. Women say they've waited to check in at hotels or pick up rental cars and been ignored while men receive service.