singapore hotel: Women-only holidays on the up as more females choose to travel solo

Demand for rooms booked by single-occupant females has risen

Hotels responding by offering more ‘female-friendly’ services

Women-only floors and female sightseeing guides available

Female-only deals include shopping packages and golf days

Rooms given feminine touches with magazines and straighteners

By

Lucy Waterlow

PUBLISHED:

07:25 EST, 11 July 2013

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UPDATED:

07:25 EST, 11 July 2013

Who needs a man or even a travelling companion on holiday? Females exploring the world alone is not only becoming more accepted, but is also the preferred option for many women, according to new research.

Perhaps inspired by the book and Julia Roberts’ film, Eat, Pray, Love, demand for hotels rooms booked by single-occupant females has risen.

The trend has led to hotels going further to make females feel safer by offering women-only floors and rooms with more feminine touches, such as in-room girly magazines and hair straighteners.

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Looking for adventure: More women are gaining the confidence to explore the globe alone

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Inspiration? Julia Roberts’ character went on a solo trip around the world in Eat, Pray, Love

Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) have seen a rise in the number of single occupant females booking rooms across their portfolio in countries including the U.S, UK, China and Australia.

Between 2011 and 2012, SLH saw a surge in lone female bookings with a 53 per cent increase in demand for rooms.

SLH properties in the UK and U.S. were the most popular for solo travellers of both genders. Australia was the next most popular destination for solo female travellers while SLH properties in Hong Kong saw the largest growth in solo female guests.

In 2012, France was the only country to see a drop in female single occupancy travel with a fall of almost 6,000 room nights year on year. This matches an overall decline in travel to France from the UK according to The Office of National Statistics, which reports a drop of 19 per cent between 2008 and 2012.

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Girls allowed: Duke’s Hotel in London has a women-only floor

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Guppy love: The L Hotel Seminyak in Bali can add fish in bowls to rooms if lonely female guests need company

A spokesman for the hotel chain said: ‘Across the globe SLH have not only noticed a rise in the number of female guests travelling alone or in all-female groups, but also reported that they are staying for a longer period of time than ever before.

‘The solo woman is clearly growing in significance for the travel industry as more women gain the confidence to explore alone’

‘According to the results of a survey on female travellers in the UK and U.S., by CAP Strategic Research in 2011, women represent the most important and fastest growing segment of the travel market, in terms of both leisure and business travel.

‘SLH properties are recognising the potential of this growing global trend and are now actively catering for women travellers. The solo woman is clearly growing in significance for the travel industry and as more women gain the confidence to explore alone, hotels need to recognise the potential of making a concerted effort towards her needs.’

Some of the ways SLH are appealing to female travellers, by helping them feel more comfortable and secure, include having women-only floors at their Naumi Hotel in Singapore, Duke’s in London, and The Chesterfield, Palm Beach.

Comfort and security: The Naumi in Singapore also has women-only floors

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Shop till you drop: Some hotels are offering shopping packages to appeal to female guests

At the Naumi Hotel the rooms on the women-only floor have specific feminine touches, such as in-room girly magazines, premium toiletries and hair straighteners.

At Austria’s Das Tyrol, conveniently located

on Vienna’s longest shopping street, the Women’s Shopping Package can be booked by female guests. The package includes a two-night stay with use of the sauna and steam bath, a beauty set and coupons and tips for shopping in the city.

‘The trend towards embracing solo female

experiences has certainly gone beyond the “spa and beauty” focus’

Meanwhile the Capital Hotel in London has created a list of local restaurants and bars that are recommended for solo female travellers, as well as also offering a female private guide to accompany women guests on sightseeing trips to shops and museums.

The St James Hotel and Club in London is the only SLH

hotel in the capital with a female Head Concierge, while the Chester

Grosvenor has a female chauffeur who they say is particularly appreciated by women travelling alone.

The spokesman for SLH added that the ‘trend towards embracing solo female

experiences has certainly gone beyond the “spa and beauty” focus’.

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All by myself… and loving it: More women are choosing to travel alone

They offer services to help women explore the surrounding areas safely, take in the local cultures and enjoy sporting activity. For example, at the La Maltese Estate in Santorini they offer a ‘Mediterranean culinary

journey’ exclusively to women while Slovenia’s Grand

Hotel Toplice holds a weekly ladies day at the Bled Golf Club.

At Hotel Punta Islita in Costa Rica,

solo female travellers can explore communities

surrounding the property via an outreach

programme. Women travellers can take part in art sessions

with local female artists, creating the opportunity to learn first-hand

about the lives and experiences of traditional Costa Rican rural

communities.

And just in case any females travelling solo get lonely on their trip, L Hotel Seminyak in Bali has a unique solution. They can provide ‘in room guppy love’ – placing a fish bowl in hotel rooms with fish to to keep guests’ company.