What does "tighter security" mean? Key card required to get off the elevator on that floor? I'm really trying to get my head around how women-only floors are safer, and I'm having a hard time doing it. Are there problems with women being attacked in hotel hallways? As a woman I'm not offended by having women-only floors. I don't see it as discriminatory. But I'm also hard pressed to figure out how they're actually safer.

Sooo...are there going to be men only floors with more perks like cold beer and freshly grilled brats? I mean, after all, according to the above numbers, 60% of travelers are male.

This is a ridiculous idea. Hotels should just have better security on all floors. I can't imagine paying a premium for a women's only floor.

Are we back in college? I didn't realize that there were communal bathrooms not connected to your bedroom in modern hotels that meant you would have to expose yourself in public. Other than that, don't see the purpose in having a women's only floor (like in a college dormitory).

If you're that concerned about your security, then throw your bolts, leave the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door, get one of those portable alarms, and be circumspect about telling anyone which room is yours.

I'm a woman who occasionally travels for business, and I don't think I would purchase a room on a "woman's only" floor. It's not like I do anything in my room other than change my clothes and clean myself up. I just don't see the point.

The idea of a women's only floor sounds nice, but to me, it's just another entitlement perk. I like to travel alone, and part of the game is to be safe, and not invite strangers back and to check in with my mom and boyfriend several times a day. (Not because I can't take care of myself, but because I don't want to end up missing without a trace, and because it comforts them.)
Besides, part of the fun on vacation is to encounter new people, and in boutique hotels, it feels more communal to mix with different people, from the noisy boys to the party girls.

It's hard enough as it is to be accepted as an equal in the business world. I certainly don't want anything that gives the impression that we are "fragile flowers" that have to be specially protected from the big, bad world. That's a step *backwards* for female travelers.

The only exception I could think of would be in certain international settings, where local custom might be, shall we say, less favorable toward women.

yeah i don't really get it - i'm female and travel on my own for work, and i've never felt unsafe in a hotel ... should i? and i'm with the first poster, what does "tighter security" actually entail?

i don't see a problem with offering the female-only floors, but i don't see any reason to use them either. but if they have guys floors with beer instead of chocolate, i'd like the option to switch my "extras" for their "extras", thanks.

I like the idea of a women only floor. It could be accessed by a card like those sometimes used for executive suites. I don't really need chocolats and flowers, though. I've never encountered any problems, but I am always security concious when I travel, which I do regularly for work. I'm thinking that a women's floor might be quieter, but I may be wrong.

What happens if one of the women on a women-only floor oicks up a guy at a bar and wants to bring him back to the room? Is there a guard on the floor to prevent this? Otherwise, what's stopping her from bringing him back with her (and thus defeating the purpose of the women-only floor that other travelers are paying extra for)?

Or suppose one of the women on that floor needs to bring a male colleague back to her room for work-related purposes (to review documents, to access the company intranet via laptop, etc.). Is that OK, as long as he doesn't spend the night?

As a man, I'm certainly all for good security and being safe when traveling, especially since my wife regularly travels on business as she is right now as I type this. I'm very torn on the whole women-only floors thing. On one hand, I recognize that bad things happen to women (and happen more often) that tend not to happen to men. Right or wrong, fair or unfair, I think women do need to be more security conscious as a general rule.

But should that include having a part of a hotel walled off from men, regardless of vacancy issues, as well as other security issues? I'm a little uncomfortable with that, particularly as a global concept. I can see taking such a step on a localized level if there's a good evidential case to make that women are more secure at a particular hotel if men aren't on the floor. But hotels aren't going to publicly offer such a case, because by admitting such a thing, they're admitting that hotel security is lax, which defeats the whole point of trying to attract security conscious women to stay at their hotel. So we end up with a policy that's based more on abstract global perceptions that may or may not be accurate than tangible evidence on the ground. That's not the best way to make policy, particularly when part of why it's being done is for profitability considerations, not concerns about safety.

The idea of segregating people by gender is outrageous. What's next, separating floors by race? I might feel safer with people of my own race

This is an idea that should have been shot down at the time it was first suggested.

I'm a woman and I travel alone, and I wouldn't pay extra to be on a women-only floor at a Marriott-caliber hotel. A Motel 6-caliber hotel, maybe, but at places like that, the biggest danger is that your room might have direct access from outdoors. In a hostel or similar situation with shared bathrooms, it would be fantastic, although probably difficult to implement for small properties.

I'd like to hear more from the hotels about how they ensure women-only access to these floors, not just by guests (and guests of guests) but by hotel staff as well. Or do staff get a pass on this, and if so, why?

Absolutely not! That is discrimination in the ugliest form. If it was a "male", "white", "black", "Asian", or for example "Protestant" area, it would be obviously discriminatory. Make it an extra charge floor that provides amenities that appeal to women, but don't make it discriminatory.

I don't see it as discrimination so much as good old-fashioned 'women are the weaker sex' thinking. I'm a woman, and I can see the point, but at the same time, I wouldn't pay the extra (I'd rather be on the beer & brats floor, too!) for what they should be providing anyway (and I don't need any more chocolate, thank you, Marriott).

I would like to know what the crime numbers are at relatively upscale properties like Crowne Plaza & Marriott. And are they more often committed by guys coming in off the street v. guests v. employees? My inclination would be that guests commit fewer crimes than outsiders or employees. If that's true, then it seems to me there needs to be more security in general in the case of the former, and better background screening in the case of the latter. Does anyone know the breakdown on this?

I don't travel alone all that much, but when I do, I'd love to know that I had a choice of a female only floor. I do feel very uncomfortable with some of the people I encounter in hotels.

Just one more person in favor. FORGET the discriminatory issue. Safety is SAFETY.

Not only am I in favor of women only floors, it would be great to have them serviced by female personnel! When I travel alone which is frequently, I would love knowing that my floor contains no men. I have seen men wandering the halls of hotels drunk and if you happen to be in their line of sight, it sometimes becomes quite uncomfortable. I am willing to pay more for the extra security and perks.

I'm a male business traveler, and if there are going to be men-free floors at hotels I travel to, then it's only fair that I be able to stay on one of the following:

1) a screaming teenage girl-free floor;

2) a perfume-free floor;

3) a wedding guest-free floor;

4) a crappy view-free floor;

5) a noisy neighbor-free floor; and

6) a loud talker in the hallway-free floor.

After all, each of these things would make things easier for me, and it's all about me, isn't it?

I don't mean to denigrate the safety issue, but just because something might make you feel safer (and I don't think this does contribute much to safety, in part for the reasons others have identified above), doesn't mean all other considerations should be cast aside. It's kind of offensive to be told that I'm restricted from going to certain floors of a hotel because of a demographic group I'm in. It's also setting a very bad precedent, that I think women would lament down the road if "women-only" became a means of oppression rather than protection. Women aren't children.

Good site! I'll stay reading! Keep improving!