Woman Aware

What is Woman Aware?

Expotel instigated the Woman Aware campaign in response to the feedback received from female clients regarding their stays at various hotels. Many women travelling alone on business were made to feel unsafe and vulnerable at hotels and reported back to us negative experiences that could have been avoided.

We undertook a survey of our clients "UK Hotels and the Female Business Traveller" and determined what the main concerns were, especially when staying in towns or cities that are unfamiliar. From this survey we devised a list of ten criteria that hotels must fulfil in order to become Woman Aware.

The Woman Aware campaign is a means of opening up a dialogue with the hotel industry regarding the way in which lone women business travellers are being treated and to educate hotels as to how women want to be treated.

The hotel industry is now recognising that women make up to 40 per cent of their corporate client market and to ignore their needs is bad business.

However, no campaign is anything without its members. We rely on nomination cards coming in to identify Woman Aware hotels. The more members we have the more effective the campaign will be.

Why Expotel?

As the UK leader in hotel, conference and event reservations, Expotel is in the best position to co-ordinate and promote the Woman Aware campaign. Expotel's independence from any hotel group ensures that the scheme is run as an impartial initiative, whilst our 20,000 strong client base ensures that the campaign is accessible and actively promoted.

Woman Aware hotels

When hotels have been voted suitably "female friendly" by three independent female travellers they are awarded a Woman Aware certificate. They are also flagged in our corporate literature and our reservations system as being Woman Aware.

How you can get involved...

Becoming a Woman Aware member gives you the opportunity to express your satisfaction or dissatisfaction with a hotel; and designed with the busy executive in mind, takes up very little of your time. Members are asked to appraise every hotel they stay in using the ten point criteria.

How to become a Woman Aware member

If you require a membership pack comprising of hotel appraisal cards please email your name and postal address to Sharon Smith at ssmith@expotel.com indicating the name(s) of each traveller requesting membership.

Top ten criteria

The hotel must meet the following criteria and three separate female business guests must nominate it:

1. Well lit, secure car park or valet parking
2. Room security locks as standard
3. Permanently lit corridors during hours of darkness
4. Room door security peepholes as standard
5. Room number allocation is discreet at reception
6. Lone female is never allocated a ground floor room (unless requested or hotel is ground floor only)
7. Provision of hairdryer (near a mirror)
8. Ironing board and iron available from room service
9. Space to work comfortably in room
10. Provision of full-length mirror