Abstract
Women-Friendly Floors in Hospitality Industry
The dynamic structure of tourism and new searches has made changes in the level of destinations mandatory. This new process has emerged in the hospitality business as in many tourism sub-sectors. As the socio-cultural environment, income level, education level and gender are causing the difference between many people, they also cause the differences in their demands. In this context, gender, which is one of the variables that make a difference, affects the decision making processes of consumers choosing their accommodation, and the gender factor is increasingly important in the manner and frequency of choosing accommodation facilities. Therefore, it can be said that one of the consumer groups that need to be researched is women. It is observed that a number of innovations in the accommodation establishments have started to be made for women and they are changing every day. One of these changes is the allocation of special floors for women. These accommodation establishments have implemented many innovations such as feminine room designs, decorations, special elevators, beauty-care accessories and materials and female employees for their female guests on those floors. In this study, we examined the trend of special floors and/or hotels for women that are developing in different countries of the world. In the study, areas of research such as the increase in the number of women-themed accommodation establishments, the level of demand for these facilities, the reasons of the preference of these hotels were searched and the results obtained from the empirical study were demonstrated. It has been understood that the concept of women-specific floors is basically related to two variables. The first is that women feel safe during their travels, and the other one is that they tend to feel special and perform better. This is a clear indication that this concept, which is developed on the basis of personal preference, is not based on discrimination. In addition, the subject was analyzed in depth with different views and approaches.
Keywords
Women Tourists, Special Interest Tourism, Niche Market, Accommodation Establishment
