Despite their numbers as a growing force in the marketplace, women business
travellers are still often shoehorned into a model designed for men,
according to a report from the Harvard Business School. Hotel rooms for
business travellers offer downcast décor and so-so amenities; the hotel's
social area may consist of a bar that is at best uninviting or at worst,
vaguely creepy. In addition, women travellers often perceive that airline
employees treat them more grudgingly than the guys.

As a result, a valuable market is still waiting to be served; that goes
double when one considers women's substantial role in organizing their
families' leisure vacations. So said five travel professionals who spoke at
a panel session of the Harvard Business School Dynamic Women in Business
Conference, held January 22. Laura Begley, style director for Travel &
Leisure magazine, moderated the session, whose theme was "Women Exploring
the World."

The two identifiable market segments - business and recreational travellers
- are not even mutually exclusive, panellists agreed. "There is a trend for
incorporating family: taking a business trip and adding a family component,"
said Jenifer Ziegler, senior vice president of brand management for Holiday
Inn Express.