Hey sis, spare a thought for your brother
Vinyl singles playing at 45rpm, a packet of five Woodbines and beer at a shilling a pint - they all went out of fashion during the last Wilson government (or near enough). So, too, did any reference to women as the "weaker sex".
During the cultural revolution of the 1960s women's emancipation came to mean more than just access to the ballot box, home ownership and the odd burnt bra. Women in many industries and professions have come to represent an increasingly dominant percentage of the workforce and, therefore, they now represent a sizeable proportion of any hotel's business client base.
These days there are more single businesswomen on the road than ever before, and their special requirements need to be accommodated when they stay in lodging overnight.
This is why hotels all over the UK are using the vulnerability of single women as a selling point - "We are aware; you are safe with us" goes the slogan. Fair enough. It's good that hotels are implementing such measures as discreet presentation of room key when women check in at reception. No more the efficient "OK, YOU'RE IN 208. UP THE STAIRS, SECOND ROOM ON THE RIGHT. EVERYBODY HEAR THAT? GOOD." No more doors that don't have a deadlock. No more windows that don't close properly. No more dark and lonely west-wing corridors, out of sound of the rest of civilisation. The single woman and her need for protection is being accommodated at last.
But what are the special requirements of a single woman that don't apply to all guests? Why is it only single women whom hotels are beginning to facilitate with deliberate safety-first, "women-friendly" policies? What about the ordinary customer - female or male? Shouldn't everyone be entitled to the same courtesy of service? Of course they should.
There is an implication that a single woman staying alone in a hotel is vulnerable to sexual attack, and that is the worst fear. But, according to the Metropolitan Police hotel intelligence unit, in the past six years there has not been one case of a reported sexual crime being committed in a hotel (in London). Most of the reported on-site crimes are robberies, committed in empty rooms between 7pm and 9pm. These break-ins have nothing to do with the gender of the guest using the room.
Everyone is vulnerable to crime. If women are no longer referred to as the "weaker" sex, by implication it can no longer be assumed that men are the "stronger" sex and, therefore, they should be entitled to the same levels of protection that women are. There are many men who, through illness, age, physical disability or psychological sensitivity, will feel equally in need of protection from unwelcome intrusion or attention. Safety measures should apply to all.
Three cheers for hotels that pay attention to the safety of single women. Don't forget, though, that everyone needs to feel secure when they stay in a hotel, no matter whether they are of the "weaker" sex or the "stronger".
Forbes Mutch
EditorCaterer & Hotelkeeper
