Hospitality is just ‘scratching the surface’ of conscious action to improve the safety of its female guests.
And in particular, according to new research commissioned by European hybrid hotel group The Social Hub, much more needs to be done to address the concerns of woman travelling alone.
The research is the basis of The Social Hub’s ‘Room For Her’ campaign, which calls on the hospitality sector to prioritise the provision of visible staff, security and safer hotel environments for solo female travellers.
The survey of 2000 women across the UK and Europe found that 100% of UK women aged 18 to 24 worry about their personal safety when travelling alone, and that more than 80% of UK women aged 25 to 45 share the same concerns, highlighting a widespread ‘confidence gap ‘around solo travel.
A majority of all women surveyed suggested that guarantees of a visible staff presence would make them feel more comfortable when booking solo travel.
With that in mind, the hybrid hospitality group, which operates 21 hotels across Europe in cities like Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Rome, & Glasgow, operates 24/7 receptions, keeps security staff on site during evening hours, and equips all its staff to respond to safety concerns with ‘care and professionalism’.
However, The Social Hub has pledged to look at other ways to make women feel safer, and has urged the hospitality sector in general to step up and adapt to protect all guests.
Group director of sustainability, Amber Westerborg, said: “The Social Hub, and the hospitality sector in general, are clearly just scratching the surface on women’s safety.
“We hope this survey encourages our industry to start talking and take action, ensuring safe travel for all.
Westerborg continued: “The Social Hub is built for everyone, which is why we undertook this research into the clear barriers women face. The results are eye-opening and shine a light on a real problem across the industry.
“We are committed to addressing these concerns and fostering spaces where women are safe and can truly belong, without having to shrink, compromise or second-guess their presence.
“We are not there yet, we know this, but we will continue to evolve and learn, as everybody in the industry hopefully does.”
She added: “Women should not have to change their behaviour, limit their ambition, or decline an opportunity because they don’t feel safe.”
The survey results indicated that more than one in five women (29%) reported having been ‘followed or watched’ whilst travelling alone, with that number much higher among Gen Z women (41%).
Significant numbers had also suffered physical harassment or assault (16%) while one in five women have experienced verbal harassment or abuse.
Given those concerns, half of all women (57%) said that 24/7 hotel staff would make them feel safer, as would better lighting (45%), more security (45%), more visible staff (46%) and hotels that provide amenities to reduce 29% of women seek hotels with strong safety records
The Social Hub stressed that this was just the beginning of its ‘Room for Her’ campaign, which would continue to expand over the coming months and years through programme extensions aimed at improving support for women in hospitality.
