Nikko Hotels Issues ‘Road Rules’ for Women Biz Travelers

TOKYO— Noting women are the fastest growing business travel segment, and expected to account for half of all American business travelers in 2002, Nikko Hotels International has issued a small list of “road rules” for women road warriors, including female hoteliers, to ease the stress of business travel. Among them: * Become a Regular: “If you travel to the same city often, find a hotel where you feel comfortable and get to know the staff, particularly the manager and concierge. They can offer valuable advice on what to do in the area, track down hard-to-get tickets or make restaurant reservations,” said Angela Katz, Nikko’s director/worldwide sales; * Air Time is My Time: Use flight time to catch up on bill paying and personal business; *Toiletries Trick: “Travel with toiletries that are almost empty so you can throw away the containers before you return to have room for airport gifts,” suggested Beverly Isaaman, reservations manager at The Montcalm/ Hotel Nikko, London; *Family Matters: A Travel Industry Association of America survey revealed 21% of business travelers combined business and vacation on their last business trip. “No matter how busy you are, staying in touch with family will make them feel better and you feel more connected,” said Ning Qi, director/sales at Jinglun Hotel, Beijing; * Room Location: Vips Larsen, director/sales at The Montcalm/Hotel Nikko London, suggested that when checking-in, women travelers request a hotel room near the elevators. “Some women feel uncomfortable walking alone past a lot of doors at night to the end of a long corridor,” she said; and *Safety in the Dark: Terresa Team, assistant general manager at Hotel Royal Xian, China, advises women traveling alone: “At night, hotels and rental car agencies can arrange for someone to accompany you to and from parking lots.”