ON THE ROAD; Women Keeping Up Pressure For a Better Travel Experience

By JOE SHARKEY
Published: April 10, 2007

IT isn't easy to astonish Kathleen Ameche, who is usually on the road five days a week as a speaker, and who literally wrote the book on women and business travel.

But the results of a recent Web seminar on travel safety that she helped organize among 500 female business travelers did just that.

''Ninety-eight percent of them said they had their personal safety compromised on a business trip within the last 45 days,'' said Ms. Ameche, the author of ''The Woman Road Warrior: A Woman's Guide to Business Travel'' (Agate, 2005). ''Ninety-eight percent! That number is staggering. In 2007 we still have that issue?''

It has been noted, here and elsewhere, that the growing number of female business travelers has had significant effects on the travel experience. Women are a big part of the reason that a typical hotel room, whether midlevel or luxury, has better bedding, lighting, room service, closets, work spaces and overall design.

Unlike men, women tend to notice the details and share them with friends and colleagues. So hotels are going to be hearing more about safety.