There's a Man in My Room!

I just came back from a business trip in Chicago where I had the good fortune to stay at the Sofitel. This is a truly lovely hotel and one of the best I have stayed at in a long time. However, there was one small thing that bugged me, although it is a fairly consistent experience across most hotels.

Maybe it is just me, but if I order room service - especially after I have indulged in a bubble bath and put on a comfy robe - I would really prefer if room service was not delivered to me by a guy. I think that many women feel a little vulnerable when they are traveling on business alone - in fact I know that this is the case from a research study I did on female business travelers - and appreciate hotels that have good safety practices. I am certainly not saying that it isn't safe for a hotel to send a male waiter up to a woman's room for room service; I certainly have never had any problems. It is just that some of us feel that sense of vulnerability when we are are standing in a hotel room with a robe on and a guy we have never met before is standing in the same room behind a closed door.

Due to this sense of vulnerability, I find myself debating whether or not to use the 30 minutes before the food is delivered to enjoy that desirable bubble bath. Should I keep my business clothes on? Put on some armor in the form of bright red lipstick? Get out my computer so that I look businesslike and efficient? Pretend to be speaking to my husband on the phone? Aaagh.......

I would love it if a hotel asked me whether I would prefer a female server when I order room service. It would be the cherry on the cake. That step that would make me a loyalist forever. Worth thinking about all you hotel chains out there!