Washcloths not 'girly' enough in hotels

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- While the majority of U.S. business travelers are men, hotel chains are straining to feminize rooms by replacing bathroom washcloths with wash mitts.

In Washington, the Hamilton Crowne Plaza hotel turned its 11th floor into a women-only floor on weekdays and began stocking rooms with feminine items such as novels by Danielle Steel and Nora Roberts, magazines such as Shape and Bazaar, slippers to go with the silky bathrobe and potpourri in the bathroom.

"Hotels are absolutely thinking of us," frequent traveler Doreen Rosimos told USA Today. "Things generally seem more pretty" in the hotels where she stays, such as nicer soaps, "plusher, prettier beds," better hair dryers and more "chick flicks" on hotel TVs.

But not every woman is impressed by the industry's efforts.

Franziska Gomez has been traveling every week for five years, and typically stays in chain hotels that cost at least $200 a night. She said rates don't offer predictable guidance, as sometimes rooms that cost less than $100 a night offer a full-length mirror, yet she often can't find one in pricier hotels.

The Travel Industry Association reports 57 percent of business travelers are men.