The Female Business Customer: An Analysis of Provision And Consumption Patterns In The U.S. Lodging Industry

Abstract

The business market accounts for over 50 percent of the customers of all U.S. lodging establishments. The term ‘business market’ is misleading in that it implies a degree of homogeneity when in reality the market is becoming increasingly heterogeneous in nature. This paper demonstrates the severe limitations of current strategies used in the lodging industry in its attempt to cater to the needs of the female business traveler and suggests a more appropriate framework from which to evolve strategies.

There is a distinct lack of statistical data pertinent to the actual and potential size of the female business market. What little evidence there is suggests the market has grown dramatically. Current strategies used by lodging organizations to cater to the needs of this market fail in two fundamental aspects: in identifying the needs of this market segment and in attempting to provide for these needs.

Organizations currently fall back on facility type strategies. The paper shows, through the adoption of an historical perspective, that such strategies only serve to reinforce social barriers to consumption. It is argued that until it is realized that the problem of female customers is a socio-cultural one, the demands of female customers will always be couched in terms of stereotypes despite the fact that these initiatives do not produce success. Lodging organizations have made the mistake of accommodating women within the confines of their prescribed gender roles.

The paper demonstrates how the adoption of a cultural studies perspective can go some way to providing a basic theory of consumption that is able to relate the varied tastes and activities of the consumer into a single conceptual scheme.