Understanding women's accommodation experiences on girlfriend getaways: a pragmatic action research approach

Abstract

In the realm of women's travel, while the accommodation experiences and preferences of female business travellers have been investigated, little is known about the female leisure-traveller in this regard. This study investigates one of the growth sectors in women's travel – girlfriend getaways (GGAs), which are holidays taken by females with other females. An action research approach was employed to explore the accommodation needs of all these female travel groups in the Malaysian context. Using a five-stage approach which included in-depth interviews, a hotel stay for three groups of women on a GGA, focus groups and secondary data analysis, four themes were identified. These themes address feminine comforts, facilitating friendship, safety, and shopping and the use of discount promotions with GGA. Findings suggest that the needs of female leisure-travellers are distinct from those of women who travel on business. Recommendations for hotel management are made to enhance the GGA experience for women, notably providing spaces and activities to facilitate female bonding.

Keywords:

• women's travel
• girlfriend getaways
• action research
• accommodation preferences
• hotels
• safety
• friendship

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Ms Samantha Mun Yee Yap for co-ordinating the logistical operations of the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This manuscript was prepared during scholarship funded by The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State and the Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange under the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Award. Data collection for this study was funded jointly by the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts, Taylor's University Malaysia, L'Occitane, Elle, and local businesses in Subang Jaya, Malaysia.