Corporate, Social & Ethical Responsibility

Calder instigated the 'Women Aware' campaign in response to the feedback received from female clients (particularly when travelling alone) regarding their stays at various hotels

It became apparent that women travelling alone on business felt vulnerable and as our Managing Director is a female, this is an area in which we feel Calder now excel.

We commissioned a survey of our clients to determine the main areas of concern, thus enabling us to roll out a Calder specific women aware scheme. From the survey we devised a list of ten criteria that hotels must fulfil in order to be recognised as 'Women Aware' and then identified as such on our bespoke database management system.

The 'Women Aware' campaign is a means to opening a dialogue with the hotel industry regarding the way in which lone women business travellers are being treated and to educate hotels as to how women want to be treated. This is also a subject which our Managing Director has raised to Venue Charter Partners via the HBAA (Hotel Booking Agents Association)

The hotel industry is now recognising that women make up to 40 percent of their corporate client market and to ignore their need would be bad business.

Why Calder?

Calder is in the best position to co-ordinate and promote the 'Women Aware' campaign as our independence from any hotel group ensures that the scheme is run as an impartial initiative; whilst our 8,000 strong client base ensures that the campaign is accessible and actively promoted.

Women Aware Hotels

When hotels have been accredited a suitably 'female friendly', they are flagged in our reservations system as being 'Women Aware', and duly promoted during the reservation booking process.

Top Ten Criteria

The hotel must meet the following criteria:

• Well lit, secure car park or valet parking
• Room security locks, and peepholes as standard
• Permanently lit corridors during the hours of darkness
• 'Female Dining' policy in Restaurants (allocation of tables away from the centre of an open space) and provision of female personnel in room service
• Room number allocation is discreet at reception and public areas
• Lone female is never allocated a ground floor room (unless requested or hotel is all on ground floor level)
• Provision of hairdryer (near a mirror)
• Ironing board and steam iron available on request
• Space to work comfortably in room
• Provision of full-length mirror