The new JW Marriott hotel under construction in Grand Rapids, Mich., center, will feature a 19th floor and lounge exclusively for female clientele. (Photo by Noel A. Webley II)
Posted on 05/17/2007 10:55:54 AM PDT by Incorrigible
By CHRIS KNAPE
| The new JW Marriott hotel under construction in Grand Rapids, Mich., center, will feature a 19th floor and lounge exclusively for female clientele. (Photo by Noel A. Webley II) |
|
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Among the amenities planned for this city's new JW Marriott hotel, one might be a first in America.
The Alticor Inc.-owned riverfront hotel is reserving its 19th floor and a lounge exclusively for female clientele when it opens Sept. 19.
Andrea Groom, a spokeswoman for the 24-story, 340-room hotel, said the idea recognizes more than half of all business travelers are women.
"A lot of women are saying they're not feeling like they're safe when they're traveling to a strange city,'' Groom said. "They don't necessarily want to go down to a lounge and feel like they are getting hit on by guys.''
The women-only rooms also will have amenities not found in other rooms, such as chenille throw blankets, ionic hair dryers, jewelry holders and special bath products.
Access to those rooms will come at a $25 to $30 per night premium over standard rates of about $229.
Is it legal?
Harold Core, a spokesman for the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, said he wasn't sure.
"You cannot deny a person services just because they are male or female,'' Core said. "In a lot of cases, there could be a nondiscriminatory reason where a hotel would have that kind of set-up or policy. But I can't speak to what that reasoning would be.''
He cited restrooms and locker rooms as examples of gender-specific amenities that are legal.
"I can imagine if this is something they're announcing publicly, it is something that will either come to a court or come to our commission,'' he said.
George Aquino, general manager of the hotel, said with only a small percentage of women-only rooms, he doesn't expect it to become an issue.
News of the women-only floor and lounge emerged Tuesday as the company announced a Sept. 19 grand opening gala. The hotel's restaurant and other amenities will be open Sept. 21.
Regular room reservations will be taken via Marriott's reservation system beginning in June.
The hotel will include a restaurant called six.one.six featuring "regional American fare with global influences.''
A special technology package in each room will allow guests to plug in laptops and music players and utilize the in-room speakers and 32-inch plasma TV.
(Chris Knape is a reporter for the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press. He can be contacted at cknape(at)grpress.com.)
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If they set aside space just for MEN, they’d get the hell sued out of them....
Funny how this all works, isn’t it?
I was about to ask if it included cross dressers.
That happened to a collegue and I at a hotel right next to the Burbank airport.
“In other news the Warren, Pennsylvania Super-8 is reserving it’s third floor for men only during the 10-day Pennsylvania deer season.”
No, it’s because women don’t want to be around sissified men who stay in hotels during hunting season, and think “hunting” means baiting an animal, hiding in a tree, and shooting it.
Well goodie...Cracker Barrel and Denny’s thought it would be a great business move to deny blacks service.
Wish I lived closer...I’d go just to dare them to kick me out...then sue their pants off.
I agree 100% with you. It is a market and any business should be able to cater to it.
JERRY: What else did you two do?
ELAINE: Oh, I don’t know, you know, girlie stuff.
JERRY: Ah, so, ah, flower shows and, shopping for pretty bows, and then
back to her place, strip down to bra and panties for a tickle fight?
(Elaine stands there for a good 6 seconds with arms crossed, blank
expression, just looking at Jerry)
ELAINE: That’s really what you think girls do, isn’t it?
JERRY: Yes, I do. (very serious)
“You cannot deny a person services just because they are male or female,”
Do men really care if they don’t get an ionic hair dryer and bath products?
Do folks think there really ought to be a law against this? Men really aren’t being denied anything, except what, access to business babes?
Really much ado about nothing.
isn’t this more the “rosie o donald” floor than the women floor?
Just wait for the first case of violence on that floor from a rejected sexual advance.
I bet they will have a men only floor too before the law is done.
I am a woman and a business traveler. I cannot IMAGINE trying to bill my expense account for extra $$$ to be on “the girl’s floor”. If I am uncomfortable about eating out in a place, I call for some delivery and get a Coke from the vending machine.
For heaven’s sake, grow up!
What’s so hard about this? Just offer the same for men...
Oh, man, I haven’t seen that one!
I think you're confusing Pennsylvania with Texas, at least as far as the baiting is concerned. And a lot of guys hunt quite a distance from home, and it's nice to be inside at night, ya know? Sleeping on the ground in late November in Pennsylvania just isn't an option.
But aside that, it was supposed to be humor, who pissed in your cornflakes?
Sounds like Japan. There’s lots of “women only”, “men only” type stuff there, like “women only” train cars. I once used ther internet at a net cafe that charged men 50% more than women to use the computers.
How do they conduct business if they are that intimidated? I’m no kid (51) but I was home raising babies for a long time before I went back to the business world and there is no excuse for that kind of timidity, especially from “modern” women!
” I think you’re confusing Pennsylvania with Texas, at least as far as the baiting is concerned.”
They don’t use deer pee in Penn?
“And a lot of guys hunt quite a distance from home, and it’s nice to be inside at night, ya know?”
Not quite the same as sitting around a campfire.
“Sleeping on the ground in late November in Pennsylvania just isn’t an option.”
Why not just play a hunting video game in the hotel?
It’s cold out in the daytime too.
Like I said... sissies... in camo.
“But aside that, it was supposed to be humor, who pissed in your cornflakes?”
Did I strike a raw nerve?
So now they can go to the lounge and be hit on by lesbians... yay.
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