Female concierge...

Bathrooms are divine...

Hurrah! Bathrooms have become much more female-friendly and that means women travellers now have far less to pack. Along with business-class accommodation comes the use of a thick white terrycloth robe and often slippers, to match. Amenities have increased across the board and bathroom products are of a much higher calibre. Women are now actually making use of these. There's a hairdryer plus make-up mirror in every room, and generally an extendible clothes line where one can hang undies to dry. At the Crowne Plaza Silversmith women requesting rooms on the Club Level can leave detergents at home -- packets of Woolite are always provided for washing delicate lingerie and pantyhose. At the Drake Hotel, a good-sized tube of Colgate toothpaste as well as an excellent toothbrush are examples of some of the toiletries provided, and their Gilchrist and Soames (London, England) conditioning shampoo goes the extra step with a vitamin B-3 additive. Those women who are already acquainted with Neutrogena products will love the amenity basket at Swissotel which is chock full of their soaps and lotions. The Park Hyatt Chicago raises the bar by adding a loofah and natural bristle brush to the goodies provided. Finally, for weight watching women, upgraded rooms in most of the hotels include a bathroom scale as well. Journeywoman wishes she could have taken the high-tech styles on display at the Park Hyatt Chicago and Swissotel home with her.

Pack your rubber duckies...