UNITED STATES— Every man has different thoughts about what it takes to win over a woman, and Ralph Polanec and Jim Saccoman are no exceptions..

General managers at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza in Washington, D.C., and the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis Airport West, these two men separate themselves from the pack by putting thought into action. Independent of each other, both have implemented women's floors at their properties, offering extra security, amenities and services for female travelers.

A lot of what you do for the female traveler will determine if she comes back, Saccoman says. With that in mind, the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis offers a secure-access floor with amenities, including Bath & Body Works products, garment steamers, and robes and slippers in every room. The floor also features fresh flowers in the hall and magazines preferred by women. "Our focus has been the little additional security," Saccoman says. "When you're a female traveling alone and don't have to worry—it's a big thing."

Polanec agrees. The Hamilton Crowne Plaza began offering a private access women's floor soon after the 9/11 tragedy. What began as a combined safety and security issue and effort to drive business into the hotel during a tough time in the industry has turned into much more.

Amenities at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza are similar to those offered in Minneapolis: Sephora bath products, slippers and women's magazines in each room, along with availability of paperback books geared toward women. The hotel also offers a special roomservice menu for its female travelers, which features the best of both healthy, fitness-conscious fare as well as the types of food that women might rather eat behind closed doors (including pints of Haagen Dazs ice cream). And there's a special women's table in the dining room for those traveling alone but who would rather not eat alone.

"Demand has been exceptional," Polanec says. He estimates that 38% of the hotel's guests are women, up from about 25% when the hotel began offering the women's floor—which he attributes to a combination of the business climate changing to include more women on the road and word-of-mouth buzz about the program. During certain high-demand times, the hotel even expands the capacity by designating two women's floors. "Groups of women have come in. It's huge for us," Polanec says.

Rates for the women's floors at both hotels are equal to normal business rates, but creating a niche for female business travelers has been rewarding for the hotels in terms of loyalty and positive word-of-mouth promotion. As a result, neither has done much in the way of marketing the floors.

Others in the industry also have recognized the growing ranks of female travelers. Wyndham International has been focusing on women since the mid-1990s, making female business travelers a niche through its "Women On Their Way" program. The company has a long-standing women's advisory board, and while not going quite as far as implementing women's floors, also offers special amenities and services. The reward? Female business travelers generate more than US$300 million a year for the chain.