So what if you’re single? A teddy bear to keep you company, a bottle of wine to keep you in good spirits and a manicure set to keep you pretty is what you can expect at the end of a long day, hard at work, away from home.

The hospitality industry is gearing up for a surge in the number of women business travellers. And all these frills — cuddly toy and all — are a part of the package ITC Sonar Bangla has devised to make sure its more feminine guests feel not only at home, but safe as well.

Frills aside, security issues are priority. Lone ladies are met at the airport, even if they have transportation of their own. If they are booked into a room at ITC One (the high-end rooms), they are greeted by a designated woman valet at the lobby, who attends to them throughout the stay.

Regardless of which block they are residing in, they are whisked away to their room when they check in, bypassing the bustle of the reception area.

At no point does a man enter the room, right down to the room-service staff.

But it is the small things that the women get which are most appreciated. Softening the all-male aura of the ITC One block — it’s all browns and beiges, wood and stone — are the small teddy bear and orchids placed on the bed.

"Of all amenities, the teddy bear has been the most popular fellow," smiles Ranvir Bhandari, general manager, ITC Sonar Bangla.

They are welcomed with a bottle of wine and a platter of chocolates. An iron and ironing board, usually available on request for other guests, is kept ready for her. Her magazines are different as well.

‘Toiletries you forgot’ is the extra bathroom kit, with a complete manicure set and special beauty products to help visitors stay perfectly groomed at all times. "Our emergency kit for those who lose their luggage in transit includes everything from undergarments to night clothes, make-up and a pair of slippers," says a member of the housekeeping staff.

While the minibar at ITC One stocks all beverages, at the Sheraton Towers and Executive Club block, bottles of vodka, more popular with women than whisky, are added to the selection of alcohol.

Taj Bengal also has a number of provisions for its women guests, like the recent installation of video cameras at the doors of 10 rooms, to help residents screen visitors.

"These rooms are usually offered to single ladies," explains Sanjay Sethi, general manager. With open corridors on all floors, security is not an issue, he adds. A female executive is on call 24 hours.

Both hotels have call-screen facilities and provide rooms close to the lift ("to avoid that long walk past many doors," says Bhandari).

But they have to carefully walk the line between sensitivity and pampering. "The staff is trained to be sensitive to a woman’s needs… But we also do not want to make them feel less than equal," stresses Sethi.

At Sonar Bangla, some rooms in the Sheraton Towers were modified — with a few splashes of feminine colours — meant mainly for women. "But one of our guests specifically said that she preferred the room she had stayed in before," recalls Bhandari, who is trying to keep one floor aside in the Towers for single female guests.

"We want to be able to offer them a choice," he adds. Some of these are central company guidelines, while others are local innovations.

A centralised guest history software tracks customers staying at ITC hotels through the country. Small details — like "where a guest likes her toiletries kept" — are also fed in. Most of this is done without the guest even noticing.