Strictly male weekends, or ‘stag’ parties, have been widely popular for many years now. Men simply seem to be in dire need to spend time on their own, with their male buddies, and most importantly without the reality of their daily life. Women have been slightly slower in pursuing the same. However, finally, the time of their ‘awakening’ is here. The demand for women-only weekend packages, trips and cultural activities has increased considerably.
There is now a wide variety of services which fully target the female audience. Women are very similar in their demands to men – they wish to forget the kids, their jobs, their daily household chores. They dream about doing something great for themselves. Weekends at spa resorts and luxurious hotels may sound appealing. However the newest trend takes the male-female division to another level.
A brand new, de luxe hotel has recently opened in Saudi Arabian Riyadh and it is available to women only. Not only the male guests are completely out of the question; there are no male employees either. Such environment may seem like a haven of peace and quiet for women, yet in fact, the reasons for its opening convey a very different attitude. It was the forced segregation related to local religious views that inspired the grand opening of the new hotel. Local women appreciate this as now they are actually able to check-in without any father’s approval letter or male companion.
One may wonder if this should be considered a welcome accomplishment or a step backward. Even though women love the idea of a hotel of their own (or at least a hotel-floor reserved for ladies only), many criticize this particular case. For years, there have been hotels and hostels which reserved separate space for women. However, the division was always voluntary, even desired. There is not much charm in a hotel concept that supports complete segregation of men and women.
