Thank you,

Eva Leonard
eva@btusonline.com

Editor in Chief
Business Traveler

Our determination at Business Traveler is to engage you, our readers, by addressing your most important issues. In June, for a story in the July/August issue on discrimination in travel, we asked whether BT-e subscribers had ever experienced what they felt to be inferior or discriminatory treatment in their business travels based on their race, gender, attire, age, sexual orientation or disability.

Here is that story and some of their responses:

Demographic changes, societal shifts and an intertwined global economy mean that today’s road warriors are more diverse and multi-faceted than ever before. But how well is the travel industry responding to the needs of today’s business traveler? Regardless of corporate directives and training, do subtle or not-so-subtle forms of discrimination or inferior treatment persist at point of service?

If you want to see how far things have come in the last two decades, look no further than business travel. Today, women, minorities, gays and lesbians, and people with disabilities are in the executive suite and out on the road, and so-called Millennials, born during the 1980s and ‘90s, are entering the work force in ever-increasing numbers. With the population aging and demographers estimating that whites will become a minority in the U.S. by 2050, there¹s little doubt that the pace of change will continue to accelerate.

To succeed in this shifting market, travel companies can no longer afford to look at business travelers as a single group, and instead must work to create an environment that celebrates and respects the differences that make each of its customers unique. Organizations able to do this will find themselves with loyal customers, a highly-respected brand‹and a competitive advantage.

A Multicultural Landscape

Dr. Neal Goodwin, a consultant who develops corporate diversity and inclusion programs, says that despite a changing U.S. work force and an explosion of travelers from Latin America and Asia, companies often fall flat when it comes to cultural competency and sensitivity. “There is a clear lack of training,” he says, “and as a result, these companies are inadvertently offending customers.”

Jim Huerta, CEO of ResearchPAYS, a consulting firm, is concerned that political and economic realities could make travel more difficult for Hispanics like himself. “Look at the Arizona immigration law, the economy, and the general attitude toward illegals in this country,” he says. “It’s a perfect storm. People are angry, and there’s no reason to believe that Hispanics who are on the road for business might not be targeted or profiled.”

A dark-skinned Dominican colleague of Huerta’s believes that it’s already happening. “He finds himself being constantly selected for secondary airport security,” Huerta says. “He can’t say for sure that he is being profiled. All he knows is that time after time, he finds himself being called out.”

Kathleen Ameche, an executive who spends more than 30 percent of her time traveling, says that despite the progress made in recent years, she still sees situations where female travelers receive subpar service. She says that she is rarely offered a hotel room on a concierge floor, that her coat is almost never hung when she flies, and that when dining with female colleagues, she is often seated near the back of the restaurant. “Even my male counterparts notice it,” she says.

Ann Hanson, an executive with the Igloo Corporation, says lack of respect or consideration for women can take other forms as well. “I’ve been to hotel lobby shops that stock three kinds of shaving cream, but no feminine products,” she says. “That tells you a lot.”

It is estimated that one in five Americans is disabled in some capacity, but many travel organizations are ill-equipped to manage this reality. Jani Nayar of the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality, recounts one story about a deaf executive who slept through an important meeting because the hotel forgot to provide a vibrating clock and had no way to wake him up, and another about a guest staying at a high-end property who couldn¹t shower because his wheelchair wouldn¹t fit through the bathroom door. “There’s a lack of training around the Americans with Disabilities Act,” she says. “And when the staff at a hotel or airport doesn’t know what to do, you start to have real problems.”

Jeff Ward, a former airline executive who has worked in travel for more than 25 years, feels that the industry has become increasingly sensitive to the needs of gay and lesbian travelers, but says there is still work to be done. “I once met with a hotel manager who said that he was committed to making me feel comfortable as a gay traveler,” he says. “But then I got to my room and found a welcome note addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Ward. Little things like that send a subtle, but strong message.”

“We tend to be fantastic at word-of-mouth advertising,” says Huerta of Hispanic travelers. “The companies that realize this will find themselves ahead as the economy begins to turn around.”

Goodwin says that creating a welcoming environment for all customers requires a concerted effort and a long-term commitment. “There needs to be a champion near the top of the organization who understands the importance of diversity,” he says. “It takes more than a newsletter or a page on a website. Creating a truly inclusive experience is a lot of work.” Dave Demerjian

Up Close and Personal

In mid-June, Business Traveler e-mailed BT-e newsletter subscribers, asking if they had ever experienced what they felt to be inferior or discriminatory treatment in their business travels based on their race, gender, attire, age, sexual orientation or disability. We asked them to send us their accounts of these experiences and gave them the option of remaining anonymous if they wished.

We received an overwhelming number and range of responses, some disturbing, some heartening and many that were thought-provoking. Here are some of those accounts:

“I’m a person with a disability who travels a great deal. Until recently, I was on the road 100 to 150 days a year. Currently, my travel is around 50 to 75 days a year. I’m a traumatic brain injury survivor and have a service dog that travels with me. In the five years that we’ve been partnered, she has flown over a half a million miles with me to many places, including Jordan, Germany, Scotland, France, Canada and across the United States. In fact, she is so well-traveled that she has her own passport from the Royal College of Veterinary Medicine in Edinburgh, Scotland!

I've had amazingly positive experiences and horrifying ones. I’m a researcher in health care and disability and thus am aware of my rights and public perception, and that well-intentioned people may not understand that their behaviors are discriminatory or stigmatizing. However, I also try to very politely advocate for all people with disabilities.

I’ve had three remarkable instances of experiencing what I felt was discrimination and discussing it with the corporate or government offices. In each case I received an apology, as well as genuine promises to provide training to the personnel who were involved. The three organizations were the Sheraton/Westin chain, Northwest Airlines and the TSA.”

Beth Hudnall Stamm, PhD
Research Professor
Pocatello, Idaho

“The following incident happened a few years ago, and I do not hold the airline responsible. I have been a long-time and loyal customer on Delta Air Lines, and because of my loyalty and frequent-flier status with Delta, I am commonly offered a complimentary upgrade to first class.

On one particular flight a few years ago, I was bumped up to first class, and, while putting my bags in the overhead bin and getting settled into my seat, a flight attendant approached me and asked to see my boarding class. I was a bit surprised at this, because I was sitting in my seat at this time, so I did not look lost.

I refused to show her my boarding pass, because I had not seen anyone else being asked to do so. (The aircraft was a 767, so there were quite a few others in first class.) Finally, however, I relented and showed it to her, and she quickly shoved it back to me.

Upon reaching my destination, I reported the incident to Delta and indicated to them that I felt singled out because I am African-American. What felt especially embarrassing was that I was the only non-white person in the first-class cabin, and the only one asked to present a boarding pass. This incident still stings many years later.”

Quanti Davis
Educational Administrator
Silver Spring, Md.

“While visiting Jeddah in Saudi Arabia for a global economic conference, my colleagues and I were staying at the Hilton. Naturally, I understood that as a woman in Saudi, I would need to respect the cultural norms, wear an abaya outside of the hotel, etc. However, I expected that within the confines of the Hilton, a leading American hotel chain, I could expect to be treated as an equal to my male colleagues.

I was therefore extremely dismayed and offended to be told that the gym was off limits to women, and that, if I was interested, I could visit the bowling alley instead (but only within certain hours, when it was allocated for the use of women).

I can appreciate that some of this particular hotel’s male guests may not be comfortable working out at the same time as women, but if they could have separate “women’s hours” for the bowling alley, then why not for the gym? I discovered later, by word of mouth, that female flight attendants had run up against the same issue, and the only way they were able to get around it was to set up a couple of treadmills in one of the hotel rooms, so that they could work out, so it’s not like this was a one-off request. I contacted Hilton headquarters on my return, but was basically told that each hotel has the right to decide its own policies.

I had another experience on my way home when checking in to fly back on my own. The gentleman at the counter had no idea what to do with me—in Saudi Arabia, women are legally not allowed to travel without written permission from their husband, father or brother.

As a single American women—and shock! under 40—I obviously had none of the above, and this threw the staff into complete confusion. Eventually, a manager was called who authorized them to let me check in. In my opinion, this experience was more understandable than the one described above at the Hilton—the airport was not a U.S.-run entity, and probably had little experience with women traveling alone. I believe that the Hilton, however, could easily have done things differently and at no cost, financial or otherwise to themselves. Needless to say, this has affected my opinion of Hilton and negatively impacted my likelihood to use them in subsequent business or leisure travel.

Here is the link to the Jeddah Hilton on the official Hilton website. I had checked this website prior to travel and packed workout gear on the basis of it. Note that it does not mention any restrictions on access to the fitness facilities: www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/JEDHIHI-Jeddah-Hilton-Hotel/services.do

One other fact that might be of interest—two of the main speakers at the conference (held at the hotel) were Mary McAleese, president of Ireland and one of Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women in the World (2009) and Cherie Blair, one of the UK’s leading law figures in her own right, who specializes in human rights and discrimination (in addition to being Tony Blair’s wife). Cherie Blair’s speech there, in fact, was focused on women’s rights.

It was interesting that even while these impressive women were commanding the podium at the front of the conference, the women attendees (myself included) were required to sit in a small sub-section of the room that had been partitioned off for us, far to one side, hidden from the rest of the room behind a screen. There were several occasions where there was standing room only on the narrow women’s side, while the men had prime viewing and plenty of room to spread out.

As a woman who has been raised in a society where, in general, my sex is not a consideration, the whole trip was eye-opening.”

Arabella Pollack
Consultant
New York, N.Y.

“I have been flying almost weekly for nearly four years, and usually have been upgraded to the first-class cabin for most of these years. As a woman, I have noticed a difference in treatment, which I perceive to be due to my gender. (I fly primarily with Delta, so can only speak to its service.)

Delta first-class fliers are usually provided a full beverage service and coat/jacket hanging before and after take-off, as well as full beverage service, and snack or meal service after take-off. The service difference I have noticed is that I am sometimes overlooked for beverage service and coat hanging before take-off, while men on the same flight are not overlooked.

While it is only occasional, it has happened enough times for me to take notice and observe the dynamics involved. What I find most interesting is that when this has happened to me, the flight attendant has always been a woman—I have never been overlooked by a male flight attendant!”

Camille Weatherholt
Software Consultant
Traverse City, Mich.

“Recently my partner and I were visiting Memphis, Tenn., and we stopped overnight at a Howard Johnson in West Memphis, Ark., about eight miles from downtown Memphis. My reservation stated there were two guests, and that we needed one bed. The woman attending the front desk looked at me and at my partner (a female) and handed me one key. I asked her for a second key, and she asked, “Do you know you have only one bed in the room?” I replied, “Yes, we only need one bed, but we need two keys.” She hesitated, programmed a second key and handed it to us with a scowl.

This is the first time we’ve felt that kind of blatant animosity while we traveled. We spent five days in Memphis, but only one night in the Howard Johnson. We moved over to the Crowne Plaza in Memphis for the remainder of our trip and were treated like royalty.”

Genia Stevens
Radio Producer and Host
Beloit, Wis.

“When I have checked in at hotels with my husband (I’m also male, and yes, we were married during the short period of time it was legal in California), there have been many instances where the front desk staff see us, and see the reservation is for a single bed, and want to “correct” it for us. Once, at the Westin in Maui, the front-desk agent insisted we¹d be more comfortable in a room with double beds, instead of just quietly accepting the reservation wasn’t wrong and discreetly giving us our key. Instead, he challenged the reservation and our assertion that it was correct, making the process embarrassing and uncomfortable.

Continental, Delta and United airlines have all questioned both companion upgrades, and also membership-lounge access, where you are supposed to be allowed to bring a spouse, plus a guest, or only a guest. (But my husband somehow didn¹t count as my spouse, and two guests weren’t permitted.)”

T.T.
Small Business Owner
Los Angeles, Calif.

“I travel quite frequently both for business, alone, as well as for pleasure, with my wife. I’m a sergeant for a major metropolitan city’s airport police department. As part of my regular assignment, I am sent to training across the U.S. Having a specialty in matters relating to homeland security and counterterrorism, I receive a great deal of training related to this. This puts me in a unique position to understand the needs of our airport security and police personnel, as well as what truly is a threat posed to the traveling public.

This brings me to my other issue. I am a Middle Eastern male Muslim. Irrelevant of the fact that I was born and raised here in Los Angeles and have been a police officer for 15 years, my ethnicity and religious affiliation seem to be more important than anything else.

It seems that every time I travel via airlines, I am stopped at the security checkpoint for “random checks.” I am thoroughly familiar with airport security procedures for the U.S., and it amazes me what some TSA screeners will say is the reason I am subject to an additional search. I have been subjected to secondary pat-down searches, as well as to being sent through every new test machine the federal government seems to be trying out at any given time.

While traveling internationally, I have been asked to proceed to secondary screening. Now I know how to pack and how to ensure that there are no problems at screening. But on one trip, when I asked why I was taken to an additional search site, I was told that there was an anomalous object in my carry-on bag. I then politely informed the TSA screener that I had no carry-on bag, just a jacket, belt and personal items in a bin. This seemed to have upset and made the TSA screener even more suspicious. Not only did they do the pat-down search, they also sent me through the new GE explosives sniffer machine.

Although I agreed to go through everything for the sake of making my flight, it is laughable to hear what kind of excuses the TSA will make to have the traveling public think something is justified.”

Anonymous

“A few years back, I took my first trip to Buenos Aires with a friend. Although the trip was primarily a vacation, I was there on a little bit of business and staying at an upscale hotel as a result. We generally dressed appropriately during our two-night stint there: nice jeans and tees, comfortable cotton dresses—typical sight-seeing apparel that wouldn’t draw too much attention.

It surprised me, then, when I quickly realized that it didn’t matter how we were dressed: Two women in their mid-20s were clearly considered suspicious characters. Each time we came back to the hotel, a staff member would stop us at the elevator before allowing us to go to our room. We would invariably receive the third degree, asking which room we were staying in, whose name the reservation was made under, and to show our room key.

It was infuriating and insulting, not to mention embarrassing to receive this kind of treatment in a large convention-center hotel, especially when middle-aged men would step aboard elevators during this interrogation, without anyone batting an eye at them.

Additionally, when I took a brief, self-guided tour of the hotel one afternoon, a staff member trailed me and gave me dirty looks the entire time. I was truly dumbfounded by how little he tried to mask his opinion of me.

I was genuinely shocked, seeing as this was a prominent U.S.-based hotel group. I understand that in some parts of the world, women travelers don¹t enjoy the same freedom that men often get, but I didn¹t expect to encounter this in such a cosmopolitan city as Buenos Aires.

What made it worse, though, is that this attitude seemed to be really cultivated at this hotel, and not necessarily the city itself. I stayed at another property on the very same trip and felt welcome and comfortable the entire time. I¹ve since returned to the city and had similarly pleasant experiences at the hotels I stayed at, which just makes me all the more upset that this particular hotel treated two young women in such a way, strictly, it seemed, based on age and gender.”

A.M.
Journalist
New York, N.Y.

“I was traveling with two male colleagues to Dar es Salaam several years ago. When we checked into the hotel, my colleagues received rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the garden. My room had one normal-sized window looking out into the corridor. “OK,” I thought, “this is a Muslim country.” Perhaps women are not treated as well as we might be in the U.S.

When we returned to the hotel after our day at the office, we discovered that the air conditioning was only turned on between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. My colleagues’ rooms had been heated all day by the sun and were unbearably hot. Indeed, it took hours before the air conditioning cooled their rooms enough for them to sleep. My room, however, was a relatively pleasant 80 degrees or so and cooled off quickly with the air conditioning. So the question is: Who was discriminated against?”

Alison Fields
Retired Computer Manager
Washington, D.C.

“An Indian fellow student and I were in Thailand in a restaurant waiting to be seated. The manager asked us, Indian?” I replied that, yes, my friend was Indian and asked what was so interesting about it. He told us to wait, and I found myself in an apartheid-like situation that required all Indians to sit in one section of the restaurant. I discovered that Indians are often forced to sit and work in separate areas in Thailand, and that there is very news little coverage of this. I have never felt so insulted.

Many of my Asian friends have experienced the same type of treatment in Moscow and many places in Russia, due to the fact that many poor Asians come from the eastern part of the former Soviet republics.

During a trip to Rome, when I ordered the higher-priced items at a restaurant, the manager expressed shock that I could afford them. She asked me where I was from, and her Chinese assistant told her that I was from Taiwan, and the attitude went from a horrible frown to extremely happy.”

J. Wang

“There is a subtle form of “discrimination” (if you can even call it that) that is probably eluding many people’s radar. Those of us frequent business travelers that are short (I’m 4 feet 11 inches tall) are disadvantaged in that, pretty much any flight and or hotel accommodation assumes that the passenger/guest is an adult or is accompanied by an adult who are at least 5 feet 4 inches. (The vast majority of my business travels are international.)

While I don¹t believe that people are consciously discriminating against short people, or even think that they are treating us differently, the fact is that there are many situations in which short people are not always accounted for. Where I tend to feel this the most is on flights—reaching the overhead bins is always a challenge, and I usually have to climb the seats to get my things out of the bins.

I was once told long time ago by a flight attendant that it was the airline’s policy not to assist with heavier items overhead. I understand the concern for injuries, etc., but what I need help with isn’t the weight—I can lift pretty heavy things—but rather the height.

Often there are kind passengers who see that I have to resort to unusual measures (such as climbing and balancing myself on the armrests) in order to retrieve my belongings, and I understand that there are not that many short people in the frequent-business-traveler category. I also understand that this is not intentional, nor do I feel that it is anyone's fault. On the other hand, to me this is at the least inconvenient, at the worst an injury waiting to happen! I can help myself—all I need is a means with which to help myself.

Sometimes the counters are high enough that I have to stand on my toes to write comfortably, but I can deal with that. Also, being short often means being less likely to be seen or noticed, and I find myself often having to go out of my way to make it known that I need assistance.”

M.W.
Senior Director, Consulting/Support
Atlanta, Ga.

“I am a Delta Diamond member and travel mostly in first class. Quite often, businessmen have jumped in front of me, pushed me aside and tried to take over my seat. Some businessmen have sat in my assigned seat and refused to move when I've asked them, so I¹ve had to call the flight attendant.

One businessman even told me how lucky I was that my husband had so many miles that I could fly first class. I informed him that the miles were mine, and that my husband was lucky to have a wife that could give him miles to fly for free. This man wasn¹t even a Diamond member: only Gold! I have spoken to other Medallion and Elite women who say they have had similar experiences.

The same has happened to me in airline lounges. When I've been waiting for a drink, businessmen have often cut in front and ordered. It is almost as if we women are invisible!

Somebody should inform them that there are a lot of businesswomen out there who do as well, or better, than men.”

Lai Ubberud
Author and Lecturer
Houston, Texas

“I’m a Delta Diamond and million-miler, with over 1.25 million air miles. Also, I’m African-American, and I must say that I have experienced no conduct that I would consider to be racially-based in decades.

Now, there is a great deal of difference between carriers in terms of quality of service, which is directly related to the quality of training and the experience of the staff. Regional carriers in particular appear to have younger and less-trained employees, from the ticket counter to the boarding door.

But it is not because of my race. My complexion is rather light, and I’m often mistaken as being an Arab or Egyptian, which means I get a little extra scrutiny when I get on aircraft. Yet, it has never been excessively intrusive.

Frankly, I think the traveling world has gone a long way to eliminate race and national origin as a factor in treatment at airports. What has also changed the treatment has been the diversity of the airline work force. In cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Washington and New York, I believe that the employees of the airlines are very diverse because the population is too.”

WILBUR O. COLOM
Columbus, Miss.

“My 78-year-old mother and I, 46, went to Air Canada’s London Heathrow business-class check-in counter for our Montréal flight. While one agent was busy checking in a passenger, a second one was available. When I smiled and made eye contact, he just gave me a blank stare. After wondering for some time why he didn’t tell us to approach his counter, he started to address me by saying, “This is business class...” I replied, “Yes, I know.”

Then I wondered what the reason(s) was (were) for him to insult us: our attire, age (senior) in combination with gender (female), disability (my mother walks with a cane), race (Asian), or another reason?

Though not in business attire, I am a corporate professional (by the way, with a McGill MBA). We were casually, but nicely dressed, as we’ve lived in Europe for 25 years, where it does matter how you’re dressed to get good customer service, and we definitely know how to dress for business-class lounges and aircraft sections. Besides, we had just come off a six-flight trip, all in business class, on three different international carriers.

While checking in, I asked him two questions—one about my seat—both of which he ignored. He returned our passports by slamming them face down on the counter.

I decided to confront him on his totally unacceptable behavior by asking him if there was anything else he wanted to throw at me. There was no reaction on his part.

I didn’t utter another word to him. When we were done, I was so upset that I asked another employee for the supervisor. I explained the situation to her and told her this was a very bad start to a long journey (London-Montréal-Toronto). She apologized sincerely and told me that the agent “normally works at the economy-class counter.” She also took him off duty.

It makes me wonder what kind of training he received, if any, and how management approved him to handle C-class passengers.”

Anonymous

“In August 2001, I began working on the biography of Clay Mathile, former chairman and CEO of the Iams Company. Mathile had sold the company to Procter & Gamble for $2.3 billion, one of the largest cash-only deals in corporate American history.

About six weeks after 9/11, I began flying regularly from my home in Atlanta to Ohio to conduct more than 100 interviews for the biography. Mathile’s travel department either booked me on Delta or AirTran, but I noticed that on almost every trip, I was being flagged for the super search. His travel department tried switching me to first class.

Over the course of 28 round trips, I was pulled for the super search 26 times. I noted that I was usually the only woman in first class, and the only person searched. I stopped flying AirTran, because it appeared especially bad with that airline. On more than one occasion, I discussed it with airline personnel, who told me that it was “random.”

Finally, on the 26th search, when I shed a few tears in frustration, a flight attendant asked if she could help. She explained that FAA rules required that they search “one person from first class” on each flight. I told her, “If I were you, I'd be really angry that the TSA is wasting its one shot to find a terrorist on a 5-foot-4 woman who has never been to the Middle East.” I could only conclude that each time I was “selected” because I’m a woman, and they assumed I’d complain less than male passengers.

Mathile’s security people tried contacting the TSA, but to no avail. Finally, when his travel department added “Mrs.” when booking my flights, I got “selected” a bit less.”

Echo Montgomery Garrett
Author/Writer
Marietta, Ga.

“I was once traveling in L.A., and when I got to the hotel with a male colleague, he was offered a room upgrade. He was thrilled and, of course, I said, “How fabulous for you!” Later he mentioned he was so very surprised to get an upgrade, given that he did not have any loyalty points with that particular chain. Yet I did, and I was not offered one! I could not help but wonder if it was gender-related.

Also, there have been a couple of instances when traveling with male colleagues that I have been assumed to be the “assistant” by hotel and car-rental personnel. I guess in their eyes, it still is a man’s world.”

Faith Zuckerman
President, Codfish Entertainment
New York, N.Y.

“I am taking a business trip to Europe in the summer (with the family) and wanted to sail home on the Queen Mary II, so the kids would have the experience of a trans-Atlantic crossing. I received a response that there were too many children on the ship already, and they were refusing our booking. I could not—and still cannot—believe it. Had it been too many Jews, too many blacks, too many Arabs, too many gays, there would have been an uproar. But it seems that discrimination against children is rampant. “

Geoffrey Weill
President, Geoffrey Weill & Associates
New York, N.Y.

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