A woman on the move, between 25 and 45, she comes to town from Delhi or Mumbai, Chennai or Bangalore. She stays for one or two nights on short visits and up to 15 days on longish assignments. She is a professional on the fast track but she likes to be pampered with flowers. She likes exploring Calcutta’s quirks as much as she loves spending time in the spa and gym.

Single in the city is the way to be for lady business travellers as star hotels rejig floor-and-facility plans to clock high female occupancy.

At ITC The Sonar Calcutta, “the number of single lady travellers has almost doubled in the past few years”. So, there’s “a dedicated floor (of 14 rooms) with tailor-made facilities for their comfort and security managed by an all-women team”, says Ranvir Bhandari of ITC Sonar.

Actress Raveena Tandon, a loyalist of the Bypass hotel, is happy that she gets what she wants, and more. “After 26/11, I was petrified to stay alone in a hotel but the familiar smiling faces here made me feel safe, secure and comfortable.... During my visits to Calcutta, it makes so much of a difference when you’re away from home to feel like you’re not.”

At the newly renovated The Park, 25 rooms out of 149 have been specifically designed for the woman touring solo, keeping in mind that these numbers have “upped by 25-30 per cent in the past two years”, says Anirban Simlai. At Taj Bengal, where 25 of the 228 rooms are singled out for women guests, if “five years ago single ladies comprised five per cent of the guests, the count has now doubled to 10 per cent”, says K. Mohanchandran.

At The Park “ladies from travel, advertising and fashion” make the numbers, while at Taj Bengal, “women heading companies or holding senior positions are regulars, especially from the NGO sector”. At ITC Sonar, the demand for the Eva floor from “the corporate business sector” often results in “sold-out situations”, a rarity till the other day.

The needs of the single lady traveller are distinctive, from “dietary specifications” (calorie count means everything) to “feel-good factors” (teddy bear and chocolates). So, hotels offer specific services to keep her both safe and smiling. For example, to bypass the bustle of the ITC Sonar reception, she is allowed in-room check-in. To go up to the Eva floor, the room key card is swiped inside the elevator to reach the 22nd floor.

Following the safety-first policy, the women-only rooms at The Park are now closer to the elevator with extra camera surveillance and a guest is asked if she would like her calls screened. Taj Bengal has gone in for video-phones in these rooms. The single woman on the move clearly means business for star hotels in town.