Girlfriend Getaways Are A Growing Business

Looking for time to bond with their friends and release the stress of work and family, more women are booking trips with each other for a weekend, a week and longer, agents tell Travel Market Report.

DuVine Cycling + Adventure Co. reports that the number of women booking bicycle tours has grown by more than 35% over the past three years. “There has been a big uptick in the number of ‘girls getaway’ cycling trips,” said sales and marketing vice president Deena Giancotti. “Some women enjoy the more challenging cycling experiences, where there is bonding around accomplishing something difficult together. Others have chosen to enjoy time relaxing in beautiful hotels, drinking wine, spas.”

Tammy Parsons Peterson, founder of Retreats Unlimited, reports that the girlfriend getaway market has been growing the past few years as more women feel the need and the freedom to splurge on themselves. “I think women are finally having the conversation as mothers, partners, that self-care with people you are close with, can help you physically feel better, avoid getting sick, refresh yourself,” she said. “When you vacation as a mom or spouse, you won’t necessarily get the chance to talk about your troubles and care for you the way you can with your girlfriends.”

The Archer Hotel Austin in Austin, TX, is tapping into this need. This summer it launched the Archer Austin’s Girlfriend Getaways: By Ages and Stages program, offering itineraries for women to “reconnect with your tribe and embrace controlled spontaneity.”

Archer Austin owner and developer LodgeWorks noticed social media posts from women who were booking getaways at the hotel on their own. Marketing and sales also met with some of the guests personally to understand what they were looking for. “We wanted to create a personalized and memorable experience that spoke to traveling women based on the ages and stages of their group,” said senior vice president of brands and marketing Cheryl Gilliam.

For example, the hotel’s “Thirties Itinerary” recommends guests start their day with $2 mimosas and bellinis on the patio at Taverna restaurant, shopping at the bohemian Plant Blue boutique, and winding down in the evening at the indoor, outdoor and rooftop bars at The Dogwood.

The Archer Austin’s girlfriend getaways can be booked in the GDS and are commissionable. “We hope it’s a great option for travel planners and their gal pal clients to book the perfect customized getaway,” Gilliam said.

With two months of bookings and inquiries, LodgeWorks plans to expand the concept to its New York and Napa, CA, properties. (Napa is set to open this fall.)

Agents should target client milestones and business owners
Millennial women are especially good for girls getaways, because of the stress they face in balancing work and home. “It’s like a contest for younger women who work,” Parsons Peterson said. “You’ll overhear a conversation, and they’re competing with each other. ‘I’m busy. No I’m busier.’ “

Parsons recently hosted a meditation retreat attended by two female business owners and a female doctor. “One of the business owners had recently been hospitalized due to stress,” she said.

Indeed, women in their 30s and 40s have demonstrated the most interest so far, Gilliam said.

Travel agents also should look for moms who are experiencing milestones in their lives. For example, DuVine sees more women booking trips around special occasions, like a birthday with a zero in it, or celebrating after sending their last child off to college.

“We see a lot of mothers with daughters in college or high school,” Giancotti said. “And we also see mothers, and even grandmothers who are older, with their adult children. We had a woman in her mid 70’s who recently took her two daughters in their 50’s on an adventure cycling trip.”

Agents might also consider marketing with summer sleep away camps, Parsons Peterson said, when moms have time to get away without the kids.