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July 5, 2008 6:44:58 PM CDT

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Women-Only Saudi Hotel Raises Debate on Progress

Posted May 15, 08 4:49 PM CDT in World    Most Covered

(Newser) – Saudi businesswomen are embracing a hotel for women-only that frees them of the pressures from a society in which they can't drive and, until January, couldn't check into a hotel without permission from a male guardian. But others are concerned the Luthan Hotel & Spa simply reinforces the kingdom's gender segregation. The Christian Science Monitor profiles the hotel and the controversy.

A female executive at Luthan calls it part of a global trend that caters to women travelers looking for men-free sanctuaries. But not everyone buys it. "It's not good because maybe some people will try to make other hotels to keep ladies separate from the men," says a professor at King Saud University. "Always they will keep men and women separate."

Source Christian Science Monitor

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Until January, women traveling solo couldn't check into hotels, including the pictured Intercon in Riyadh, without written permission from a male guardian.   (Magnum Photos)
Saudi women visit the Saudi Travel and Tourism Investment Market in this file photo. Businesswomen say traveling in the male-dominated society can be a hassle.   (Getty Images)
Saudi women attend the Jeddah Economic Forum in the Red Sea port in this file photo. An emerging class of businesswomen has prompted the nation's first female-only hotel.   (Getty Images)
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