AS YOU step out of the lift on the sixth level of Naumi Hotel and walk along the corridor, the sign on the frosted glass door ahead reads 'Naumi says... ladies only'.

Past that door, it is women-only 24/7. The boutique hotel in Seah Street is probably the only one in Singapore to have introduced an all-women floor.

And the rooms say it all: Grey floral wallpaper, patterned cushions and toiletries catered for female guests such as aromatherapy products, make-up removers and facial toners and cleansers.

There are only five such rooms at this chic 40-room hotel, which opened in Seah Street last September.

The 10-storey hotel stands on the site of the former Metropole Hotel that The Hind Group - which has food and beverage business in Singapore and Malaysia, and serviced apartments in Hong Kong - bought for $18 million in 2006. The hotel was retrofitted at a cost of $10 million.

A Naumi spokesman says: 'These days, there are more women travellers around the region who are here on business, leisure or medical trips. There are also those who enjoy travelling in groups on holidays.

'The idea of staying on an all-women floor appeals to them as there is privacy and security.'

The average monthly occupancy for these rooms is 70 to 80 per cent, and the bulk of the guests are corporate and leisure travellers from Hong Kong, Australia, Europe, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and India.

The rooms on the women-only floor cost the same as the other rooms and the published rates range between $420 and $600 a night.

COSY FEELING: Naumi Hotel could be the first in Singapore to introduce an all-women floor. The rooms are decorated with grey floral wallpaper and patterned cushions.

While it is common for budget lodgings such as Hangout @ Mount Emily to have five- to six-bedder dorms for women, a check with more than 10 hotels in Singapore, such as the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, Hilton Singapore and Pan Pacific Singapore, shows that they do not have designated women's rooms or a floor similar to Naumi's.

Hoteliers say the trend has not caught on here because there is little demand. But some hotels such as Orchard Hotel pamper female guests with complimentary amenities such as emery boards, nail polish removers, loofahs, essential oils and fashion magazines.

In other parts of the world, there is a slew of options for the growing number of women travellers. The travel-quest website (www.travel-quest.co.uk) lists 20 women-only hotels, including bed-and-breakfast options, such as Berlin's Artemisia, Zurich's Lady's First and Luthan hotel and spa in Saudi Arabia which costs ?120 (S$324) a night.

The Fleming Hotel in Hong Kong became one of the first in the city to have a dedicated women's floor last year.

The Hind Group also has plans to expand Naumi to Hong Kong, Australia, India, Thailand and Vietnam. These may come with a women's floor, too.

The concept is welcomed by German expatriate Anne Walkedech, a 31-year-old writer, who stayed in a women's room at Naumi for 40 days early this year while she was looking for an apartment to rent.

She says: 'I feel special staying in there because it is something specially designed for women.

'The first thing I noticed was the floral wallpaper in the room. The interior is modern and not too feminine. I liked the privacy that came with it.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Apr 22, 2008.