We don’t give much cred to press releases touting survey results that benefits the very business releasing the data, but this one, from PinkChoice.com, caught our eye: “71% of Gay Travelers Prefer to Stay in Gay Owned and Operated Hotels.” Really?
First, there’s a difference between “prefer” and “actually stay at,” so what’s being reported here — from a survey of some 500 folks — is that 71 percent of gay people who travel have grand plans to support their own community, but that doesn’t mean they do. Also, that means 29 percent of gays don’t prefer to stay in gay O&O hotels? Does that make them self-hating? Or just more pleased with the cookie cutter experience they receive at a Starwood property? And when they hear the words “gay-owned,” are they thinking of clothing optional resorts like Pineapple Point?
Maybe that question can be answered by this other survey detail: 50 percent “indicated they weren’t bothered one way or the other” if the hotel was gay-owned. Wait. 50 percent + 71 percent = more than 100 percent. What are we missing here?
But the most important overriding factor in gay travelers choosing where to stay? Price, duh. Island House Key West might sound like a great idea, but if Red Roof is offering the second night free, well, there ya go.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
In the meantime, should we really believe what PinkChoice.com has to tell us, when it’s also reporting Dubai — where homosexuality is illegal and gay persons are being criminally prosecuted and imprisoned — is the No. 1 gay and lesbian travel destination?
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
Just change the sheets before you go to bed! And Lysol the bathroom yourself!
Republican
@dontblamemeivotedforhillary:
WTF?
Tami
Dubai? Why would any gay traveller be willing to go to a country where it is illegal to be gay?
RomanHans
I’d rather stay at a gay hotel, just because even supposed high-class non-gay hotels have idiots working there.
I was checking into the Hilton in Chicago with my boyfriend, and the clerk noticed I’d reserved a room with king-sized bed. “I’ll find you a room with two beds,” she said.
I straightened her out, and needless to say she was apologetic. But personally I like checking into hotels without having to explain to people that guys do occasionally get it on.
Republican
@RomanHans:
I had exactly the opposite experience once. When I was a teen, I used to go on trips with my uncle several times a year. Anyway, one time when we got to the hotel, an obviously gay clerk checked us in. After looking at the list, he said, “Oh, this has you down for two beds. I think we have a room with one king available.” We politely explained that we were uncle and nephew. The guy was so embarrassed. Still cracks me up to this day.
And Donthateme’s comment still pisses me off. Grr.
Republican
@Republican:
Donthateme should be Dontblameme
GuyDads
When possible we stay at gay owned Bed-and-Breakfast or boutique hotels/inns. They are usually a good value; the staff are very friendly and the rooms are clean.
No
I see stereotypes are still alive and well within the gay community as well as outside.
Someone being gay doesn’t mean their hotel is run any better than a straight person, nor does someone being straight mean their hotel is poorly run.
RomanHans
Actually, in terms of attitude, one of the worst hotels I’ve ever stayed at was a gay one: the Beaconlight in Provincetown. I reserved the least-expensive room, and when I complained about it on my blog — http://worldclassstupid.blogspot.com/2007/08/warn-me-out.html — one of the owners actually added this comment:
“thanks so much. maybe if you PAID for a decent room you would get one . . . . . ”
Left me utterly speechless. Apparently they only offer inexpensive rooms to punish people for being cheap.
$0.02
Honestly I’d rather spend my money and support a gay business, so yes if it were gay owned, it would automatically go to the top of my list.
Richard
I tend to stay at explicitly gay-friendly hotels when I can; the “gay-owned” criteria is nice but not really a requirement. There are plenty of gay-friendly places that are run by straight individuals, and (likely) plenty of “regular” hotels run by gay ones. I think the environs and attitude of the hotel or resort as a whole more accurately reflect what I’m after than with whom the owner happens to sleep.
AlwaysGay
I go to gay owned and operated hotels. They are friendly, peaceful and open-minded. I avoid places that attracts a lot of heterosexuals because of the violence, verbal abuse, property damage, and noise pollution they create.
Lukas P.
Gay Savannah:
True story: My “best man” — a.k.a. my man — and I took a last-minute trip to Savannah, GA. We booked, online, a B&B room in a guest-house in the historic district for four days even though the proprieters were Mr and Mrs So-and-So. The only option was a “queen bed,” which we agreed to when clicking on the RESERVATION button. We showed up, checked in without incident, settled into our room and set up the “en suite” breakfast for 9 a.m. the next morning.
Ms. Savannah showed up with the breakfast at the appointed time, and was completely non-plussed that we were wearing grunderwear –no shirts, — with a vase of flowers Her exact quote? “We bring flowers only to couples and I hope y’all will enjoy them.”!
Turned out she has a gay brother, plus a M.A. in history from an Ivy league, gives walking tours and directed us to excellent restaurants.
Moral? Well, it wasn’t gay, but gay friendly, and my assumptions of the heterogeneity of the “deep South” were cast asunder.
Lesson learned.
Fitz
I don’t usually worry about it. I experience very little overt homophobia. The only negative travel experience I have ever had, as a matter of fact, was about 15 years ago when we did an Atlantis Tour (which at the time was not on a boat, but at a club med). Worst situation of my gay life… but I travel all over the world with my partner. 2 respectful, older gay men who treat the staff respectfully are almost always treated well.
stryker
re: the dubai thing
homosexuality is very pervasive in middle eastern culture. You should see all the Indian men holding hands while walking or the Pakistanis lounging in parks practically in an embrace. its the cultural norm. like in most cases it’s the religious thing that is the problem. Dubai is freer than most. So long as you do your business in the privacy of your hotel rooms there won’t be any problem.
Personally, I can’t count the number of times I’ve been hit on there. Was too afraid to accept any offers though.
Sam
My problem with the few I’ve tried in Palm Springs and Las Vegas is that they are basically bathhouses. I really don’t want to walk by a room with the drapes open and see some guy jacking off (well, not ALWAYS).
trevorp
I’m one of the co-founders of Pink Choice, so I’d like to explain how Dubai came to head our list of gay destinations, ludicrous as it sounds. If a site user wishes to post a hotel review on the site, they can do so, and if it is in a destination that is not already listed, we will add that destination to the site. This is what happened some time ago when one of our members posted a review about a hotel in Dubai.
Our list of top gay destinations which shows on our home page is dynamic and is based on the traffic to individual destination pages over the previous 31 days. Like it or not, in the past month there were more people looking for gay accommodation in Dubai, than any other destination that we list.
MB
Hons, don’t go to Dubai. If you want a hint of the exotic try Arkansas or Wyoming.
Bryan
The guy on the left looks REALLY scary.
michael
I am working on a study about what gay hotel guests want, and my results agree with you. We looked at 53 features related to a hotel stay that the literature suggested were important in motivating gay guests to choose a particular hotel over another. According to my study, the fact that a hotel is gay owned is statistically insignificant in hotel choice for the participants of my study, as were many of the factors suggested as being important in previous studies. Staff sensitivity and some factors not directly related to being gay, on the other hand, were found to be important in influencing hotel choice for gay guests.