Now that all the big name hotel chains are fighting over the pink dollar, it's time to re-examine what really makes a gay-friendly hotel. Attention hoteliers: Here are new benchmarks from the editors at ManAboutWorld Magazine.
Have you stayed in a hotel that makes the grade? Tell us about it in the comments!
1. Electricity
Not just the vibe at the bar, but the number of accessible outlets in the room. You've seen the research. We're early tech adopters, and our stylish satchels are filled with Bluetooth-enabled devices that need charging. We may be quite adept at getting down on our knees, but don't make us do it looking for an outlet.
2. Lighting
Just one criteria here: Dimmers. Low lighting is sexy, romantic and makes everyone look better... especially those of us on the north side of 25. Even CFL bulbs are dimmable now, so don't pull the environment card on us. They're more expensive. We're worth it.
3. The Deep Clean
Your rooms? Obviously. But I'm talking about that internal cleaning we perform in preparation for butt sex. (In case it got lost in that sanitized-for-the-Fortune 500 marketing survey you bought: butt sex is one of the defining activities of the gays, after the gym, but well before brunch or shopping.) Give us a hand-held shower we can connect a douche nozzle to. Or at least a showerhead we can hang a Streem Master on. That ceiling-mounted rainforest showerhead is chic, but if we have to call the Whatever/Whenever desk for a six pack of enema bottles, it's not cute.
4. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Speaking of sex, we often like to watch and film ourselves having it. Give us a strategically placed mirror -- facing the bed please, not the closet we came out of a long time ago.
5. Equal Access Porn
Don't try to appease us with a few generic gay and bi titles on demand. Just give us an easy way to connect our computer/iPad/camcorder to the TV screen, and enough bandwidth to stream TimTales. Is that too much to ask?
6. Do Unto Others
There was a time when your float in New York's gay pride parade meant something. Now it feels like pandering. If you want to appeal to our sense of social justice, we want to see your rainbow flag fly in places where our gay brothers and sisters face intolerance, injustice and violence, like Jamaica, Uganda and Russia. That will impress us.
Finding gay-friendly hotels around the world is just one part of the savvy, opinionated, inspired and gay travel information you'll find in every issue of ManAboutWorld Magazine. Download the January/February South Florida issue for free or get a free trial subscription on the AppStore.