Poe Gives Props to Preferred Pride

Hotels with a Commitment to LGBT Equality

When you travel, few things offer more comfort than a friendly home base. For lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender travelers, a welcoming place to stay is perhaps the single-most important element of planning a trip.

That’s why we’re proud of the hotels and resorts in the Preferred Pride collection who make a point of welcoming the LGBT community into an atmosphere that celebrates diversity from check-in to check-out—and beyond.

It was recently brought to our attention that the Preferred Pride collection from Preferred Hotel Group includes more than 100 luxury properties around the world—from Grandhotel Pupp in the Czech Republic to the Fleming Hotel in Hong Kong—that have proven their commitment to LGBT equality. IGLTA members or TAG-approved, these hotels go the extra mile to ensure that guests of any orientation feel at ease. That means details such as personalized “Mr. and Mr.” welcome notes for a gay couple or two pairs of women’s slippers and bathrobes for a lesbian couple. Preferred Pride understand and anticipate the needs of the LGBTQ traveler, and they take those needs seriously—and we like that.

In the past few years, many of our travel partners have gone that extra mile to ensure that LGBT guests feel comfortable. We also doff our hats to Belmond, among the early supporters of both LGBT travel and the same-sex destination wedding market. Belmond even went a step further by appointing Tom Alderink to the new position of Director of LGBT Sales—a pioneering move in the hospitality world.

Other shout outs go to: Hyatt, the first major hotel company to offer domestic partner benefits; Starwood’s W Hotels, the first hospitality brand to advertise in New York's annual Pride parade; and Kimpton, the first national hotel sponsor for The Trevor Project, a crisis and suicide prevention hotline for LGBT youth.

Such acts of inclusivity make us proud to be in the travel biz!