Did i read it wrong or was LBloom saying she didn't want to be taken for a gay couple because she was with her daughter? My son and I would also say "ick" if someone mistook us for a hetero couple...

Songdoc, nice post. By the way, the one time I specifically remember being told there was no way they could rent a room with one bed to two men was actually in Salt Lake City. It was a very fancy hotel right across from the Temple, and I learned that the hotel was owned by the "head of the Morman church" -- so maybe that helps clarify it.

And funny you mention Australia. Traveling through South Australia, we did get one of those "oh there must have been a mistake as we reserved a king room" comments. We quickly told them that's what we preferred and I assumed they knew what we meant, but when we got to the room, it was indeed a twin bedded room. We let it go and decided not to make an issue.

My son and I would also say "ick" if someone mistook us for a hetero couple...
__________________________________________________ _______


AtlTravelr: Why would either of you give a rat's a** what strangers (or anyone, for that matter) thought of you?? The idea that anyone would be concerned about random opinions makes me feel 'ick'.

I had that experience once: "Oh I didn't realize the booking was for two men. I'll get a twin-bedded room ready."

It was at the Chateau de Boussac and we were (paying) guests of the Marquis and Marquise de Longueil.

The poor Marquise ran off to make up the room herself. I longed to say "It's OK, it's cool" but I didn't want to discombobulate her further. They were lovely people BTW: I think they just assumed we were straight.

I did have an odd and unsavoury experience once, in Normandy. The English host in this B&B was faultlessly correct with us. But while he was serving breakfast, I heard him discussing us (in French) with an employee: "Naturally, they're homosexuals. Now, that's nothing to me but... well, you know. I didn't realize, until they drove up, that..."

He KNEW we were within earshot and he KNEW I spoke fluent French. A weird passive-aggressive gesture.

Running into overt bigotry is always unpleasant - no matter the type of bigotry and no matter if you do or don;t belong to the group being discriminated against. (If a hotel insisted an interracial couple take a room with separate beds you would probably get headlines in the paper and a big fat lawsuit.) But, sadly, some people still feel that there are groups they can malign.

I can understand some people preferring to stay at a lodging where they know they will be welcome.

I am hetero female and I stayed for 9 nights at a nice hotel that caters to gay men in Boston recently. The Chandler Inn. It had really awesome rates of just under $100 a night in January and is right btwn. Back Bay and the South End, perfect location for walking, eating, shopping, etc. And big plus for me is that it is next to the Boston Animal Rescue league so I go to go in and see the animals a few times.

The hotel has a gay bar attached to the lobby. I went in to get a glass of vino to take up to the rom the first night, not intending to stick around. I started talking to a guy at the bar, and he bought me a 2nd glass of vino.

If the place is a nice hotel and has good rates and location, who cares what else. I can't imagine avoiding a gay-friendly hotel. I wonder if any gay-friendly hotels do not let heteros stay? Anyone heard of that?

Songdoc, LOL about the naked man at breakfast. That would bother me whether it was a man or a woman, I am just not into public nudity and certainly not at breakfast. You kind of think they'd mention that on their guesthouse website, "Enjoy a lovely homemade (bare a**) breakfast" or something similar.

Sausage for breakfast?

""Enjoy a lovely homemade (bare a**) breakfast" or something similar."

I was careful not to order an assparagus omelet -- or any hot cross buns. hehehe.

On supposedly gay friendly Sanibel Island an innkeeper withdrew her enthusiastic offer to show me a room when my ( also female partner) arrived. i was really stunned. Since then we have been more cautious about small hotels.

It's a big world and it takes all kind to make it go around. Not everyone has the same views or tolerance. iIm OK with that fact and barring physical harm I've always just let go the behavior of the occasional innkeeper. My partner and I have travelled around the world and the only two awkward moments we have had are in our favorite country; France. Once we were offered an upgrade to a two bedroom suite at no extra charge. The no extra charge part was because I explained we were school teachers on holiday and had a tight budget.... my partner almost wet himself. The second time an older woman insisted on two rooms at opposite ends of the hall in the near empty Inn (again no charge it was a "misunderstanding in how she understood the reservation"...her words). Her 20 something daughter checked us into our rooms, handed me my key and a second key to my partners room...LOL

POMAH: If you're not gay, you probably don't know what "gay UNfriendly" feels like.

Most of us choose to go only where we're welcome. We certainly want to know before we walk into a place whether we'll feel comfortable there ...or not.

In NYC, one can probably assume there will be no problem. Elsewhere, it's not sthg you can take for granted.

I won't comment on your hostile tone, except to say that it's rather puzzling.

tedgale, it looks like the editors thought the tone was hostile too! I didn't read that thread, but it's not unusual for homophobes to rant that homosexuals are not discriminated against. How would they know? Oh, because they themselves discriminate against homosexuals?

Do gay friendly hotels have better food? Might consider them next time if so. :)

I see my post was removed. Fine.
Oh, and now I see I am being called a "homophobe". Ok, awesome.
I did raise valid points, first being define "gay friendly" hotel, 2nd, do non-gays have a right to stay in a gay hotel. 3rd, how does one go about proving one is gay in order to get into a gay hotel, when registering say thru a website?

You register though a peephole. :)

And there's a secret handshake.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

POMAH: I didn't see your post, but I'll assume you ask out of ignorance, and not trying to be a smart-alec.

1) A gay-friendly hotel: (1) the front desk staff does not refuse to register a same-sex couple into the same room, or into a room with only one bed; (2) the hotel staff does not make hostile or snide remarks when checking such a couple in, or when providing normal hotel services. Instead they treat the couple as they would a heterosexual couple -- professionally and courteously. Even if that couple is holding hands.

2) Some hotels target their advertising to gay clients, but they will register anyone who wants to stay there. I (part of a heterosexual couple) have stayed in such a hotel, and nothing remarkable happened. The food was ok.

3) I doubt that a hotel that requires ``proof of gayness'' of its guests could survive. And yes, this question has a whiff of deliberate obtuseness and hostility about it: if you meant it as a joke it apparently wasn't received that way.

Pomah, who called you a homophobe -- or was that post removed as well? I mentioned homophobes, but it had no reference to you or your post, since I never even had the opportunity to read it, nor did I even know that it might have anything to do with claiming gays aren't discriminated against. Did it? If you saw yourself in my post, then it's your call, not mine!

But now that I see your most recent post, I see you apparently haven't even read all the posts above. I have never heard of a gay-friendly or even a "gay" hotel (whatever that is) denying a non-gay person the right to stay there. Nor have I ever heard of any establishment including "gay" bars to prove that anyone must be gay to get in. Where did such ideas come from? The fact is that you will usually find places catering to mostly gays far more open minded than those who specifically try to reject gays. While no one has called you a homophobe, your knowledge or understanding of how the gay world works is at best non-existent. Perhaps that's the way you'd like to keep it.

And you asked someone to define "gay friendly" hotel, OK I'll do that. It's a hotel that is friendly to gays. Is that such a hard concept to understand? Surely you've heard of "family friendly" hotels and restaurants-- where people with children will feel welcome? Well, clearly those hotels or restaurants that specify no one under 16 is allowed to eat or stay there would NOT be family friendly. Any hotel or restaurant that refuses admission to a couple because they are gay or which would refuse to let a gay couple have one bed would NOT be gay-friendly. Is that clear yet?

Your comment was deleted for a reason. Please don't repost your disingenuous nonsense.