hospitalitystyle.com

(July 2011) posted on Thu Jul 14, 2011 EDT

Whether you’re an LGBT traveler, a soon-to-be divorce(e) or just someone who wants a custom experience, there’s a hotel for that.

By Mary Scoviak

The Resorts Casino Hotel Atlantic City  just opened the 1920s-inspired Prohibition, which The New York Times heralds as “the first full-time gay bar at any big American casino.” While this stylized venue may be a first on the casino scene, it’s part of a growing new wave of hotel development targeting LGBT travelers.

I’ve been wondering what that means in design terms. Beyond the same kinds of tweaks that enable hoteliers to market rooms designed for business, for women, for families or for any other market niche, aren’t gay travelers looking for the same design basics as guests who aren’t gay? When Hospitality Style that question Juan P. Julia Blanch, founder of the gay-friendly Axel Hotel chain, he said yes and no. Yes, LGBT travelers want security, cleanliness, functionality and style. But they also want design cues that make their lifestyle choice seem respected and accepted—touches like the rainbow lighting on the Axel Hotel in Buenos Aires and the rainbow checkerboard tiles in Berlin that symbolize Gay Pride. There’s a slightly different filter for how much public spaces are about seeing and being seen. In his view, the layout of lobbies, restaurants and bars should make it easier to mingle. His hotels, like many of their competitors, have a dynamic nightclub rather than a clubby sort of lounge.

Other hotel companies are also on the hunt for under-served markets. One is the Dutch-based Heartbreak Hotel. Named for the Elvis Presley song, this chain offers couples a one-stop divorce experience that includes specialist lawyers, financial consultants, child psychologists and separate rooms in any of a portfolio of luxury hotels, all for about $3,500. What designer wouldn’t like to take on that kind of room/suite design challenge?   

 These are huge markets. But some hotels are happy enough designing for each individual guest. The Waterhead Hotel in the English Lake District bypasses the high tech customization trend and invites guests to choose the artwork, teapots, toiletries of the rooms they stay in. Okay, so maybe guests can’t just order up a Gustav Klimt painting or a Jeff Koons inflatable rubber toy/sculpture. Maybe that’s the next option for five-stars, in which guests could just select from a menu of all the FF&E, art and extras that would make for a wish-list home away from home.