Gay Accommodations and Gay Friendly Accommodations

There are a number of names associated with accommodations choices that are known for welcoming gay men.  They include these:

• gay hotels
• gay friendly hotels
• gay campgrounds
• gay Inns
• gay friendly Inns
• gay bed and breakfasts (b&b)
• gay friendly bed and breakfasts
• gay resorts

We at Worldwide Gay Travel firmly believe that Orbitz is the best alternative for booking reservations in any sort of  gay or gay friendly accommodation.  For Orbitz services, please click here.  We place our confidence in Orbitz, because it was the first major travel agency to pay attention to the gay traveler's needs.

The distinction between "gay" and "gay friendly" typically has nothing to do with ownership.  It has much more to do with the clientele.  If an accommodation is listed as gay-friendly, that usually means that the majority of the people staying there will identify as straight; however, the management assures that gay visitors will feel comfortable.  If the label is "gay" (without the "friendly" qualifier), then most (or, in some cases, all) of the guests will identify as gay or bisexual or queer.

The trickiest other distinction is between an Inn and a b & b (or bed and breakfast).  A b&b is fairly straightforward about what you can expect, and we cover it elsewhere.  An Inn, however, seems to mean whatever an owner wants it to mean.  It may be a bed and breakfast under a different name.  It might be a small hotel.  It might be primarily a restaurant with some rooms for guests available.  In the U.S., some restaurants with no overnight accommodations claim the term.

One other term that may need some explanation, is that of a gay resort.  A resort is an accommodation that also offers a wide variety of entertainment options on site.  Sometimes resorts off all inclusive packages that cover food, lodging and recreation for a single price.