Eventi Hotel Pride Special

Happy pride participants enjoying a gorgeous day in NYC.

Lots of hotels offer NYC Pride specials, but since we particularly love the Kimpton Hotel Group, we are happy to include the Eventi Hotel‘s contribution: the I Swing for PRIDE package which includes the following:

• A bottle of bubbly
• A 2-hour trapeze class for two at The Trapeze School
• PRIDE-only wine hour on the 5^th floor terrace on the night before the parade
• Sleep in and enjoy breakfast in bed and morning mimosas the day after the parade
• Complimentary upgrade to next room type if available
• 10% of your rate will be donated to Broadway Cares

Fine print:

• Starting at $449, guests can book online or call 1-866-996-8396 and mention rate code PRIDE for travel now until July 31, 2012. Rates subject to availability. Taxes and gratuities not included. Blackout dates may apply.

From Kimpton:

• Kimpton is proud to be the only hotel brand to score 100% on the HRC Corporate Equality index for four years in a row and has provided continual support to the LGBT community through KPride, the company’s employee resource center, along with many other initiatives.

 

Deal of the Week: A Hotel that Pays You to Stay

Hotels offer all sorts of ‘packages’ and other incentives to get heads in beds (as they say in the industry). This is the first we’ve heard of that actually offers cold, hard cash!

InterContinental Hotels Group would like to fund your fun with ‘Vacation Pay.’

Between May 16th and August 31st 2011, any traveler staying two consecutive weekend nights (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) at any of IHG’s 4,400 hotels, will receive a $75 prepaid card to spend however they’d like!

Not that you need it but IHG suggests ideas on how you can use your $75 reward:

• Fill up a tank of gas for the family road trip
• Download 60 songs for a summer playlist
• Keep your feet fashionable with 12 new pairs of flip flops for each week of the summer
• Pay for your checked baggage fees
• Expand your mind with the top 10 beach reads

Fine print: Offer is valid for U.S. residents only and redeemable for a maximum reward of $300 back. For more information and to book accommodations, visit www.ihg.com/get75.

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com.

Deal of the Week: “Loud & Proud” at the Personality Hotels

Back 10 or even five years ago, it was pretty rare to find hotels that created special offers or packages for LGBT travelers. Now, it’s much more common (though still not the norm by any stretch).

Most such specials are pretty staid affairs, with nothing more daring than a subscription to a national gay magazine. So it’s fun to hear about a special with, well personality. The folks at the Personality Hotels are promoting the “Loud & Proud Survival Kit” just in time for San Francisco’s LGBT Pride Celebration and Parade on June 25 and 26. And check out some of the items they are including.

Personality Hotels’ special “Loud & Proud Survival Kit” which includes:

• A four pack of SKYY Flavored Vodka (get the party started)
• Two flavored condoms  (leave with only fond memories)
• Two pairs of rainbow sunglasses (you’re not in Kansas anymore)
• Body glitter (be fabulous)
• Whistle blow pops (whistle while you work)
•  A list of “Classy & Trashy” bars (the choice is yours)
• Diva tattoos (work it)
• All packaged in a tie-dye rainbow tote bag (100% gay guaranteed)

From June 24-27, room rates at Hotel Diva and Hotel Union Square — within stumbling distance of many of the Pride festivities — start at $199, excluding tax and subject to availability.

Our SF guide.

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com.

Hotel Sé: Downtown San Diego Luxury for Less

Rising incongruously amid the lower, stucco-California-mission-style buildings more common in downtown San Diego, the luxurious Hotel Sé stands out with its glassy, steel-latticed façade.

A bevy of handsome, friendly valet/bellmen awaits visitors who are ushered through a massive swinging door to a swank, dark-toned lobby.

Built at the height of this never-ending recession, the hotel has had to adapt (its name, product offering, and pricing) to survive the times. Take advantage of that to experience a luxurious and modern hotel in the heart of San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter. Check out the hotel’s current offers here.

More friendly professional staff process you efficiently through check-in to your room, most with a warm, masculine West Elm decorative motif and many with great views of the city, the bay and planes landing at the nearby (convenient) airport. The hotel features a modest but sufficient fitness facility and a very cool outdoor pool and deck area.Sweet and Tender, the hotel’s upscale bistro wins kudos for its contemporary American cuisine (straightforward options with bold and subtle accompaniments). The happy hour is fantastic with tasty bar nibbles and (non-premium) alcohol and a few really nice wines offered for $7 per item.The spa is small but they offer visitors an optional vodka-infused pomegranate based shot before their treatment (nice!). Ask for Eric, but beware he hurts (in a good way).A minor quibble: The hotel offers two tiers of Internet service at different costs: regular (slow) and premium (fast). Why not just fast for one price?

For great LGBT trip-planning information, visit San Diego’s official tourism website.

Deal of the Week: Island House, Key West

Key West’s frisky and very popular Island House continues its popular winter special: Visitors who buy four nights this winter earn a free three-night stay next summer.(People: It was 20 degrees this morning in New York and 80 in Key West.)

Island House is a self-contained, tropical gay mini-resort with comfortable five-star quality rooms, a terrific restaurant, friendly bar and food/drink available 24/7.

Island House, which has won Best Gay Resort awards from parent site OutTraveler.com, is offering a “Buy Four Nights and Get Three Free” promotion. Visitors who buy four nights this winter earn a free three-night stay next summer. To qualify, stay four nights at Island House resort between now and June 30, 2011. The free stay is available on weeknights between July 13, 2011 and October 20, 2011 subject to availability.Note: A weeknight is considered to be Monday through Thursday and blackout dates apply over Labor Day from September 1 to 6. Your free room will be the same type as booked during your paid stay. You may upgrade your room at additional cost during your free stay. For more information on gay Key West, including events, click on GayKeyWestFl.com.

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

Deal of the Week: Historic Hotel in Savannah, Georgia

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

Relive your “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” fantasy in Savannah with a special deal from Staybridge Suites, a very pretty hotel located in the historic district of this charming, mysterious southern town. Lady Chablis would love this deal, offered especially to members of IGLTA.org and extended to readers of GPS.OutTraveler.com.

The offer — $79 per night — is good through February 28, 2011. It includes a slew of amenities like a delicious hot breakfast buffet daily (eggs, bacon, biscuits, and more), free Internet, a fitness facility and more. The hotel is located within walking distance of restaurants, sites, museums, and attractions so leave the car and grab a beverage.

Important:

• To obtain this rate, you must contact Lindsay at 912-721-9000 or Christa at 912-721-9016, who graciously offered this terrific rate to our readers.

Get a Free Committment Ceremony in Aruba

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

Ok, this is definitely a first. The Holiday Inn Resort Aruba, an airy tropical retreat in the lovely Caribbean island of Aruba, which offers guaranteed good weather and a year-round average daily temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit, is offering a free commitment ceremony to LGBT vistors that includes the following services:

• Romantic ceremony location
• Professional planning services
• Themed decorations
• One-tiered commitment cake
• Garden-fresh bridal bouquet and boutonnière
• Candlelight dinner for two
• Free bottle of champagne
• Free manicure
• Celebrity-style attention
• Special gift from the resort

The hotel’s gay-specific micro-site details its commitment to its LGBT guests.

The fine print: To take advantage of the free commitment ceremonies program, couples must book a minimum seven-night stay on the all-inclusive plan in a Superior Ocean Front Room at the Holiday Inn Resort Aruba.  Fees apply for stays less than seven nights and the program is valid through December 31, 2011.

Marriott Hotels Launches Gay Microsite

Check out MarriottGayTravel.com. You’ll get 20% off weekend stays (Thursday-Sunday) at participating hotels around the world now through Jan 22. (Select resorts in the Caribbean, Latin America and Hawaii are offering up to 40% off. See MarriottGayTravel.com for details.

According to contact person, Bob Witeck of Witeck-Combs Communications, Marriott today is truly committed to communicate value and a broad welcome to all LGBT travelers at all price points and all locations – but with some special emphasis on specific markets that have most appeal to LGBT travelers including Hawaii but also popular urban destinations like NYC, DC and Philly.   They have earned and maintained a 100% HRC CEI to demonstrate their consistent strong reputation, and finally – they are likely the first major hotel company in the world that will express their welcome and outreach to gay consumers soon in 5 global languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French).

So, if you have some budget and vacation to burn and are looking for someplace different, check out this promotion.