Florida Agenda

The New York Times reported that the Preferred Hotel Group, a selection of over 800 independently owned properties worldwide, is rolling out a program to help its members welcome gay guests.

So far, 100 of the member hotels have signed up for the program called “Preferred Pride”. Some of the hotels are the Post Ranch Inn (Big Sur, CA), Palazzo Sasso (Amalfi Coast, Italy) and Cape Royale Luxury Hotel and Residence (Cape Town, South Africa).
To qualify, a property has to be certified by either the Travel Alternative Group or the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association. Preferred then conducts diversity training at the hotels on the needs of the gay traveler.

Employees are suggested, for example, to ask same-sex duos checking in together if they prefer one king bed or two double ones, if they haven’t made a preference in advance. Rooms are stocked with publications aimed at gay readers. If two men are traveling together, the bathroom has extra male toiletries and two sets of large robes and slippers.

And the concierge has a list of gay-friendly bars, clubs and restaurants on hand.

Hotelier Richard Gray gives us a guided tour of the construction of

the new addition to the Royal Palms Resort in Fort Lauderdale.

SOUTH BEACH, Fla.

South Beach was once the gay capital of South Florida, and a new hotel opening on Collins Avenue is hoping to bring some classiness back to the gay scene on the party island. Lords South Beach Hotel, 1120 Collins Ave., is scheduled to start catering to guests Nov. 21. With 54 rooms, three pools, two restaurants and a bar, Lords South Beach is attempting to be an all-encompassing property that guests only leave when they want to go to

the beach. They are also offering an in-house social network, where guests can connect with each other and plan dinner reservations. “We are thrilled to bring this exciting hospitality concept to South Beach; our goal is provide a liberal, proud, playful experience for guests,” said Founder Brian Gorman. “We hope that Lords South Beach will raise the bar for what the discerning gay traveler can expect from a hotel.” Lords is also pairing with popular gay hotspot Crunch Fitness to offer free gym access to its guests. One of the hotel’s more unique concepts is that they pledge to donate 10 percent of all profits to charity. Depending on which room a guest stays in, the three charities that will receive money include Care Resource, Point Foundation and the Hetrick-Martin Institute. Care Resource is a local charity that assists people with HIV, while Point Foundation and Hetrick- Martin Institute are national charities that provide education resources for LGBT students. If you stay there, make sure to check out the “Stay Naked” in-room dining option