Hotel deals on offer as Pride season gets underway
Marriott has announced the launch of a new series of deals aimed at the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community ahead of Pride season, which runs through September.
The hotel chain launched its new campaign just days before Sao Paulo Pride, the world's largest gay pride event, gets underway in Brazil, hoping to encourage the LGBT community to check in at its hotels.
As of June 7, guests can book the “Be You, With Us” packages through a special microsite, with specific destinations offering perks such as gay guides for cities, door passes to clubs or free cocktails.
International packages are also available for other pride festivals, including Rome and Lisbon, with the microsite offered in French, German, Spanish and Portuguese.
Gay travelers, who traditionally have higher disposable incomes than their straight counterparts, are attractive customers for travel firms, especially in Pride season.
Hilton unveiled its "Stay Hilton. Go Out" series of special offers earlier this year, promising discounts for LGBT travelers and their friends -- it's a high-profile sponsor of WorldPride 2012, which gets underway in London later this month.
For those who want to avoid chain hotels, a new website called Out Escapes launched this week promising to make travel easier by providing 'gay-friendly' flash travel sales in the model of Groupon.
Properties and packages are specifically geared towards LGBT travelers, although the site says that straight people are welcome to sign up for an account and use the service as well.
