LGBTQI+ Friendly Hotels: Evaluating the Case of Greek Hotels

Abstract

SummaryAccording to the relevant literature, LGBTQI+ tourists travel for a variety of reasons, exactly like all tourists. However, the need to escape to a safe destination is a top priority within a heteronormative environment, and sexual orientation is a determinant factor for holiday choices. Research on LGBTQI+ tourism has been mainly focused on revealing LGBTQI+ travellers’ motives, whereas tourism professionals in this segment have been scarcely approached. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted with hotel managers of gay-friendly hotels in Greece, to provide an insight on their point of view. The interviews were structured around three main pillars: a) hotel managers’ perceptions regarding LGBTQI+ demand, b) services – experiences offered to LGBTQI+ hotel guests and c) marketing strategies to target LGBTQI+ guests. Results indicate that LGBTQI+ travellers pay great attention to the gay-friendliness of hotel and in-room services. Marketing activities for the LGBTQI+ segment are rarely part of a coherent strategy and mainly include occasional activities in order to expand the hotels’ clientele. Although the attitude of the hotel staff is a key point, personnel training on catering for LGBTQI+ travellers, diversity and sensitivity are absent.© The Authors 2023Improved version of posting: “Sexual Identity and Gay-Friendly Hotels. The Managers’ Point Of View.” presented at APTA 2022, KOREA, JEJU 180 6st-8th July 2022