As a frequent user of TripAdvisor and someone who is not gay, I have to agree with Sean's comments. The more information a consumer has about his/hers/their travel plans, the better. How about it TripAdvisor?

Posted By Bill Clarke on May 6, 2010, 1:20 PM

Agree 100%. They're missing a major, major opportunity. The content and audience are already there... they just need to do a MUCH better job of connecting the two.

Posted By Brian Stout on May 6, 2010, 6:18 PM

Not sure why this is so important. Seems like it would also be useful to filter reviews by race and (more importantly) socioeconomic status.

Posted By Allie Thorne on May 6, 2010, 8:49 PM

I hadn't really thought about this. Most of the time when I'm looking for a hotel on TripAdvisor, I'm looking for the best comfort and service for the best price near my event. I'm more concerned if it's safe/clean/comfortable first, then how people were treated. If it's a good deal, then I don't really worry too much about the front desk, we're usually very self sufficient.
On the other hand, what your asking for could be a double edged sword for the business, and the reviewer. Has there been a lash back of any sort on the other sites? Just curious.

Posted By KB on May 7, 2010, 9:58 AM

I agree with Allie - complain about more filters being needed, perhaps, but I don't see that the LGBT category has any more special needs than many other groups that don't have filters at TA.

Posted By Murray on May 7, 2010, 10:06 AM

Trip Advisor is not suffering whatsoever by not having this filter. Should there be religious and ethnic filters as well?

Posted By tl on May 7, 2010, 11:07 AM

Completely agree!! I love TripAdvisor and use them often. But when I am traveling to unfamiliar places I usually only use TA for supporting reviews and have to search the internet to try and find a site that rates/lists gay friendly establishments. Believe me, this kind of filter is needed on such a popular site like TA. And maybe some don't see the need for such a filter, but I doubt they are traveling with a same-sex partner and experiencing a situation where you have to deal with outright discrimination, even in popular mainstream cities.

Posted By Jesse on May 7, 2010, 2:19 PM

Every site can't have everything for every special interest group! Companies that try to do that usually end up spreading themselves too thin. Trip Advisor is focusing on what they want to focus on. I'm sure there are sites who cater to the LGBT community. More so than other special interest categories like families, traveling with pets, race, religion, etc.

Posted By Dawn on May 7, 2010, 7:40 PM

I love it when people feel the need to point out their sexual preference! "I am not gay but..."
What the hell difference does it make! Let us not forget that tripadvisor is owned by orbitz! ANYONE, gay straight or polka dotted that takes their travel ques from the net deserves everything thing they get! Recently I was scheduled to go to a meeting in Europe, and VOILA! Volcano erupted and halted all travel! I called my faithful travel agent, frantic, and was told "calm down, we are already working on re-routing you", and within an hour was re-routed! NO PENALTY! Because my agent had convinced me a long time ago to never travel without insurance! If I am leaving US soil, my travel agent does everything for me. Oh, I MAY spend 30-45 mins "research time" but frustration sets in really fast and I send them an email and VOILA! Everything happens like clockwork! Flawlessly executed, custom itineraries for me for a decade, reflecting my style and taste!

Some of my colleagues are still fighting with their online booking folks and probably will never see a refund!

My agent took care of some of them, and those will never ever do an online booking again! They have learned, leave it to a professional travel consultant and spend one's time making money!

Posted By JESS K on May 7, 2010, 9:32 PM

Thank you Sean for writing about this - I am a big fan of your magazine since Erik's days as well as a frequent reader and poster on TripAdvisor. An option to identify a gay friendly hotel/restaurant or attraction would be very helpful in determining where my partner and I decide to go or stay away from.

Posted By Casper on May 7, 2010, 10:24 PM

Sean, thanks for mentioning the www.tagapproved.com website. We have worked for over a decade to objectively qualify and train over 1,500 hotels around the world to be more genuinely LGBT-welcoming. Many organizations, visitors bureaus and tourism offices are featuring their TAG properties when promoting a destination to the LGBT community. Travelocity's gay microsite gaytravelocity.com will only deliver TAG Approved Accommodations in it's search, helping to ensure a good stay for their LGBT customers. We are now introducing a TAG Approved Attractions program, to bring similar qualifications to tours, events, etc. We appreciate your recognition of our work!

Posted By Tom Roth on May 10, 2010, 12:28 AM

Yes, I think you are making a mountain out of a molehill. I don't think they are required to accomodate every special preference. For example I eat organic only, should I be upset that they don't let me pick hotels with only organic food choices? If we're going to be that particular then there are many areas in which all sites fail.

Posted By deni a on May 10, 2010, 9:53 AM

Great idea. That way I could avoid those places. Now give me a couple of minutes to get into my bullet proof vest.

Posted By Ronald Welch on May 10, 2010, 10:14 AM

Thanks to everyone who's commented! Good points all around.

And Ronald, I think you're onto something: The same info could be helpful in reverse to help travelers who would prefer to *avoid* some hotels.

As Deni A and Dawn point out, there could be some other special-interest categories, too. I'd push their idea farther and say TripAdvisor should consider having hotels and inns espousing Christian-evangelical values.

Posted By Sean on May 10, 2010, 10:29 AM

Message to moderators:
Yea I know that last comment won't fly but we old farts have to have fun some way.

Posted By Rronald Wwelch on May 10, 2010, 11:05 AM

You have many valid points Sean and I completely agree with you!

Posted By BlackBrad on May 10, 2010, 11:33 AM

Ugh! It sure seems to me that gender/sexual orientation should NOT be a factor.

Should there also be review categories by race & religion? How about handicaps or even size? (I'm average height but have stayed in some hotels where I had problems with the shower stall being too low.)

I feel the same way about gay/lesbian chapters in travel guides. I kinda object to paying for content tailored to a particular group of which I am not a member.

Posted By David Emery on May 10, 2010, 11:41 AM

Wouldn't gay travelers fall under couples? I mean if somebody is uncomfortable with a gay couple, that's their problem and they need to get used to the fact that there's gay couples in the world.

Posted By CL on May 10, 2010, 11:43 AM

I don't see the need as I agree with other's posts that one's sexual orientation or how the staff may look at someone is not relevant to my stay. I want a good value, comfortable quarters, and cleanliness. Endless filters violate the KISS principle and will lead to information errors.

All of this special training to deal with someone is going a little far unless it is someone that has a physical/mental handicap and thus special needs.

Anything outside of the norm gets looked at as strange, it is what it is. For example, a very small percentage of men dress as women. Most men don't violate that norm so when this fractional percentage of men that dress as women go out in public in such attire they will likely get strange looks. That is completely natural for any of us to look at things outside the norm strangely or with curiosity. Its funny we travel to see, learn about, and experience things that are not normal to us...for the diversity of what the world offers (some of which we may think as strange, causing our eyes to widen and may not be our cup of tea). Why then do we get offended when we are that very thing that another finds strange, causes their eyes to widen and is not their cup of tea?

I think if it is really necessary to have GLBT travel advice then a micro-site should be created or let the market create the needed niche (as it seems it already has).

Posted By Roger on May 10, 2010, 11:52 AM

I think that it would be very useful to LGBT travelers. For those who object above, they are unaware of how LGBT travelers can be treated, from outright refusing a room with one bed to a couple to stating that only a room with 2 beds is available, when you find out later that there was a room with 1 bed available. Plus, hotel staff can be less than helpful for the rest of your stay. For you straight couples, imagine arriving at your destination and being separated from your wife/husband. Religion doesn't compare to being gay because I've never heard of a couple being assigned to a room with 2 beds because of their religious preference.

And Sean, I'm sure you know that being gay is not a "preference", it would be helpful to use the term orientation. This may be why you're receiving the negative posts, more than perhaps you would have otherwise.

Thanks for the post.

Posted By Kristen on May 10, 2010, 12:19 PM

Thanks, Sean, for bringing attention to this issue. Those who don't see this as important have never had the hassle of having to insist with a reluctant desk clerk to provide a room with one bed to a couple of the same sex. Even more important, however, would be a warning in your reviews that some destinations (mostly in the Caribbean and Africa) are extremely hostile to gay tourists and may subject them to harassment and arrest. I look forward to more information on gay-friendly--and gay-hostile-- facilities and destinations.

Posted By Glenn on May 10, 2010, 12:30 PM

KISS works best. Leave TripAdvisor alone! They provide good data as is.

Posted By Phil on May 10, 2010, 12:42 PM

One person mentioned wanting to know if the hotel was in a safe location.

As a gay traveler, that's why a special sub-section for gay travelers would be useful. There are a lot places that are safe for straight travelers but not gay ones.

So yes I would like to be able to check the general information, then go check the same location in a gay sub-section.

Just please, I'm begging you...don't put it under "lifestyles". I don't have a lifestyle, I just have a life.

Posted By Tony on May 10, 2010, 12:46 PM

Yes, you are making a mountain out of a molehill. I'm a straight single woman who has traveled with other women and shared a bed...and no one looked at me funny. I have also shared a bed with a male travel companion to whom I was obviously not married, and no one looked at me funny.

Or if they did, I didn't notice, because I wasn't looking for it.

This is ridiculous. I don't care about the sexual preferences and habits of others, and neither do hotels. It seems to me you're waaaay too sensitive.

If you don't want to be "looked at funny" then don't go around asking for special treatment because of your sexual preferences. It's no one's business but yours.

Posted By Louise Thompson on May 10, 2010, 12:56 PM

Yes Sean, it's just you.

Posted By Steve on May 10, 2010, 1:26 PM

Yes, I think you are making too big a deal out of it. And the headline critical of Trip Advisor is too provocative.

Posted By Peter on May 10, 2010, 1:35 PM

Too much ado about nothing. Put the comments in your review if you get treated weird.

Posted By d on May 10, 2010, 1:36 PM

Do we all have to have the gay lifestyle crammed in our face? I have friends and a son who is gay...I don't talk to them about my sex life...and don't want to hear about theirs. There are many gay couples who flaunt it instead of acting "normal". No wonder people look at you funny....at times that is what you want...to get others worked up...as my friends have shared on their trips.

Go to a "gay" site...or Latin site...or singles site...or Catholic site... if you have those preferences.

Posted By K Campbell on May 10, 2010, 1:43 PM

My first reaction was, "Oh crap, another special category that might dilute the effectiveness of Trip Advisor" Gosh, it's hard enough to get reviews - Why make it tougher" On occasion, folks do comment on any material "atmospherics" that might add or diminish the travel experience. It would be easy enough to add a "check-box" (optional, of course) to invite folks to rate the hotel/restaurant/ whatever - for friendliness (or not) to LGBT guests. The existence of the query might encourage reviewers to comment more extensively if they saw fit. That said, I would vote against any more discreet segmentation. KISS

Posted By Jim Gunther on May 10, 2010, 1:52 PM

So where is the logical end to all of the sub-categorization? I think it should be left to websites which cater to whatever subdivision of sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, etc. one feels compelled to identify him/herself with. Ever thought of just emailing the facility and asking? Sometimes I think we are devolving into a nonsensical society of tiny irrelevant tribelets.

Posted By tsainta on May 10, 2010, 2:00 PM

Just because a filter exists doesn't mean you have to use it. How does adding filters complicate your search? It doesn't.

On the other hand, I've seen how some of my gay friends have been treated over the years. No one should have to put up with ignorance, but to have to do so when one is on vacation, when presumably one's guard is down, is even worse.

I'm glad you brought up this point, Sean. I don't think you're making a mountain out of a molehill but even if you were, so what? Your suggestion harms no one and will be very helpful to those who need it.

I use Trip Advisor a LOT in planning travel and didn't know they have fora until you mentioned it.

PS: Ogunquit, ME is a beautiful, gay-friendly, family friendly resort town. It's a popular vacation spot for Canadians, the best people on earth with whom to share a beach. No radios, no loud music, no screaming, no kicking sand--just a nice, quiet bunch of folks enjoying the sun, sand and sea.

Posted By Ducklady on May 10, 2010, 2:05 PM

I use TripAdvisor quite a bit and post many reviews of places I've stayed or eaten at, "the good, the bad and the ugly."

I want to point out that as a gay man, when traveling with my partner, we have been discrimated against when checking into a hotel. How does that manifest itself? By the front desk clerk putting us in a bad room or a refusal to give us a double bed (rather than two singles!) Once, we were even given a room without a view when we had pre-paid for a view room (because the view rooms all had double, queen or king beds!)

So, it's not about special priviledges or specialness of any kind for us gay folk, it's about enjoying one's vacation, which is really what we ALL want. Except, that gay and lesbian people sometimes cannot get what everyone else, i.e. "straight" people get, when they show up at the front desk of a hotel. It's that simple.

And, if you've never been discriminated against upon arrival at a hotel, let me tell you, it is NOT fun and it's NOT pretty. It's humiliating and it can ruin a well-planned vacation.

Thanks, Sean, for bringing up this important point, one that TripAdvisor would be wise to acknowledge.

Posted By David35 on May 10, 2010, 2:46 PM

I think this is overreaching. I'm a collection of special interests but I don't need every commercial operation bending over backwards for me. I don't need to hang out only with people like me. I negotiate my differences in the larger world just fine without big brother defining my sandbox.

Time to grow up and face the world as just another one of those (special) persons among the 6.5 billion out there.

Posted By ron on May 10, 2010, 2:46 PM

Where is the travel section for Blacks? There is none and there should be NONE! As a Black woman, I have little to no sympathy for those who seek to have special treatment or special preference because of who they choose to have sexual relations with. Give me a break! I, frankly, am tired of this whole LGBT nonsense being thrown in my face every day. I am tired of the "whois me cause I'm gay/lesbian" pity party. People are treated poorly all over this world every single day. You are not special. No one owes you anything. I'm not requesting websites to cater to me because of my race so I don't quite understand why those who are LGBT or supporters thereof should be catered to!

It doesn't bother me that there may be gays staying at the same hotel as me. It doesn't bother me that gays live in my neighborhood, shop at the same places as I do and eat the same food as I do. My people have suffered a lot and still do (which gays certainly cannot compare to) but it doesn't give me the right to special treatment. I have two strikes against me, I am Black and I am a woman (and I'm not counting the fact that I AM a believer in God). Doesn't stop me from being a good person or from seeking all that life has to offer. People, companies or websites do not need to walk on egg shells to please me or to try not to offend me.

Trip Advisor is doing a great job. This article is poppycock, nonsense at its finest. Shame on you Sean!

Posted By Tired on May 10, 2010, 3:12 PM

While I agree with the content of your article, using "sexual preference" in your lead paragraph does more to turn off the very audience you're targeting, than using the more accurate term "sexual orientation". Education is done one step at a time, so I appreciate the opportunity to pass this along. Thanks for the great article!

Posted By Ray on May 10, 2010, 3:23 PM

Have to agree with Tired. I think this is asking for preferential treatment. Besides, TripAdvisor does offer a place for Comments - problem solved! BTW, there ARE travel sites dedicated exclusively to the LGBT community. I believe I'll go complain to them because they don't have a special category for me.

Posted By Cynthia on May 10, 2010, 3:35 PM

When I check into a hotel with my husband, one of us goes to the desk to check in and the other gets the bags and hangs out with the teenagers... even if we go alone only one of us goes to the desk. Check in areas are often crowded - the less people there the better!

My 19 year old son is gay (and a model) and we have never experienced anyone at any hotel treating him with anything other than respect. And he is very flamboyant. My 18 year old son (an athlete) will often smack him in a playful way and say 'knock it off'. The older one is looking for attention - the younger one tells his brother he is obnoxious. The older one is wondering and hoping people will recognize him from magazines. He isn't trying to flaunt his sexual preference.

I love TA and anything that will help travelers is great. BUt as some people have said, we only look for clean and comfortablem when reading reviews. I have checked into dumps and been treated great and have checked into the Ritz only to get a grumpy clerk. I think if you check in and are friendly and not obnoxious, you will be treated respectfully wherever you go. I have seen hetero couples checking into hotels hanging all over each other and being obnoxious and the desk clerks have rolled their eyes. Is that what you do?

Just head to the desk with your partner (or let him get the bags) and smile and get your key.

Posted By Pamela on May 10, 2010, 3:37 PM

Thanks to everyone for having posted such terrific comments! A wonderful range of opinion.

Posted By Sean on May 10, 2010, 3:56 PM

For those who want to check the gay welcoming status of a hotel before booking, start with www.PinkChoice.com. There may be some overlap with TripAdvisor, but also you can find those gay-only properties not on TA. Happy Trails,

Posted By dee farrell on May 10, 2010, 4:57 PM

I am a straight woman - I am not advocating for special treatment, but I can't understand how those commenters who construe the addition of a LGBT reviewing option as "special treatment" don't see the issues LGBT folks often face.

I have been refused service in a European boutique hotel because the manager presumed my sister and I were a couple. We were enraged, but also glad that the misunderstanding had occurred. I would not want to patronize such an establishment. We paid more elsewhere, and gladly.

This is not about special treatment - it is about dignity and the ability to enjoy a vacation without bigotry superimposed on the experience. I would use an LGBT ratings filter to choose my hotels, should TA develop one. I am not interested in being part of a system that denigrates the rights of anyone.

Posted By Amanda on May 10, 2010, 5:02 PM

I travel frequently for work but also just love to travel. I use trip advisor for somethings but find that I need to go elsewhere to learn about gay/lesbian travel. The filter would be helpful.

When I've traveled with my partner we have run into very uncomfortable situations in which a chain hotel with a very socially conservative manager had a problem with us when he figured out we were gay...made rather crude comments, insisted that they did not have a room with a single queen or king bed only two singles etc. We could have ruined our vacation by insisting he honor our reservations and gone to corporate (which we did after we returned home) but it was our 15th anniversary. We just moved hotels. Gays and lesbians face different problems than some travelers. We also have to worry about if a place is safe to stay. Those of us who have been attacked physically (gay bashed)have a heightened concerned about safety issues. Everyone who goes on vacation wants to feel like they can relax completely and have a good time sight seeing, shopping, eating at local restaurants and enjoying ourselves. It is hard to relax if you don't feel safe or if you are staying at a place that is openly hostile to who you are. Put in the filter. LGBT will use it, go to those places and spend about 30% more than straight couples because we statistically have more disposable income. I have to say at this point with almost every major travel site having a better LGBT filtering it has to be homophobia on the part of the US branch of the company, but no worries, we will take our 30% more money elsewhere. I know I won't be using them again unless they change their tune.

Posted By Catherine on May 11, 2010, 9:02 PM

This is why I set up www.gaypedia.com - why be all things to all people when you can be specific and direct. As a gay person hunting round an average site for something to appeal to me is a waste of time - why can't I go to somewhere where I get all the information I need.

If I want something straight Trip Adviser is there for me - but right now - I like gay specific information and reviews.

Posted By Ryan Haynes on May 12, 2010, 8:34 AM

Thanks to Sean, and everyone who has written a comment about additional content you would like to see on TripAdvisor. We are continually improving our site, and feature changes are frequently based on traveler suggestions. Whenever people advocate for a new data stream or filter, we evaluate adding it to the site, and we do plan to make that evaluation around gay & lesbian-friendly data collection.

In addition, we’re currently working on a gay & lesbian-friendly U.S. hotels list, and discussing the possibility of adding a gay & lesbian-friendly category to our Travelers’ Choice Hotel and Destination awards. Topics on the Forums home page, including Gay Travel, all rotate so that each is featured for a period of time.

While we can’t adopt every suggestion we receive, our goal is to add the features that will help more travelers better plan their trips. We encourage travelers to keep the feedback coming so we can continue to improve our site.

Thank you –
April Robb
TripAdvisor

Posted By April Robb on May 12, 2010, 2:34 PM

Jess, how nice for you that your travel agent can handle everything and you can just throw money at it! Unfortunately, the rest of us have to do some of the grunt work in order to afford to travel, so this type of website - TripAdvisor - is invaluable. Plus, not all travel agents can assist with booking reasonably priced hotels if their clientele doesn't visit that particular locale or frequent anything less than 4 stars. My recent experience - booking in Venice - resulted in recommendations from the agent 4 stars at @ $400+ per night. Internet research resulted in a moderate hotel on the Grand Canal for 120 euros (cash) per night for 4 nights - with breakfast.

If TripAdvisor is already soliciting this type of info, a button on the main page would be helpful.

I do agree that a travel agent is a wonderful asset, and trip insurance is essential for any major journey, but most of us have to put in some effort to make up for having higher aspirations than bank account numbers.

Posted By Linda M on May 12, 2010, 2:39 PM

Thanks, April.
Good to know about TripAdvisor's position on this topic.

And thanks to all of the commenters for the wide-ranging, polite feedback.

Posted By Sean on May 12, 2010, 2:45 PM

You haven't had hotel clerks roll their eyes and adamantly try to convince you that you REALLY WANT their 2 double beds instead of the king which you specifically ordered and already paid for. Just because you're checking in with your same sex significant other (partners who can't get legally married in the state we have cohabited in for nearly 20 years, btw). True story, which happened to me last month in an international chain.

Snide comments to other personnel on duty about your choice of bed mate probably isn't an issue with the folks commenting that this classification isn't needed. The LGBT community, on the other hand, is very aware of unequal treatment by insensitive hoteliers.

Posted By Linda M on May 12, 2010, 2:48 PM

Great idea but let's make the site a separate one for gays. Then we could move to have one for race; one for religion; one for ethnicity and whatever else some self-perceived minority wishes to have to distinguish itself from all others.
Non-discrimination was the initial claim, now we are to discriminate actively in favor?
I hope you do recognize G&L's as a pseudo-legitimate distinction. It might help some of us to avoid their favored locations.

Posted By harold on May 12, 2010, 3:29 PM

Are you kidding? Let me see, since a gay person can complain about not having enough attention on Trip Advisor, I want to complain that my doggie doesn't get enough attention either. There just aren't enough pet friendly hotels/resorts mentioned on the site either (boo hoo). Give me a break! Oh and I forgot to mention, my dog is gay, so I want extra special attention given to his needs. PLLLLEEAAASSEE!

Posted By Becky on May 13, 2010, 11:14 AM

I am a 43 year-old single and straight male who lives with his mother. I am of average height and body type, have brown hair and eyes, and lsiten to classical music. How come there is not a TripAdvisor filter for me? Come one! Enough is enough. If you do not like the site, then choose another one!

Posted By Will on May 14, 2010, 10:41 AM

As an hotelier in the Islamic country of Morocco, I have welcomed gay couples who recounted horrible experiences in other establishments.
It seems to me that earlier posters do not realize that TA is the largest travel site in the WORLD and goes beyond Europe and the USA where sexual preference is often a non-issue.
It is generally agreed that 10% of the world's population is homosexual and I'd imagine that a much greater percentage travel.
My establishment has no particular gay affiliation but I've welcomed more gays than people with mobility issues, children or pets... I'd certainly be happy to have the opportunity to tick a gay-friendly box next to my hotel on TA.
riad numero 9, Fés, Morocco

Posted By stephen on May 15, 2010, 11:12 AM

Great and provocative post. Yours are the best, Sean.
TripAdvisor is a corporation. Corporations exist to make money. TripAdvisor is missing an important niche market of travelers by not including some simple tools to help gay and lesbian travelers zero in on gay-friendly accommodations and reviews that would be particularly relevant to their interests. They would be equally remiss in not including similar tools for other lucrative niche markets, particularly pet owners and families with kids.
I blog about Pacific Northwest travel and accommodations and have observed how difficult it is to get a sense if an accommodation is going to be welcoming to people who are LGBT. Very few accommodations put it out there on their websites, which is somewhat understandable-- it's perhaps a little more delicate to word on a website than "pets welcome" or "no kids." I see rainbows on accommodations' websites on occasion, which I assume is a more subtle way of saying "we're gay-friendly." Still, I think many travelers want as much information as possible about the place they are going to and wants to know if they'll be welcomed. Think about it. This isn't just about some hotel clerk making a snide comment. Imagine staying in a B&B where you are actually in someone's home. If that B&B proprietor is homophobic or uncomfortable around gay people, neither the proprietor nor the gay travelers are going to have a very good time, right?
This should be a no-brainer for TripAdvisor.

Posted By Lauren on May 15, 2010, 11:31 AM

I think it's funny how people have fought so hard for inclusion and equality yet spend most of their time and effort segregating themselves... Think about that!

Posted By Yasmine on May 15, 2010, 6:28 PM

Should that filter been in place I could have missed out on one of the very best hotel experiences of my life. No, I am not homophobic but since I am not gay/lesbian I would have just not considered it for my family. It was a little awkward when my teenage son pointed out the rainbows on the street signs. And, the overtly feminine young man at the front desk had me questioning my decision, that I had made strictly from TA's website, but the hotel and the personnel were exceptional. After the initial surprise it was a non-issue. Should I have a reason to go back to Philadelphia I would most definitely do my best to get a room at the Alexander Inn. In the end isn't it the all encompassing level of service the important factor?

Posted By Loki77573 on May 20, 2010, 11:43 AM

I have to agree. I found out quite by accident speaking to a booking agent at a hotel in Hilton Head when I gave two different last names that it is a law on Hilton Head that a couple must be legally married to share a room there. Yikes!

Posted By North Carolina Sandie on May 24, 2010, 7:59 PM

How can Hilton Head tell if you are married? My husband and my last names are different. When I first read I thought it was a bunch of hooey, but then I realized it could be really scary to vacation in a place unsafe for gays, the disabled, mixed race couples, etc. If you don't have these challenges, you don't understand why filters are needed. It is in business' best interest to put implement filters for all of them.

Posted By Grizzly Bear Mom on May 25, 2010, 5:32 PM

We have a literary Booklovers b and b on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Although I would describe us as somewhat politically conservative (more Libertarian actually) we are "gay-friendly", and "ethnically/racially--friendly". We chose to indicate our embracing all people with the code term on our website: "We Honor Diversity".
Those who feel they must hide their orientation sometimes create awkward scenarios, but I truly understand their dilemma. For example, if I think it is just two same-sex friends, I try to suggest a discounted rate for two rooms, so that they are not forced to sleep in the one bed in each of our guest rooms. However, if I knew it was their "partner" or spouse, I would never make the suggestion of two rooms. I did get a snide comment from another local b and b owner from Swizterland, who upon meeting me, derisively commented, "oh you're the GAY place!" Upon which, I corrected her and said, No we're the "respect ALL people" place.

Posted By Elizabeth on May 27, 2010, 2:50 PM