Flickr via tobackhopper

HOTELS blogger Christopher Henry asks : What are you doing to acknowledge , recognize — and hopefully accept — your gay employees and guests ? Henry , founder of Majestic Hotel Group , Los Angeles , has suggestions :

Displaying the rainbow Pride Flag tells us your establishment is tolerant , safe and welcoming to all people .

• During Pride Month ( June ), hoist the rainbow Pride flag . The rest of the year , a Pride flag sticker in the window will do the trick .

• Display a Pride flag on your website and OTA pages .

• Host a Pride party . If we have a great time , we will be back for other occasions .

Allow staff members to wear Pride flag pins . It means as much to them as a religious symbol might to someone else . The pin is an excellent way for guests to know who they can trust , openly speak with and seek out for qualified local recommendations .

Create packages , services and experiences that cater to the LGBTQ + community .

Examples include Sunday Funday , drag brunch , shopping excursions , spa weekends , VIP bar / club passes , intimacy kits , fitness classes , pride pool party , pride logo apparel , etc .

Provide LGBTQ + staff members the opportunity to take time off during Pride . For many , this is a more significant occasion than traditional public holidays .

Dispense with gender and heteronormative language . Examples :

• Don ’ t assume two

people of the same sex are just friends and want separate beds . Ask for their preference .

• Make public bathrooms gender-neutral with appropriate signage . In the old days , it was called a unisex bathroom , and no one threw a hissy fit over it .

Enforce a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination and harassment . It comes in all different forms among employees and guests .

Most importantly , know who won the latest season of “ RuPaul ’ s Drag Race .” Yaaaas !

The Middle East and North Africa together have more than 70,000 Airbnb listings , according to the home-sharing website . Now a regional hotel company wants in : In March , Abu Dhabi-headquartered Rotana announced that it had partnered with Airbnb on a pilot direct distribution scheme .

Al Bandar Arjaan by Rotana in Dubai will be the first hotel on the platform , Rotana ’ s acting CEO Guy Hutchinson says , followed by 16 other serviced

properties in the Arjaan brand , which includes properties in Bahrain and Iraq .

“ The more people who search for Airbnb accommodation in the cities in which we operate properties , the greater likelihood we have of capturing business from these prospective guests ,” he says .

Hutchinson declined to reveal the percentage of booking fees paid but says it is in line with other partners and OTAs — and he discounts the notion

that the partnership will affect direct booking .

He adds : “ Travelers might stay in Airbnb accommodation but then visit our restaurants and spas during their visit , or enjoy the destination so much that they choose to return and book a different ‘ full-service ’ hotel experience with us … More travelers and more online searches generate greater awareness of destinations and alternative products and services .”— Devina Divecha

Guy Hutchinson

12 hotelsmag . com July / August 2019