Destination selected. Hotel booked. Boarding pass in hand. As LGBT travelers, our travel decisions are influenced by a city’s attractions/offerings and a company’s authentic LGBT outreach. We’ve discussed numerous times our community’s large buying power and brand loyalty. So, it’s not surprising to see companies target us even more as a primary audience during this time of economic uncertainty.
Last week, Community Marketing, Inc. (CMI) released the findings of a recent study revealing the top destinations, hotel brands, and airlines for LGBT consumers. CMI asked a panel of LGBT consumers which companies are doing the best job of reaching out to the LGBT community. So who is doing enough to get noticed? Drum roll please…
Last Thursday, Steve shared Chicago’s move to the top five gay travel cities. Though I am pretty pleased to see a Midwest city in the top five most visited destinations, I was interested to see how the Midwest ranked according to LGBT outreach. Not high enough.
According to CMI, the cities topping the charts for direct outreach to the LGBT community include: Las Vegas, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Springs, and Provincetown. So what’s the ROI? Cities that are directly engaged with the LGBT community were ranked in the top 20 most visited cities. Las Vegas, San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Springs were ranked in the top seven. I’m interested to see the shift cities like Philadelphia and Provincetown will see in their rankings in the coming years.
The hotels that ranked highest for LGBT promotional efforts include W Hotels, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, and the Hyatt. Kimpton Hotels has been at the forefront of LGBT marketing and community outreach. The study also showed noted efforts by Paris Las Vegas — which stands as a huge achievement of the hotel’s efforts. Paris Las Vegas is widely known for their LGBT advertisements and support of community activities. I might not be a huge fan of Vegas, but I commend Paris Las Vegas for their package offerings, internal LGBT training initiatives, and authentic community involvement.
To no one’s surprise, American Airlines is the industry leader in LGBT marketing. Nearly 60 percent of those surveyed wrote in the company’s name, affirming the company’s achievement as a brand that truly invests in our community. From community events, organizational partnerships, and advertising and marketing efforts, American Airlines has exhibited a dedication and commitment to the LGBT community.
What are other companies doing to get noticed? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
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As we reach a supposed, post-gay (shuddering still as I try to work out what each author means by the phrase) era it’s clear our choice of LGBT travel destinations change.
We’ve evolved a long way from just Gran Canaria and Fire Island. Both still have a place as gay nirvanas – sunshine and buff bodies; every one “family”. LGBT travellers are increasingly looking to every exciting destination to confirm they are a welcoming choice. City marketing boards such as Visit London (UK) are targetting significant resources at the LGBT market confident that these travellers expect the best and are prepared to pay for it. It’s no longer enough to hide an ad in Advocate with a furtive couple holding hands – we want to know where and how we’ll be welcome; where the hip bars are and the hottest hotel in town. Liza forgive the tourist board who doesnt update its listings and sends the LGBT traveller off to bars and clubs that no longer exist…