The following comes from Gay Las Vegas, a guidebook that we'll be publishing early next year. It's written by Steve Friess, a big-time local writer and journalist. It's a fabulous book that will put the exclamation point on Las Vegas as a destination for gay and lesbian travelers -- a $65 billion market. A recent survey of 24,000 gay and lesbian travelers conducted by a gay-oriented San Francisco tourism research company recently found that Las Vegas ranked second to New York City as the survey participants' favorite domestic destination (San Francisco and Los Angeles tied for third).
Anyway, Steve recommends as "The Five Best Places for Gays to Stay": Bellagio, Caesars, Mandalay Bay, Rio, and Wynn Las Vegas. Why? Following are a few comments about them.
Bellagio: "Las Vegas' undisputed pinnacle of elegance and the center of gravity of the Strip. It's the only hotel in America with two AAA Five Diamond restaurants -- Picasso and Le Cirque. And the service has the attentive personal feel of a boutique hotel, even though there's a whopping 3,933 rooms."
Caesars: "Two words: Celine Dion. Two more: Elton John. OK, two more: Forum Shops. The shows, the shopping, and the scene are as gay-positive as anywhere. And Pure, the new nightclub, is among the most comfortable for gays to be out and affectionate."
Mandalay Bay: "Often referred to as Mandalay Gay, the staff seems disproportionately loaded with queers and it tends to attract loads of gay tourists. Also, MBay's 11-acre pool has notoriously hot lifeguards in cute red shorts."
Rio: "The Rio isn't gay, per se, but it sure is happy. The Chippendales stripper show is really for women, but the ubiquitous billboards advertising it around the property are great eye-candy."
Wynn: "Queer is stamped on pretty much every corner of this property. Every inch of the place was designed by flamboyantly queer designer Roger Thomas. The shows, Le Reve and Avenue Q both have very homocentric action. (Strangely, though, this is one of the few major Strip properties that doesn't provide gay porn on the in-room TVs.)
Steve also likes the Palms: "George Maloof's brilliantly hip hotel-casino gets it right where the Hard Rock fails, earnestly welcoming both gays and straights with equal effusiveness, and understanding that a party's not a party without a few queers around."
Finally, of course, he covers the Blue Moon Resort, Las Vegas' first and to date only gay resort. "There's a charm and comfort to being in an all-queer clothing-optional environment. It's just two miles from the Commercial Center cluster of gay bars and businesses. And the upgraded pool features a Jacuzzi grotto and 10-foot waterfall." However, he states, "The steam room can occasionally function as a de facto bathhouse thanks to a rather inexpensive $15 day pass for locals or non-guests, so gay travelers not looking for a hypersexualized atmosphere should be fairly warned."
Look for more nuggets from Gay Las Vegas as the pub date approaches.
