First gay hotel goes international

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a white background.

Axel Hotel Barcelona, the first urban designer hotel aimed at the gay community, is about to go from being a one of a kind hotel to become part of a chain.

Following the huge success of Axel Hotel Barcelona, which opened in July of 2003, the Axel Hotels team is now embarking on an ambitious expansion throughout Europe and America, beginning with the construction of the chain’s second hotel, Axel Hotel Buenos Aires, which will make it the first chain of gay hotels in the world.

Currently under construction, Axel Hotel Buenos Aires will have 48 rooms, a restaurant, cocktail bar, chill out area, spa, garden with a pool and a solarium, outdoor bar, wi-fi connection throughout the entire hotel, it will open its doors to the public in April 2007.

Following the example of Barcelona and Buenos Aires, all the establishments of Axel Hotels will be designer hotels and will be located in cosmopolitan cities and neighbourhoods, with a wide range of offerings directed toward the gay community.

The hotel aims to create an atmosphere of respect and to be hetero friendly.

The Reader’s Choice Awards, an annual survey in the Out Traveler magazine, described the Axel Hotel Barcelona as the Best Gay Hotel in the World. The construction of the Axel Hotel Buenos Aires broadens the horizons of the Axel Group, which aspires to become the best chain of gay hotels in the world.

Juan Juliá Blanch, chief executive of Axel Corporation said: “It all began with a dream…to open a hotel geared toward the gay world, my world. A cosmopolitan and tolerant space where atmosphere, diversity, and respect are valued. I feel very proud to have been the first to open a hotel of this type in Barcelona, focusing on the gay community, and to be working to expand Axel Hotels, with a new opening coming very soon in Buenos Aires.

“Until now, the guests at Axel Hotel Barcelona, once they have experienced the Axel atmosphere, have been our best reference, recommending us to their friends and acquaintances. “