Top 6 LGBTQIA+-friendly luxury hotels in the world

CHOOSING a travel destination requires a lot of thought and planning. As much as some places may be beautiful, they may not be as friendly or accommodating to certain groups such as members of the LGBTQIA+ community, black people and solo female travellers.

Some countries have strict laws. For instance, anyone travelling to Qatar for the Fifa World Cup 2022 should be aware that the conservative country doesn’t allow sex outside of marriage.

Those caught having sex outside of marriage could face a jail sentence of up to seven years. The Middle Eastern Arab country has also put a ban on the serving of alcohol outside of restaurants, men and women showing affection in public and people wearing revealing clothing.

According to gaytravel.com, Tanzania is not a great gay destination because the prevailing laws criminalise homosexuality, even though they hardly ever enforce these laws.

In April 2022, Zanzibar’s tourism department was rocked by negative publicity when a 23-year-old Nigerian female solo traveller, Zainab Oladehinde, took to Twitter to share she was sexually assaulted at Warere Beach Hotel in Nungwi.

On the back of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month, celebrated every June to honour the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, we’ve put together a list of the Top 6 LGBTQIA+-friendly luxury hotels.

W Amsterdam (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Amsterdam has been named as one of the world’s most gayfriendly cities in the world so it comes as no surprise that the

W Amsterdam is our first pick.

Amsterdam has many gay bars, bathhouses and hotels, and W Amsterdam is one of those. The hotel is split across two buildings, a former telephone exchange building and a bank.

The hotel mixes heritage with contemporary style. The cheapest rate is €706 (about R13 000) a night. Hotel De Nell (Paris, France) Paris has an active LGBTQIA+ community and the capital of France had 140 gay bars, clubs, hotels, restaurants, shops and commercial entities.

Hotel De Nell was designed by French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte. It boasts a luxury spa and has a restaurant, bar and cellar on site.

A booking will cost you €432 to

€636 (between R7000 and R11 000).

The West Hollywood EDITION (California, USA)

The West Hollywood EDITION describes itself as the new generation of luxury. The hotel on West Sunset Boulevard partnered with the world’s greatest LGBTQIA+ Tastemakers hosting parties in honour of Pride Month 2022.

The hotel boasts 140 guest rooms, 48 suites and 2 penthouses. It has a signature restaurant, lobby lounge, basement club and rooftop pool. .

Accommodation prices start from $558 (about R9 000) a night.

Xara Palace Relais & Chateaux (Mdina, Malta)

Xara Palace Relais & Chateaux is a five-star boutique hotel in the heart of Mdina in Malta. Malta is one of the

few countries in the world to have made LGBTQIA+ rights equal at constitutional level. The US Department of State has listed Malta as a safe environment for LGBTQIA+ travellers and Malta is the 10th-safest country in the world for LGBTQIA+ people, according to the LGBT+ Danger Index.

The hotel has retained its Michelin Star for the third consecutive year at The de Mondion Restaurant.

The starting price for a room at the place is €413 a night.

Myconian Naia Resort (Mykonos, Greece)

According to queerintheworld. com, Mykonos is one of the world’s most infamous epicentres of gay culture and nightlife.

The Greek island on the Aegean Sea

is known as a fabulous playground, especially during the XISIOR Mykonos International Summer Gay Festival.

Myconian Naia Resort has 18 luxury suites and boasts beautiful views. Some suites have private pools.

The lowest rate available for a stay at the hotel is €3 780.

Avani+ Samui Resort (Koh Samui, Thailand)

According to worldnomads.com, Thailand is one of Asia’s most gayfriendly nations. The country is taking steps towards approving same-sex civil partnerships and has a thriving transgender community.

Thailand is known to be more accepting of LGBTQIA+ tourists; however, transgender residents in Thailand still face injustices and obstacles and are sometimes discriminated against in education and the workplace.

Koh Samui Resort has been listed by Conde Nast Traveller as one of Thailand’s Top 20 Resorts.

As part of Pride Month celebrations, Avani+ Samui hosted a pool party to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community. The hotel has stunning views and one can have breakfast in bed while dipping their toes in the pool.

The two-bedroom beachfront villa costs around R4 300.