

During the Winter Party back in March we stayed at the Lords South Beach. It was a last minute decision because the Doubletree Surfcomber was booked and that is where we normally stay because iit’s the host hotel, we get Hilton HHonors points, and the view of the pool party that Saturday. There were many hotels we could have chosen such as a cabana at the National which was the host location for the White Party Miami, the Z Ocean (Priority Club) hotel, or even Loew’s. All of these were pretty expensive but were all close to the Winter Party events and walkable to Twist, Mova, Palace Bar and Grill, and Score.
There was one place that stuck out that was new at 11th street and Collins in the heart of South Beach and within steps of the gay part of the Miami Beach. The Lords South Beach which has around 50 rooms, a poolside Cabana bar, Cha Cha Rooster Restaurant, roomservice, in-room safes.
At first their site was linked to from the Winter Party site and I could not get it to load correctly. Normally I give up when I can’t get things to function on a hotels website. I believe they corrected the issue the next day when I tried again and I finally was able to book a room online at pretty cheap prices for the Miami South Beach area.
I was in complete surprise when I walked into the hotel to be greeted by a giant fiberglass polar bear in the lobby and gorgeous pictures of Elizabeth Taylor. This made me feel comfortable and it was a fun upbeat place I desire when staying somewhere like Southbeach. I was very pleased with how clean and modern things were inside the hotel even the lighting in the rooms were a treat. The only real complaints I had were the menu on the room service they all seemed to be appetizers instead of real meals. It would have been nice to actually order a cage-free chicken breast or an organic salad from the menu. I have had so many horrible meals in Southbeach from the restaurants that are setup as tourist traps why not have a good restaurant at this location to say that the gays know our food!
Gay tourists spend an estimated $3 billion a year in the Miami-Dade and Broward combined counties. Which is why you see hotels such as the Lords South Beach and the Royal Palms Beach Resort and Spa preparing for more of that money. In Ft. Lauderdale, the Royal Palms Resort and Spa is just completed a $9 million expansion.
The Lord’s brand is also preparing to expand into New York and West Hollywood as the first gay boutique hotel brand to open in the US. My tip for a gay boutique hotel brand is to have linens that are not white. Things like that could make the hotel really stick out.
There are also i-pod docking stations in all the rooms which these days are a must. The large hotel chains will not be able to keep up with amenities such as this. The Lords South Beach hotel could be the perfect place to host a gay wedding once they finally legalize these in Florida in our lifetimes.
Archive for the ‘Hotels’ Category
South Beach Miami Gay Resort
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011Hotels in San Francisco
Friday, January 5th, 2007I researched online intensely when booking my stay in San Francisco. There are many areas that you can stay in which are considered the best gay friendly hotels since it’s an openly gay and liberal city. My favorite hotels are normally closer to the clubs since that is where my travel takes me. There are many districts in San Francisco including Fisherman Wharfs, Golden Gate Park, Union Square, and the Castro district. You can get deals at hotels from TravelZoo.com at hotels like the Kensington Park Hotel – San Francisco near Union Square.
I stayed at the Inn on Castro which is a nice Victorian looking building on the outside facing Castro and States street. The Inn on Castro featured no parking unless you wanted to walk up and down a steep hill on States street which did not seem like fun to me. There is also parking down the street on 14th street but make sure you move your car when the street sweepers come by or during Monday through Friday 8am to 6pm there is NO WHERE to park in the area. And I mean there is NO WHERE to park during the Monday through Friday business hours./p> The Inn on Castro (innoncastro.com) severed up a free breakfast and had free Wi-Fi but the Wi-Fi had problems when I was staying there. There are also some strange electrical problems at the hotel as well where the fuse went out in the bathroom making the lights and outlets go out until they could reset them. The small Inn is close to the clubs in Castro so you can walk around drunk from the gay bars being a great convenience.
You may also rent out a flat near the Painted Ladies or rent out flats (vrbo.com) if you have a big group of friends coming in town to party or vacation with you. Other hotels you may consider that are close to the gay clubs:
- Ramada Inn at 1231 Market Street with $25 parking (was around $135 a night)
- Hilton – 333 O’Farrell Street, $45 parking