Barcelona, Buenos Aires and Berlin are our Axel Cities, we love them and we wanted our fans shared their top tips for enjoying them.

During the promotion we recieved a lot of pharses, opinions and advices and we want to share with us some of them:

“Having the pleasure of staying in the Jewel of Barcelona, Axel Hotel Barcelona three times, my tip is to stay longer. Extend your stay by at least two days as Axel Hotel Barcelona has too much to see itself. So, spend two days poolside and relax a bit. Get to know the staff and the clientele as I have made friends for life. You should too…so, stay two extra for you.”

“Enjoy shopping Berlin with Kadewe two steps away. Enjoy gay Berlin with bars and restaurants one step away. Or just enjoy stylish Berlin and stay where you are… at Axel!”

“Of course , for parties during night and day. Barcelona is a city for smiling people who can find a great beach , great parties and a protected environment just a few walks away from the city.”

“Although the culture and nightlife in Berlin is one of the best in the world (the best in my opinion) people travelling to Berlin should always take the time to visit the gay holocaust memorial. The gay men and women who were caputed during the holocaust are not generally regarded as victims of the holocaust so even if only 1 couple reads this and goes to visit it it will keep the memory of these people alive.”

“Axel Hotel Barcelona gives you a first class experience. Take in the details. From the lobby to the rooftop the hotel is gorgeous. Axel provides the ultimate “heterofriendly” accommadation. From the moment you walk inside you feel that we have finally arrived. You are in the gay neighborhood. Bars, clubs, restaurants and shops are just minutes from Axel. I love restaurant La Flauta. It is only one minute from the hotel”.

“The Axel Berlin, was at the top of our list after a long day…. but the Day we spent at Gleis 17 and Sachsenhausen was the most humbling touching experience of my life!! Berlin is an absolutely amazing city with so much history packed into it!!”

“For sure Europe’s leading city for a combination of Culture, Dining, Partying and Beach in a gay and heterofriendly way !”

“While the nightlife is amazing and the tourist sites are incredible, nothing beats a lazy afternoon at an outdoor restaurant ordering tapas and sangria and watching all the beautiful barcelenos walk by…”

Cristian Camilo is a young Argentine tango singer, who has been making successful appearances at the corner of Homero Manzi, landmark of Buenos Aires. The show incorporates the most famous tango themes and includes a dancers performance by Cristina Coppola and Pedro Ochoa.

On the other hand, the saxophonist Yamile Burich is a frequent guest at the musical events of Axel Hotel Buenos Aires. Her performances have a beautiful and pure sound that is characterized by its ductility. Her quartet is comprised of top musicians whose main characteristic is the energy of the shows and the artistic quality.

Let’s start the season with the rhythm of Swing and Tango.

Pablo De Luca, president of the Argentine Gay-Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (Coglar) forecasted that homosexual tourism this year is set to represent 21% of all visitors to Buenos Aires, well ahead of the previous 17% record of 2008.

“It’s simply astonishing how the number of tourists has grown with the new marriage bill, as well as the surging number of businesses in tours, gastronomy, medicine that have surfaced since”, said De Luca during the International Tourism Fair which was held in Buenos Aires.

As an example of this booming inflow De Luca revealed that “every day homosexuals and lesbians from Uruguay” arrive in Buenos Aires to get married, a phenomenon repeated in the city of Mendoza, west Argentina, with Chileans and in Córdoba (centre province) with Peruvians.

A survey from the Argentine Gay-Lesbian chamber of commerce indicates that Argentina has become the main attraction for Colombian homosexuals and the cities of Buenos Aires and Bariloche (winter resort in Patagonia) are among the most looked after cities for the Latin American travellers.

The great competitors of Buenos Aries are the Brazilian city of Rio do Janeiro and Mexico’s Cancún, which has prompted Coglar to request from the Argentine government to organize music, sports, art and other events specifically to cater homosexuals.

Coglar also called on the government to help promote other cities such as Iguazú, next to the world famous water-falls and Bariloche, since 70% of all gay tourism is absorbed by Buenos Aires.

The new same sex legislation approved last July by the Argentine congress has also triggered a boom of “gay-friendly” companies and services, specializing in catering this visitors’ segment.

“By the end of the year we’ll have 130 companies associated to Coglar, which is three times more than the 37 with which we took off in early 2010”, revealed De Luca.
According to the Coglar survey the main tourist attractions in Argentina for the homosexual segment, aged between 35 and 55, are related to cuisine, cultural activities and night leisure and amenities.

De Luca called on Argentine enterprises to adapt their products and services to the new scenario generated by the same sex marriage bill.

The survey showed that 60% of homosexual visitors prefer to contract ‘gay-friendly’ companies and half of them are contemplating some sort of aesthetics surgery or lift-up during their stay in Argentina.

Further on De Luca pointed out that homosexuals overall belong to a higher income bracket than the average heterosexual visitor and have a higher “brand fidelity” as well as a greater interest in travelling, using internet and the latest fashions.

The Coglar survey also pointed out that 64% of Argentine homosexuals and lesbians have expressed marriage intention, while 25% oppose such a move.

The International Tourism Fair in Buenos Aires for the first time this year had a “pink corner”, an area with 26 outlets from Argentina and international companies promoting homosexual tourism in Argentina.

De Luca said that gay oriented business in Argentina had a turnover of 15 billion US dollars in 2009. This compares with the 715 billion spent by the gay community in the United States in 2008.

Are you on Social Media? Be friends and fans with Axel Hotels!

We share the latest updates from our hotels and news of the gay community around the world through Facebook, Flickr and Twitter accounts. We´d be happy to share our news and hear from you as well!

Axel Hotel´s Flickr photo stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/axelhotels/sets

Axel Twitter: http://twitter.com/axelfriendly

Facebook Axel Hotel Barcelona: http://www.facebook.com/axelhotelbarcelona

Facebook Axel Hotel Berlin: http://www.facebook.com/axelhotelberlin

Facebook Axel Hotel Buenos Aires: http://www.facebook.com/axelhotelbuenosaires

Our website, www.axelhotels.com, is always open for you. Keep in touch with us!

The art comes to Axel Hotels Buenos Aires by the hand of the artist RAUL CONTI, come and discover the works of this artist born in Argentina in 1931 and a U.S. citizen since 1996.

Hands are shaken and pick up the Suns, flowering plants with roots above ground suggesting uprooted youth, bright yellow, the rebirth of corn or American sentiment, a broken color, the lonely death of the native Indian, plants, earth, fertility and rebellion are part of the wonderful world that reveals this great painter.

Raul Conti has made important individual exhibitions in Argentina, Panama, Colombia, United States, Spain and Puerto Rico. Between his works we can find pictures, aerotintas, serigraphs, etchings, tapestries, paintings and sculptures, over 50 years of work

On Wednesday April 28th at 19:30 at Axel Hotel Buenos Aires

Washington DC - there's hope!

Today, D.C.’s Council made it official and same-sex marriage is now legal in the district by a final vote of 11-2!

The victory for equal rights prompted public witnesses in the Council chambers to cheer and applaud.

The bill, which may be signed into law by D.C.’s mayor as early as tonight, will go before Congress for a review period of 30 legislative days before it becomes law.

Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) stated:

“Today is the final step in a long march toward equality.”

Source Text:

www.gayagenda.com

Gay marriage rights

From the NY Times:

An Argentine couple’s attempt to unite in Latin America’s first gay marriage was thwarted Tuesday when city officials decided to block the wedding because of conflicting judicial rulings.

Jose Maria Di Bello and Alex Freyre showed up at the Buenos Aires civil registry office despite a national judge’s ruling late Monday that overturned a city court’s decision to permit them to wed. The first judge ruled again Tuesday that they could wed.

The couple, dressed in black suits, silver ties and a red band symbolizing AIDS awareness, waited for hours in the municipal office as officials debated which judge to obey. They were surrounded by supporters and a swarm of media.

”It’s hard to have to spend this day waiting for a right that should have been ours,” said Freyre, as he fought to hold back tears.

In a twist of events, the final decision fell to Mayor Mauricio Macri, who had originally given the green light to the wedding. Among cheers and chants in what felt like the final seconds of championship game, the lawyers came out to announce the news: The city would not allow the marriage until the Supreme Court has ruled on the case.

Gay rights groups expressed anger at the decision and said they would march to city hall in protest.

Source Text:

www.gayagenda.com

Spring is back in Buenos Aires with the famous pool party at the Axel Hotel!

Find the photos on our flickr photostream and enjoy the special moments of the opening of the spring season at the Sky Bar and the Pool at Axel Hotel Buenos Aires.

www.axelhotels.com/buenosaires

Buenos Aires Networking Gathering - IGLTA

On October 15, IGLTA hosted a successful Networking Reception at Axel Hotel’s Sky Bar in beautiful Buenos Aires.

More than 50 attendees enjoyed meeting with Alfredo Ferreyra, IGLTA’s Ambassador to Argentina, Tom Nibbio, IGLTA’s Manager of Global Partnerships, and the Axel Hotel staff, who hosted this reception in honor of their new Silver Level Global Partnership with IGLTA. Membership continues to grow in Argentina and South America!