How welcoming is your vacation rental house to LGBTQA+ people?
Could you unknowingly be creating a hostile or unpleasant environment for prospective guests? We want you to consider how your property may be more inclusive and friendly to all visitors, regardless of how they identify or who they love.
Why does LGBTQA+ exist?
Anyone who identifies as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, or Asexual is referred to as LGBTQA+. There are more acronyms, but this is an excellent place to start if you want to provide varied visitors with a more inclusive holiday.
It is no secret that many members of this group still encounter or worry about prejudice and discrimination when away from home, and as a host, you have the opportunity to significantly alter both their vacation and their life.
Justification for welcoming LGBTQA+ visitors
Everyone has the right to feel secure and welcome when traveling, so it should go without saying that there are additional compelling reasons to open your hearts and doors to this group in addition to demonstrating your dedication to non-discrimination.
Make your neighborhood and the tourist sector more inclusive.
If you run an LGBTQA+-friendly Airbnb or vacation rental, you may influence other hosts to follow suit. The industry will improve and become a more welcoming place host by host.
Bring in devoted clients with your spending power.
You must decide who you want to rent your space to as a vacation rental host. From a strictly commercial standpoint, the tourism industry benefits greatly from the LGBTQA+ population.
According to The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association, LGBTQA+ tourists in the United States have an annual purchasing power of $100 billion.
In addition, a poll conducted in 2021 by the same organization found that 36% of 6,300 LGBTQA+ visitors from across the globe intended to stay in vacation rentals rather than hotels or resorts. Therefore, it is reasonable to infer that this group has more money to spend and travels more than the majority. Therefore, it is obvious that it makes financial sense to serve this segment.
You’re more likely to get good evaluations from consumers, acquire repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals if you show some love to your LGBTQA+ visitors.
How can I make my vacation rental more gay-friendly?
Include Everything in your Description
Use inclusive pronouns to describe yourself as a host in your property listings to let LGBTQA+ visitors know they are welcome. This costs nothing and instantly fosters an environment of understanding.
Although the majority of online travel agencies (OTAs) now have anti-discrimination standards in place, prejudice against this population may still occur among individual hosts and is still possible.
Add your Rental Property to gay-friendly OTAs
The biggest LGBTQA+ travel community in the world, with 1 million listings in 200 countries, including private rooms, apartments, and LGBTQA+-friendly hotels, is Misterb&b, sometimes known as “the Airbnb for homosexuals.” You quickly broaden the audience to whom your rental property is visible by adding it to our website.
Fabstayzs is a vacation rental website that caters to the same neighborhood. The company’s purpose is to “be the comfort zone for all tourists who wish to have a fantastic holiday without the fear of disclosure and any concern for acceptance,” which is what we like about them.
They also provide master seminars for hosts and owners who want to learn more about the difficulties experienced by LGBTQA+ tourists and how to accommodate the demands of a wider range of visitors. Bravo!
Show your true colors
Be careful to display recognized LBGTQA+ symbols, such as rainbow-colored flags, lapel pins, and inclusive imagery at your rental property and on your website. Your visitors will understand right once that they will be handled with respect.
Observe Decency
Don’t assume anything about a guest’s preferences for beds or rooms while responding to their requests, and avoid asking any unpleasant inquiries. Always be professional, kind, and considerate in your responses.
Use Gender-neutral pronouns
A pronoun that does not assign a gender to the person being discussed is known as a gender-neutral or gender-inclusive pronoun.
Gender pronouns are third-person singular gender identifiers in the English language. Previously, the pronouns for gender were classified as masculine (he/him/his) and feminine (she/her/hers). Gender binary exclusively acknowledges males and women and separates masculine and feminine. Many individuals don’t identify as one of the two genders. People may choose the pronouns they believe best reflects their identities by using gender-neutral pronouns like they/them or xe/xer/Xers.
Don’t address someone as sir or madam to avoid insulting transgender (a man who has turned into a woman or the other way around) or non-binary (someone who doesn’t identify as male or female) tourists. Always use neutral pronouns and language in interactions.
If a visitor specifies the pronouns, you should use when addressing him, her, or them, make a note of them and be careful to use them in all subsequent discussions.
You could also wish to inquire about the preferred pronouns of your visitors.
Provide gender-neutral facilities
Another simple option to help some visitors from this group feel less excluded is to provide gender-neutral restrooms.
Give information about LGBTQ-friendly places to visit
Find out whether eateries, pubs, clubs, gyms, etc. will accept your LGBTQ+ visitors and provide a helpful guide or list of activities to do close to your property. Add suggestions that are LGBTQA+ friendly to your roundups, welcome manual, or website blog.
Don’t forget to include information on any pertinent help groups, such as the police, in case something unpleasant happens to your visitors while they are there. This demonstrates your concern and awareness of the possibility of assaults and prejudice against them.
Educate your employees
Remember that you are responsible if one of your employees offends an LGBTQ+ visitor while staying at your property. Make sure your workforce is informed and doesn’t accept any discriminatory conduct.
One of the greatest methods to make all visitors feel welcome must be to hire staff members that represent various groups, including age, color, religion, and ability in addition to gender and sexual orientation.
Treat everyone with respect and decency.
Every visitor should be treated with the same respect, but because prejudice is still a problem in our society, your LGBTQA+ guests would appreciate it if you go out of your way to make them feel comfortable and at home.
