Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Even without a gay bar, LGBT tourists have options on Strip

Liaison

Bill Hughes

Liaison at Bally’s.

The fate of Liaison, the Strip’s first gay nightclub inside a casino, exemplifies how difficult it is for a gay venue to become a hit on Las Vegas Boulevard. Liaison closed after less than a year.

But that doesn’t mean the Strip has given up catering to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender tourists. In fact, Strip resorts long have found success with events geared toward the LGBT market.

Gay pool parties, which will start up as warm weather kicks in, are fixtures at one iconic resort. A few properties market themselves specifically to LGBT tourists. And major LGBT events make yearly visits to the Strip.

LUXOR AND MGM RESORTS INTERNATIONAL

People wade in the pool during Temptation Sundays at the Luxor. The event is an LBGT pool party held at the casino on Sundays during the summer months.

People wade in the pool during Temptation Sundays at the Luxor. The event is an LBGT pool party held at the casino on Sundays during the summer months.

This summer will be the sixth consecutive season Luxor will host Temptation Sundays, a weekly LGBT pool party. When it began, the event was the first of its kind on the Strip and since has become a mainstay.

Luxor isn’t the only property owned by MGM Resorts International that specifically targets the LGBT market. New York-New York also has appealed to the LGBT demographic, partly through gay acts in the Cirque du Soleil show “Zumanity.” And every week, the Mirage turns Revolution lounge into a gay bar for an event called Revo Sundays.

MGM Resorts also has sponsored Las Vegas Pride.

TROPICANA LAS VEGAS

Cast members Adore Delano, Bianca Del Rio and Courtney Act celebrate Del Rio's new crowning after being declared the winner of season six of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' during a viewing party for the show's finale at the Tropicana on Monday, May 19, 2014.

Cast members Adore Delano, Bianca Del Rio and Courtney Act celebrate Del Rio's new crowning after being declared the winner of season six of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' during a viewing party for the show's finale at the Tropicana on Monday, May 19, 2014.

The Tropicana stands out among the Strip crowd for the number of LGBT-focused events it presents.

In January, for the third consecutive year, the resort hosted guests for the Sin City Shootout, an annual LGBT sports festival. A few weeks earlier, the Las Vegas Gay Visitors Bureau had its inaugural Evolve New Year’s Eve party at the Tropicana. The resort also hosted a major event for “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” a reality television show popular with LGBT viewers, among other events.

In 2013 and 2014, Tropicana representatives visited LGBT pride festivals throughout the country to promote the resort and build a database of thousands of LGBT customers. Company officials also created a brand, TropLV Glam, that markets the resort to LGBT tourists.

Chief Marketing Officer Fred Harmon said it was a natural evolution. He saw how well the resort was received when it hosted a transgender event and began to realize Tropicana had developed a competitive advantage among LGBT visitors, in part because it had a “very welcoming team.”

“I know that’s not something that can be said with a lot of confidence across the board,” Harmon said.

CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT

Dinah Shore Weekend, a retreat for LGBT women that began in Palm Springs, has become an annual tradition in Las Vegas. Caesars Entertainment is a partner in the event. This year will mark the group’s fourth working with Caesars, which is offering the Flamingo and Planet Hollywood as host hotels.

Caesars focuses on an “integrative approach” to LGBT outreach that has “a lot to do with a commitment to the employees and community partnerships,” said Gwen Migita, Caesars’ vice president for sustainability and corporate citizenship. Among those partner groups is Equal, a volunteer organization for LGBT employees and allies that focuses on business outcomes and professional development.

WYNN RESORTS

Wynn Resorts has taken a different approach to LGBT marketing than its competitors.

Company officials said they have found LGBT customers are less interested in niche services and instead enjoy the same experiences as any other Las Vegas tourists. So the company makes sure all aspects of Wynn Resorts appeal to LGBT guests, spokesman Michael Weaver said.

While the company used to have a special “pride concierge,” now its entire concierge staff is trained to answer LGBT-specific inquiries. Workers scoured the Wynn website to remove gender-specific references, such as “his and her sinks.”

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