Pink Choice Featured on Springwise.com

Springwise is the highly popular report on smart new business ideas. It has a global network of 8,000 spotters who scan the globe for the Next Big Thing.
Shortly after our launch, Springwise featured Pink Choice on their weekly newsletter:



Launched a few weeks ago, Pink Choice is a review website for gay and lesbian travellers. The company was founded by the owners of two successful gay guesthouses in Massachusetts, who were frustrated by the lack of relevant information when planning their own holidays. While TripAdvisor and other online travel review communities feature a wealth of user-generated information about hotels and holiday destinations, no such website exists specifically for a non-straight audience.

Pink Choice aims to feature the most reliable, honest and trusted reviews exclusively for gay and lesbian travellers seeking first-hand information about gay-friendly accommodation worldwide. Besides encouraging members to post reviews and rate hotels, Pink Choice will also hand out annual Pink Choice awards, that will be presented to hotels, guesthouses and inns that have provided the very best in gay and lesbian accommodation.

Based on conservative estimates, the American gay and lesbian community alone represents a USD 65 billion travel market (source: Community Marketing, Inc). Which makes Pink Choice seem like a very smart move. The website currently only features a few dozen destinations, and the number of reviews is very limited. Time for users to start generating content!

Springwise September 10, 2006

Gay Cruises are on the Seas and in the Mainstream

Memorial Day weekend 2007 and Cunard’s behemoth liner the Queen Mary 2 will depart for a routine six-day Atlantic crossing from New York to Southampton, England, with the usual white-glove service, decadent cuisine and formal evening wear after sundown. The difference this time: practically all the guests aboard the 2,592-passenger cruise will be gay. It’s a first for Cunard. The line signed a deal earlier this year with RSVP Vacations, a gay travel company that has chartered the ship. The agreement is one sign among many of gay cruises’ progression into the mainstream of cruise travel.

Full Story: http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/travel/29prac.html

London Restaurants Worth Visiting

On our last visit to London we had stunning dinner in the Greenhouse Restaurant tucked away in the heart of Mayfair, a great lunch at Cecconi's just off Regent Street at the end of Saville Row, and another dinner atPatterson’s. The pizza restaurant in Harrods is always good for lunch.

If you have any restaurant recommendations or any to be avoided, send a blog.

London Hotel Worth Visiting

We discovered a smashing hotel located in St James' Place called Dukes Hotel. The hotel is tucked away in the heart of St James, boarded by Green Park and the Mall. Dukes hotel is right out of “Upstairs, Downstairs” - elegant, discreet, charming and 5 star. We normally pop in for a pre theater/restaurant cocktail. They serve one of the best martini’s in London.

If you have a favorite hotel or one you would recommend to your worst enemy, send a blog.

Become a Pink Choice Member

It’s quick, it’s simple and it’s free.

As a member, you can post as many reviews as you like about your experiences in a hotel, inn or guesthouse where you have recently stayed; good, bad or indifferent. And the more reviews a property receives, the more credible and trustworthy their rating becomes.

And there’s one more benefit to being a member, you are automatically entered in the Pink Choice Sweepstakes which will be drawn on March 31, 2007. You could win one of three spectacular prizes:

1st Prize - 7 night stay at the Oxford in Provincetown during 2007 subject to availability plus $500 towards travel

2nd Prize – 3 night stay at the Oxford in Provincetown during 2007 subject to availability plus $250 towards expenses.

3rd Prize – Round trip tickets Boston – Provincetown – Boston on
Cape Air subject to availability.

So join today, and you could be spending a vacation in Provincetown next summer.

Pink Choice Supports the Gay Men's Domestic Violence Project

Pink Choice is proud to be a supporter of the Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project based in Boston, Massachusetts. This ground breaking non-profit organization offers victims of gay domestic violence a safe haven in which to recover and receive counseling. If you would like to see how you can help this vitally important organization go to www.gmdvp.com

We have just learned that Gov Mitt Romney is attempting to veto all state funding for the GMVDP. On November 10th, three days after the election and one day after the celebratory Constitutional Convention, Governor Romney evoked a seldom-used state finance law, Chapter 29 section 9c, to make spiteful deletions, cutting 425 million out of the budget. As was the case this past summer when the Governor tried to veto these same GLBT domestic violence funds, this cut is the only domestic violence cut to affect a community program (the other domestic violence cut is a reduction in state administration and salary costs). Romney once again said his rationale for this cut was to remove earmarks from the budget; however, he left over 4 million dollars in earmarks for mainstream domestic violence programs untouched. Once again, Romney blatantly discriminates against GLBT folks for his own presidential political aspirations – pumping up his anti-gay resume and lamely trying to disguise it as fiscal prudence.

We urge you to call your state senator and representative. You can find out who they are and their phone number by going to the MassEquality website and entering your address.

Call the Speaker of the House Sal DiMasi at (617) 722-2500

Call the Senate President Robert Travaglini at (617) 722-1500

Call the Chair of House Ways and Means Robert DeLeo (the budget committee) (617) 722-2990

Call the Chair of Senate Ways and Means Therese Murray (the budget committee) (617) 722-1481

Say you are calling to voice your outrage at Mitt Romney’s spiteful and ill-advised cuts. You are tired of Romney playing with the lives of Massachusetts residents, especially the most needy, to set the stage for his presidential candidacy. You want the legislature to do what is right for Massachusetts -- stand up to Romney and restore the cuts that directly impact human services. Especially, you want the legislature to make sure it restores funding for GLBT domestic violence.

If you feel comfortable expressing action steps, you can ask the legislator to:
· Bring the legislature back into session now, not in January
· Override the Governor’s veto of the “rainy day fund transfer”
· Pass a supplemental budget to restore the cuts that directly impact human services. Especially, the cuts to GLBT domestic violence. (line item 4513-1130)

American Airlines Launches AA.COM/RAINBOW

AMERICAN AIRLINES LAUNCHES AA.COM/RAINBOW
THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE AIRLINE WEB PAGE FOR GLBT TRAVELERS

Wyndham Hotels and Resorts Offering 20 Percent Booking Discount
to Celebrate Launch of AA.com/rainbow

American also Begins New Online Advertising on Major GLBT Travel Sites

FORT WORTH, Texas – Welcoming travel-eager and net-savvy GLBT consumers is an American Airlines tradition. Building on the popularity of its AAVacations.com/rainbow microsite for holiday packages, American Airlines has launched AA.com/rainbow, a comprehensive new page on its award-winning Web site designed especially for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) travelers.

The new www.aa.com/rainbow page provides GLBT visitors with all of the rich content and features of AA.com – like Lowest Fare Guarantee, up to 1,000 AAdvantage® mile booking bonus, and no booking fees – plus new content of interest to GLBT travelers, including a comprehensive community events calendar listing available special discounts, an e-newsletter with GLBT travel tips and deals, and more.

To commemorate the launch of AA.com/rainbow, AAdvantage program partner Wyndham Hotels and Resorts is offering a 20 percent discount through April 1, 2007, on reservations made through AA.com/rainbow.

“By partnering with American Airlines to offer special rates for GLBT travelers, we continue to celebrate the individuality of our guests,” said Cordey Lash, Wyndham National Account Manager –International and GLBT Strategic Partnerships. “Wyndham’s diverse and upscale portfolio of properties provides GLBT travelers with a number of ideal vacation destinations ranging from Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C., and Palm Springs to New Orleans and St.Thomas.”

A series of imaginative GLBT-focused American Airlines ads will appear online the first week of November on travel pages of major GLBT community Web sites. Each of the two ads features a symbol important to the GLBT community (the rainbow or HRC's equality symbol), communicates a clever airline theme, and encourages consumers to click on a link to visit the new AA.com/rainbow page. The ads may be previewed online at www.aa.com/rainbow.

A unique feature of AA.com/rainbow is the functionality that gives back to the GLBT community through the Business ExtrAA program, a travel program designed for small businesses in which many major GLBT groups participant. GLBT travelers can support their favorite organizations each time they book a flight on AA.com/rainbow by providing the organization’s Business ExtrAA identifier code when making an online reservation. The travelers earn AAdvantage miles for themselves while their favorite organization earns Business ExtrAA points toward free travel, offsetting the organization’s travel expenses so it can direct resources to other needs.

GLBT travelers can help many organizations through Business ExtrAA. For example, those traveling to attend Black Tie Dinners in Dallas, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Seattle, San Antonio or Washington, D.C., this autumn can easily provide HRC’s Business ExtrAA identifier code (527567) as they book on AA.com/rainbow. The Business ExtrAA identifier codes for many other community activities can be found on the AA.com/rainbow “Events” Page.

“American is the only airline to offer such a robust, one-stop online welcome for GLBT travelers,” said George Carrancho who, with colleague Betty Young, comprises American’s unique Rainbow TeAAm that focuses exclusively on the GLBT community’s travel needs. “Adding the comprehensive GLBT community events calendar, a forthcoming travel newsletter, and other exciting content enhancements to AA.com’s standard features – such as fees like other travel sites charge, earning up to 1,000 mile booking bonus, and Lowest Fare Guarantee – we’re confident that AA.com/rainbow will quickly become a favorite of GLBT travelers worldwide.”

AA.com/rainbow offers a wide range of functionality and content, including:

* Schedules and fares for American and hundreds of other airlines worldwide
* AAVacations.com/rainbow for gay-welcome travel packages
* GLBT community calendar, listing special rates for major events worldwide
* Special e-newsletter for GLBT travelers
* Admirals Club memberships and day pass purchases
* Business ExtrAA small business travel program
* AA Group & Meeting Travel arranging deals for groups of 10 or more travelers
* Podcasts with topics and tips of interest to GLBT travelers (coming soon)
* Sponsorship proposal submission link
* No booking fees
* Lowest Fare Guarantee
* Ability to manage AAdvantage member account

American Airlines is a founding member of the global oneworld® Alliance, offering a network of more than 600 destinations in more than 135 countries and territories.

Copyright IGLTA

Enhance Your Listing on Pink Choice

Property owners may want to consider the benefits gained from enhancing their listing. With just a small investment, your page will attract visitors to the site.
There are two types of listing.

A basis listing is just that, basic. All that appears is the property name, address, telephone number, room number and rates. There are no pictures, no property description, no amenities listed or active links to your web site or email.

An “enhanced listing” offers all those features plus…
• All the advertising space on the individual property page that can be used to show case the property with pictures.
• Banner advertisements and links to multiple URLs such as a reservations program.
• The advertisements can be customized to your specific needs and we will happily help with the design free of charge.

If you need more information, call us on 888-432-7465 or email us at info@pinkchoice.com

Welcome to the Pink Choice Blog

Today, we launch the Pink Choice Blog, an integral part of our new and fast growing site. We’ll keep you posted on things that are happening with the site, new destinations being added each day, and information about how well we’re growing.

It will also give business owners a platform to tell members and site visitors of a special event or special promotion they are offering.