Sahcurity

Howdy All -

Traveling with the boyfriend to India in September. We've got 1/2 our time on a packaged tour with hotel reservations, but the other half is on our own. I've been having trouble finding a hotel that I feel comfortable with that fits our needs.

I've heard mixed things about India's reactions to gays, so I'm being more cautious here then I usually am. We'd like something nice, 4/5 star range. Money isn't an issue. The thing that concerns us is that all the hotels we've seen in this range seem to only offer rooms with king sized beds. Normally that wouldn't be an issue, but we're unsure how some hotels would react when two men show up for one bed.

Any thoughts/experiences/advice from my fellow gay travelers?

Thanks!

peteropny

I've not been to India but I think that hotels that are part of a large International chain (particularly US based ones - eg Hyatt, Starwood, Hilton, Marriott) would probably be the best in allaying your concerns.

Sahcurity

That seems reasonable but I was in Argentina and Uruguay with two heterosexual friends and they threw a fit when we said it was okay if we shared a room with two double beds since our three twin bedroom that we booked wasn't ready yet. That experience hasn't assured me that international hotel chains will always respect me.

peteropny

True - and to a certain extent it will depend on the attitude of the desk clerk that you get at check-in. It's always possible to get a very "conservative" clerk in the most "liberal" of hotels. In a way, the desk clerk could be more important to the attitude than the "policy" of the property itself.

I still think that my general comments about a international chain property vs a smaller local property holds though.

jh3327

My husband and I stayed at the Connaught in Delhi this past April. We had requested a queen sized or larger single bed, but when two guys arrived to check in, they suddenly only had rooms with twin beds. The front desk thought it was a mistake in the reservation, but we assured him it was not.
Returning to Delhi after touring the northern part of country, we stayed at the Radisson and had no problems. I highly recommend the Radisson in Delhi - it is a beautiful, modern, new hotel. It is close to the airport so it is very convenient for your last night, and they gave us a 6PM checkout at no extra charge.

tomas.t

Try the Park Delhi. It's modern style, has hip bar + pool lounge. Right in Connaught Place. Based out of London, caters to progressive clientele.

meFIRST

There was no mention of a budget, but if your budget/tastes allow it, there's an Aman that opened recently in New Delhi that I've been dying to go to (soon)


I'm a big fan of the Aman Resorts/GHM hotels - they were both established by the same person. His name escapes me. I've found the accommodations private, the service beyond spectacular. They are used to catering to gay clientele, with discerning tastes. Going back to a regular hotel is tough once you've had the Aman/GHM treatment

If you can get past the nightly room rate, it's quite the experience. My ex threw a hissy fit when he found out what the room rate was when we vacationed together. As soon as we got there, he said "you'd almost need to take gun and shoot me to get me to leave a place like this"

Lol.

zigzag

I second The Aman New Delhi, you will have your own plunge pool with each room. The GM is one of the best in the world and will take great care of you. Your choice of who you sleep with will not be a issue.

Sahcurity

Aman looks amazing but I think it's out of our expected price range. I promised the BF that we'd stay under a certain dollar amount for our accomodations outside of the booked tour.

We've been leaning toward the Imperial due to it's history and location. It's hard to judge distance in Delhi based on maps and articles.

ChiFlyer

Stayed at the Imperial Delhi twice with my partner. Never any question - always felt comfortable. I would recommend it highly on many levels - service, location and gay friendly.

AJLondon

The Imperial will be fine.

The Taj Mansingh also is something you may want to look at. I am often there, and never any issues.

Most international luxury hotels you will be fine, unless you engage in very overt displays of PDA.

dodgeflyer

Nor any issues at the Oberoi when we there last time (October, '12)

adampenrith

The twin room only scenario also occurs in Bali.
Not that they are anti gay, just are not aware that same sex couples exist.
I have seen our double reservations changed at check in.

jasepl

Clearly I'm a bit late to the party, but I'll chime in anyway.

I don't think it will be a problem at all. I've stayed with a male companion in several hotels in India over many years and no one's so much as batted an eyelid. The most reaction I've got is an offer to change to a room with two beds, but a simple "OK" from the receptionist when we declined.

And most of these experiences were before decriminalisation and in places one would expect to be far less open-minded than a massive city like Delhi.

Honestly, for the most part, no one really cares. The moral brigade is largely bothered with policy and public spectacles, And the hotel staff surely have seen it all, and then some.

Did anyone have bad experiences?