Axel Hotels is an international

hotel chain A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

, parented by the Axel Corporation aimed to the lgbtq+ community. It was founded in 2003 by Juan P. Julia Blanch and known as the first LGBT and hetero-friendly hotel chain. Albert Olivé is currently the CEO of the hotel chain.

History

The idea to create a hotel was the desire to build a place where

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

people could feel free and comfortable, where diversity is the main value. The first hotel of the chain was opened in 2003 by

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. In 2007, the hotel was opened in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and in 2009 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. According to Axel Hotels, about 75% of hotel guests are LGBT and 25% are guests with

heterosexual Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" ...

orientation. In 2010, Axel Hotels was recognized as the leader in the field of

gay tourism LGBT tourism (or gay tourism) is a form of tourism marketed to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. People might be open about their sexual orientation and gender identity at times, but less so in areas known for violence agai ...

in the Best Hotel category.

Hotel network

Axel Hotels currently has a total of 10 locations, with 6 in

and 4 in other countries. AxelBeach

Maspalomas Maspalomas () is a tourist resort in the south of the island of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, stretching from Bahía Feliz in the east to Meloneras in the west, including the resort towns of San Agustín and Playa del Inglés and San Fernando. ...

is a summer resort with apartments: Branches of Two Hotel by Axel are located in:

Barcelona

Axel Hotel

is the first hotel of the chain. It was opened in July 2003 in

Gaixample The Gaixample (; portmanteau: , , and , "extension") is the nickname of a central area in Barcelona's Eixample district where, since the end of the 20th century, many gay shops, bars, discos and restaurants have existed. Many LGBTs have settled in ...

District, Barcelona and rated in the four-star category. The hotel is located in a chic building of the XIX century and has 101 rooms. In 2015, another hotel, called Two Hotel by Axel, was opened in the southern part of the

District in Barcelona.

Berlin

The three-star Axel Hotel

, located in the

district of

Schöneberg Schöneberg () is a locality of Berlin, Germany. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a separate borough including the locality of Friedenau. Together with the former borough of Tempelhof it is now part of the new borough of Tempelh ...

and built by the architect Iñigo Hernaádez Tobe. It was inaugurated by Berlin mayor

Klaus Wowereit Klaus Wowereit (born 1 October 1953) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and was the Governing Mayor of Berlin from 21 October 2001 to 11 December 2014. In 2001 state elections his party won a plurality of the votes, 29 ...

on March 17, 2009. The hotel has 86 rooms, as well as a large sports center with sauna, steam bath, and massage parlour. It is not the property of Axel Corp., but is leased and managed by the group. In 2017, they opened another property, called Two Hotel by Axel, at

Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf () is the fourth borough of Berlin, formed in an administrative reform with effect from 1 January 2001, by merging the former boroughs of Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf. Overview Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf covers the w ...

Buenos Aires

Axel Hotel

was opened on October 31, 2007 in the historic centre of the Argentine capital,

San Telmo San Telmo ("Saint Pedro González Telmo") is the oldest ''barrio'' (neighborhood) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is a well-preserved area of the Argentine metropolis and is characterized by its colonial buildings. Cafes, tango parlors and antiqu ...

. The hotel had 48 rooms and offers its clients a restaurant, cocktail bar, spa, garden with swimming pool and solarium. "It was closed on 2013 due to the unsafe situation at the city.

Venezia

Axel Hotels started first “hetero-friendly” hotel in Italy, Axel Hotel

Venezia Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islan ...

(

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

) in 2019. The hotel has 43 rooms.

Gran Canaria

AxelBeach

is located on the Spanish island of

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that ...

in the

Playa del Inglés Playa del Inglés (; English: ''Englishman's Beach'') is a beach resort in Maspalomas on the south coast of the island of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands. It is part of the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana San Bartolomé de Ti ...

. It has 92 apartments.

Ibiza

AxelBeach Ibiza is a beach property, located on the landscape in Cala de Bou, next to Sant Antonio bay in the Balearic Islands of

. The hotel has 96 rooms with pool deck and bar.

San Sebastián

Alex Hotel San Sebastián was opened in November 2019. It is located in the city centre of San Sebastián,

and has 100 rooms.

Miami

An Axel Hotel branch is on Collins Avenue,

South Beach, Miami South Beach, also nicknamed colloquially as SoBe, is a neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida. It is located east of Miami between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses Miami Beach south of Dade Boulevard. This area was the ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

References

{{reflist Hotels in Barcelona Hotels in Madrid Hotels in Ibiza Hotels established in 2003 Seaside resorts in Spain Hotels in Venice Hotels in Berlin LGBT tourism