Luxury hotel puts Buenos Aires on gay travel map

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters Life!) - Argentina's first luxury gay hotel opened its doors to paying guests on Thursday, cementing the reputation of Buenos Aires as the gay capital of Latin America.

Featuring a roof-top swimming pool with a glass floor that can be seen from the entrance lobby below, the five-star Axel Hotel is located among the antique shops, cobbled streets and steakhouses of San Telmo, a colonial-era district popular with tourists.

In a country better known for machismo, Buenos Aires is building a reputation as a Latin American gay destination. It was the first city in the region to legalize gay unions and the city government proudly touts the capital as "South America's most important destination for gay travelers" on its Web site.

"We chose Buenos Aires because we think it's a wonderful city and very gay-friendly," said Juan Julia, the founder of Axel Hotels, which has a similar hotel in Barcelona.

Rooms at the $7 million, 48-room hotel cost as much as $355 per night and are designed to appeal especially to gay guests, but open to everyone, according to its managers.

"Our touch has been to change gay-friendly to hetero-friendly. Everyone who comes to this hotel will obviously be welcome," Julia told local television at an opening party complete with an all-male tango show.

Tourism is booming in Buenos Aires and travel agencies keen to cash in on the lucrative gay market already offer everything from tango classes to wine-tasting for gay holidaymakers.