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New Resort Offers Glitz, Glamour of Vegas to Gays13 January 2003LAS VEGAS -- As reported by the Los Angeles Times: ``For John Hessling, it's a matter of comfort. When a gay man checks into a hotel with his partner, he doesn't want to be given a strange look when he requests a room with a king-sized bed. He wants to feel at ease, which is why Hessling is opening the Blue Moon Resort, the first hotel in Las Vegas to cater exclusively to the gay community. ``There are a handful of gay-oriented bed and breakfasts in the city, and properties such as the Mandalay Bay and Four Seasons hotels have long been popular with homosexual men, but 'none of the big hotels cater to a gay clientele,' said Hessling, a slender 37-year-old with a goatee. 'They call themselves gay-friendly, but they don't publicize it.' ``Hessling hopes to change that beginning today, when he and his business and domestic partner, Mike Torres, open the doors to their three-story, 47-room resort along a sleepy, quasi-industrial corridor just three blocks off the Strip. What was once a tacky Travelodge with blue walls and polka-dot carpeting has been gutted and made over to include a pool, Jacuzzi, waterfall, fitness area, steam room, private cabanas and a coffeehouse - all of it styled in an eclectic Latin-Asian theme. ``...Already, bookings have been so strong that Hessling expects to be in the black in one year - an unusually short period of time for a new business..." |