Berlin, 4 March 2013 | The ITB will be the official launch of the pink pillow Berlin Collection. This new initiative from visitBerlin and the Berlin hotel industry invites hotels to come out as especially welcoming to gay and lesbian visitors to Germany's capital. The pink pillow Berlin Collection provides further evidence that Berlin is a tolerant and open metropolis and one of the world's leading gay travel destinations. That´s why visitBerlin and the Berlin hotel industry wanted to strengthen the city's reputation as an attractive destination for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons. The pink pillow Berlin Collection for the first time sets standards to be identified as especially welcoming. Each participating hotel of the pink pillow Berlin Collection stands for the right that everyone can be the way he wants to be and that every guest should feel safe and welcome. This unique project makes Berlin the first city in the world with a long-term LGBT tourism programme.

Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin, remarks: "In Berlin, tolerance is practised and all people are free to be themselves. The city has now created something new for the gay and lesbian travel market and has established a unique hotel network."

Kicking off with 23 hotels in the pink pillow Berlin Collection

The 23 hotels who have joined the pink pillow Berlin Collection at its launch include the nhow Berlin, the Grand Hotel Esplanade Berlin, the Novotel Berlin Am Tiergarten, the Radisson Blu Hotel Berlin, and The Westin Grand Berlin. The hotel collection will continue to be expanded as more and more hotels join the effort. The latest list can be found at pinkpillow-berlin.com.

A pledge to our LGBT guests

The hotels of the pink pillow Berlin Collection welcome LGBT guests always with professional and courteous service. All participating hotels have signed a special welcoming charter which must be displayed in the hotel. It commits the hotel to value all guests equally. They must also engage in social projects for the LGBT scene and be prepared to offer guests information on the LGBT scene in Berlin.

Pink and proud at ITB, Gay Pride and Overseas

The pink pillow Berlin Collection comes out strong and proud at ITB when it presents itself to the travel trade audience in its own stand in Hall 12. Special service for the ITB weekend: on the days ITB is open to the public, the Maneo night flight attendants are available to answer questions about the new pink pillow initiative and help Berliners and visitors to Berlin with tips and sage advice on having a safe and relaxed time partying. In Hall 2.1a, the new pink pillow collection presents itself at the Pink Pavilion.

Among the highlights for June's Christopher Street Day (gay pride festival) is a special CSD Rail Package offering unique deals on trips to Berlin. During Berlin Pride Week, the week between the Schwul-lesbisches Stadtfest (Gay-Lesbian City Festival, 15–16 Jun) and Christopher Street Day (Gay Pride, 22 Jun), Berlin will be host to more than 200 LGBT-oriented events. The Bahnhit (CSD Rail Package) can be booked for this period at visitberlin. The rail package includes travel from any German rail station to Berlin with Deutsche Bahn and three nights with breakfast in one of the pink pillow hotels – starting at just €259. More at pinkpillow-berlin.com or Tel +49(0)30-250025.

To make visitors more aware of the pink pillow Berlin Collection, visitBerlin is undertaking various marketing activities in Germany and in selected foreign markets. A road show through the Scandinavian capitals of Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm is planned for April. The pink pillow initiative will also be present during the CSD festivals in Cologne (5–7 Jul) and Munich (6–14 Jul).

Berlin recognised the gay and lesbian traveller segment as one with enormous international market potential. Estimates indicate that LGBT guests currently represent about 6% of the overnight stays in Berlin. visitberlin is actively working to attract LGBT visitors to Berlin and has been coordinating with various organisations for eleven years on this project. The pink pillow Berlin Collection is a concrete initiative which sets Berlin apart from other popular LGBT destinations (such as New York, San Francisco, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Tel Aviv, Rio and São Paulo).

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For more information on LGBT-friendly Berlin and all of the hotels participating pink pillow Berlin Collection, as well as hotel booking and special Berlin tips, go to: pinkpillow-berlin.com.

For high resolution pictures, logo and charter of pink pillow Berlin Collection go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/visitberlin/sets/72157632646441789/