10 years of “pink pillow Berlin Collection” – visitBerlin celebrates the LGBTQ+ hotel network

Berlin, July 2023 For tomorrow's start of "Pride Month Berlin" (June 28 to July 27, 2023) with many events, visitBerlin celebrates a special anniversary: As the first city worldwide with its own set of LGBTQ+ hotels, the “pink pillow Berlin Collection” celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The extraordinary initiative by visitBerlin and 65 Berlin hotels specifically targets queer tourists with LGBTQ+-friendly accommodations in the tolerant and open metropolis of Berlin.

“In Berlin, you can be what you want to be. Our ‘pink pillow Berlin Collection’ makes Berlin an even more attractive travel destination for the LGBTQ+ community. In recent years, a diverse hotel offer has developed here, which meets the expectations of LGBTQ+ guests and is unique in the world”, says Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin.

Philip Ibrahim, Spokesperson for the “pink pillow Berlin Collection” and Hotel Director of The Social Hub Berlin, adds: “The objective of our hotel network has been clear to us since 2013, which was to create a sustainable offer for queer guests from all across the world. And we have achieved that goal. We want to be a role model for other metropolises. The more cities participate, the more the topic of inclusion will become self-evident.”

Berlin dazzles in rainbow colours – especially to the pride events in July

The German capital is one of the most popular destinations in the world for the LGBTQ+ community. That’s because the gay-lesbian and queer scene is particularly alive here. Hundreds of thousands of guests are expected to visit the gay-lesbian city festival around the Nollendorfplatz on the 15th and 16th of July, the Drag Brunch on the 18th of June and the Christopher Street Day 2023 on the 22nd of July .

Hotel network with Charter for Tolerance and Diversity

The city proves that Berlin is capable of LGBTQ+ friendly tourism with the "pink pillow Berlin Collection". The inclusive hotel network that now has more than 60 members have signed a Charter. This self-obligation includes, among other things, that all guests receive the same regard. The hotels are also involved in the LGBTQ+ scene and make target group-specific offers for it. This way, the initiative supports the LGBTQ+ community publicly as a social-civic minority and campaigns for their rights, for tolerance and diversity - and has been doing so for ten years now. The “pink pillow Berlin Collection” started in 2013 with 23 hotels, including the nhow Berlin, the Grand Hotel Esplanade Berlin, the Novotel Berlin Am Tiergarten, the Radisson Blu Hotel Berlin and The Westin Grand Berlin.They have remained loyal to the initiative to this day. Through marketing measures at home and abroad, visitBerlin's hotel collection has worn its heart on its sleeve from the very beginning. For example, it showcases itself every year at the ITB, the leading trade fair for the global tourism industry, or at road shows in Scandinavia, Belgium, Poland or The Netherlands. The hotel network has also been represented for many years with a stand at the Berlin Lesbian and Gay City Festival or on the CSD boat. The “pink pillow Berlin Collection” by visitBerlin has been a part of the Proud Experiences since 2019. And this year, this took place from the 5th to the 7th of June, together with the Schlosshotel Berlin by Patrick Hellmann and for the first time in Los Angeles. The event connects executives from the lifestyle and travel industry and helps develop business strategies to support the LGBTQ+ community.

Party and podcast in pink July - how visitBerlin is celebrating ten years of pink pillow

It goes without saying that the “pink pillow Berlin Collection” is celebrating its tenth anniversary: On 14 July, there will be a birthday party at the Hotel Berlin, Berlin on Lützowplatz, where invited guests from the LGBTQ+ community and international multipliers from the industry will come together to celebrate.

The importance of queer-friendly tourism will also be demonstrated by the LGBT+ Tourism Expo on the 20th of July in Rio de Janeiro - visitBerlin will be presenting the “pink pillow Berlin Collection” here on the occasion of its tenth anniversary. The fair is the only major event on this topic in Brazil. Therefore, it is all the more important that it offers a platform for exchange to the travel industry. This is because the Brazilian LGBTQ+ market is the second largest in the world after the USA. The queer community includes about 20 million people who spend nearly 30 billion dollars a year on foreign travel. The South American country is also strongly represented in the gay-lesbian tourism association IGLTA, of which visitBerlin is a member.

The world is colourful - and so has Berlin been for a long time now. This will be evident in the new Podcast episode “Berlin Unboxed” (in German) of visitBerlin, which is going to be on air in July. “SchwuZ & queer” the legendary LGBTQ+ club in Neukölln will be in the spotlight in episode 19. Having evolved from the political gay movement in 1977, SchwuZ is Germany's oldest queer club and still the largest cultural institution on the scene. This place sees up to 1400 people celebrating colourful Berlin, themselves and above all, life itself here almost every night. The acoustic club tour with Managing Director Florian Winkler-Schwarz begins at the Pepsi Boston bar. It is named after Pepsi Boston, the founder of SchwuZ. It is about the history of the club and the LGBTQ+ scene in Berlin and about many courageous people. It also talks about concepts related to the queer culture and an inclusive language culture - goals and issues that the “pink pillow Berlin Collection” has been working towards for ten years now. Happy Birthday!

Berlin always excels in LGBTQ+ rankings

It is for a reason that Berlin is one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly cities in Europe. It was at the 2nd spot among 50 cities in the LGBTQ-Index 2022. The ranking takes into account criteria such as the number of queer-friendly bars, LGBTQ+ equality in the country or average prices for accommodation. With more than 60 bars for LGBTQ+ people, the capital is one of the frontrunners in Europe. Berlin also ranked 2nd in the world in the Pride-Index 2022, after Paris and before Stockholm. These three European cities host the best Pride events celebrating the equality and achievements of the LGBTQ+ community. Berlin also scored in the Ranking of the most LGBT-liberal cities of the world and secured the 3rd place – after New York and Cologne.

More information:  LGBTQ+ website for Berlin as a travel destination, blog article about top events around CSD & Pride Month as well as the “pink pillow Berlin Collection” hotel network.