Gay-friendly hotel chain to open NYC location

A popular gay Spanish hotel chain will open its first New York City location in 2011, On Top Magazine has reported, with a possible Miami location planned as well. Axel Hotels, an international chain with outposts in Barcelona, Berlin and Buenos Aires, did not confirm the exact address of its new hotel site, but said that it will be located in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. The news is seen as a coup for city tourism officials, who have been courting gay travel with a nearly $2 million ad campaign celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a 1969 Greenwich Village protest identified with the start of the gay rights movement. The New York City location is part of the chain’s recent massive expansion effort — Axel Hotels plans to open new outposts in Amsterdam, London and Paris in the near future.