“Our guests tend to be in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and some in their 70s,” says Jerry Pergolesi, who, with husband Glen Boomhour, owns Bearfoot Inn, one of the desert’s more than two dozen gay, clothing-optional inns. “We do get some guests in their 20s and 30s, but by and large, they represent our lowest demographic.”
Longtime East Canyon Hotel & Spa proprietor Richard Weiss states similar stats. At INNDulge, spouses/owners Jon Jackson and Sandy Miller reveal the ratio of men in their 20s and 30s is “less than 25 percent.” At Triangle Inn, Michael C. Green, co-owner with husband Stephen Boyd, admits that, “Typically, our guests range between 35 and 65.”
Recent studies support this anecdotal evidence. Last December, San Francisco’s Community Marketing & Insights, which has conducted LGBT community research for more than 20 years, released its 19th LGBT Tourism & Hospitality Survey. In a section titled “Gay Guest Houses by Generation,” the company reported that “Compared to baby boomers, millennials are half as likely to stay in small accommodations dedicated to gay men or lesbians. The trend may be a concern for this category of accommodation.”