Stockholm Gay & Lesbian Network – an introduction In order to attract the LGBT segment, a destination has to subscribe to three core values: openness, diversity and respect. Stockholm is a city which features all three, and it was on the basis of these values that the Stockholm Gay & Lesbian Network was formed. The Stockholm Gay & Lesbian Network is a project within Stockholm Visitors Board which works to market and develop Stockholm as an interesting and attractive destination.
The Stockholm Gay & Lesbian Network functions as a network-based partnership cooperating closely with the travel industry in Stockholm and special interest organizations. The network started in 2005 and works in three year cycles. The project produces a Gay Guide and a Lesbian Guide to Stockholm and is responsible for www.visitstockholm.com/gay-lesbian. The project also organizes educational tours for the travel trade and the media, advertises in targeted media, carries out PR work and participates in fairs, travel shows and events.
The project works closely alongside organizations such as Stockholm Gay Life, QX and Stockholm Pride, as well as VisitSweden. The Stockholm Gay & Lesbian Network is also active within international organizations such as IGLTA (the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association), CMI (Community Marketing) and GayComfort.
Stockholm Gay & Lesbian Network hotels
Berns Hotel, www.berns.se The Berns Hotel is a chic art deco boutique property that calls itself the ‘Designer Hotel for people tired of designer hotels’. The Berns’ previous guests have included Marlene Dietrich and Diana Ross, and was a regular haunt of August Strindberg, who named one of his novels after the hotel’s over-the-top ornately decorated Red Room.
Clarion Hotel Stockholm, www.clarionstockholm.com If modernity is your preferred style, look no further than the excellent Clarion Hotel Stockholm, Stockholm’s largest. Rightly describing itself as ‘Stockholm’s art hotel no 1’, the Clarion offers much more than just a place to stay. Their fascinating collection of contemporary Nordic art can be seen in all rooms and in the hotel’s public areas.
Grand Hôtel, www.grandhotel.se If heritage and tradition is your thing, try the superbly elegant Grand Hôtel, right across from the Royal Palace. The Grand offers exquisite Romantic Weekend breaks that include Champagne and fresh strawberries in your room. Or, if you’re feeling extravagant, check into the Princess Lilian Suite right at the top of the Grand. Northern Europe’s largest suite, it is 330 sqm in size, including its own cinema, gym and sauna. Go on, you know you want to.
Hotel Hellsten, www.hellsten.se A veritable gem of a hotel - the Hotel Hellsten. Cosy and uniquely charming, the Hellsten is a quiet temple of impeccably good taste, from the individually decorated and furnished bedrooms to the exquisite conservatory that is used as the breakfast room – serving up one of the best breakfasts in Stockholm!
Hilton Stockholm Slussen, www.stockholm-slussen.hilton.com Hilton Stockholm Slussen is located in the heart of Stockholm within walking distance to shopping and tourist attractions. Most rooms have a breathtaking view over the old town and the waters of Riddarfjärden.
Hotel Skeppsholmen , www.hotellskeppsholmen.se Situated on the waterfront and surrounded by beautiful nature and captivating culture, this is a place to reload your batteries, only a few minutes’ walk from downtown Stockholm. Listed in many magazines’ hot spot lists this design hotel is a little piece of heaven.
Hotel Stureplan, www.hotelstureplan.se For those who like to dream of the splendours of a bygone age, there is the brand new Hotel Stureplan, a small, intimate hotel located in an elegant 19th century building whose interior design is inspired by traditional Swedish craftsmanship. Bedrooms range from those of classic 18th century Swedish design, with high ceilings, stucco features and chandeliers, through the modern and more simply decorated loft rooms, to the ‘cabin’ rooms, whose design reflects the interior of a yacht, below decks.
Rica Hotel Kungsgatan, www.rica.se/en/Hotels/Rica-Hotel-Kungsgatan/ Stockholm’s true shopping hotel, with an unbeatable location in a classic department store. Located in the recently renovated PUB department store, with its high-end shopping malls, traditional square market, two pedestrian shopping streets and two covered markets right on your doorstep. You can even take the elevator from our lobby straight to the department store’s third floor.
Sheraton Hotel Stockholm , www.sheratonstockholm.com This five-star hotel is located in the very heart of Stockholm’s central business district, shopping areas and attractions. The newly renovated rooms offer stunning views of the city. Warm colors and a distinct Scandinavian design give each of the 465 rooms an intimate and comfortable air. Enjoy the international ambiance and the dynamic menus at the threesixty° Bar and Restaurant
Stockholm Gay & Lesbian Network attractions
Fotografiska, www.fotografiska.eu Fotografiska, which opened in Stockholm in May 2010, is one of the world’s largest meeting places for contemporary photography. Fotografiska presents four unique major exhibitions and about 20 smaller exhibitions annually.
The Hallwyl Museum, www.hallwylskamuseet.se/ The Hallwyl Palace was completed in 1898, when Count and Countess von Hallwyl moved in. At the time, this was Stockholm’s most modern private residence. The eccentric countess collected and catalogued everything from toothbrushes to Steinway pianos, and her unique collection of 50,000 everyday articles and priceless works of art is on show here.
Millesgården, www.millesgarden.se The Millesgården sculpture park is the former home and sculpture garden of Carl Milles, Sweden’s foremost sculptor, and his most stunning works are on display here. Many of these sensual sculptures stand in the park with an amazing view of Stockholm.
QX, www.qx.se/english QX is the largest LGBT-media publisher in Scandinavia with QX Monthly, QX.se, Internet community Qruiser.com and QX online GayMap. QX Publishing started 1995 with the aim to create communication platforms for the LGBT-community in Scandinavia. Today QX publishes a Monthly magazine with a circulation of 32 000 (Controlled by TS/IFABC). The company also publishes the web site QX.se, covering entertainment news as well as political and cultural events.
The Royal Armoury, www.livrustkammaren.se For almost five hundred years, items once in the possession of Swedish monarchs have been kept in the Royal Armoury. From generation to generation, they have built up a collection of memories from the country’s different dynasties, evoking well-known events in Swedish history.
SAS Scandinavian Airlines, www.flysas.com SAS is Northern Europe’s largest airline and one of the world’s most LGBT-friendly airlines. SAS was the first European carrier to launch an LGBT microsite in 2007, www.flysas.com/gay, and in 2010, Scandinavian Airlines hosted the world’s first gay and lesbian weddings in the air through the hugely successful social media campaign Love is in the air. SAS is the national airline of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
The Woodland Cemetery (Skogskyrkogården), www.skogskyrkogarden.se The Woodland Cemetery is on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Drama queens could make a pilgrimage to the strangely romantic and oddly mesmerizing Woodland Cemetery, where Greta Garbo is buried. The cemetery can be found a short ride away from the centre of Stockholm, set within a hundred hectares of heavily-planted pine forest and grassy slopes.
Sightseeing tours, www.stromma.se Stockholm is a city on water, and a boat tour is as essential for visitors to Stockholm as it is for visitors to Venice. The Strömma Canal Company (Strömma Kanalbolaget) runs various boat tours in the city departing from quays near the Royal Dramatic Theatre, the Grand Hôtel and the City Hall. During the Pride festival there are special gay sightseeing tours, specially made for the festival.
The Stockholm City Museum, www.stadsmuseum.stockholm.se The Stockholm City Museum organises gay-themed city walks and boat trips around the city, focusing on Stockholm’s gay heritage.
The Vasa Museum, www.vasamuseet.se The magnificent and unmissable Vasa Museum, which houses a perfectly-preserved warship which sank in Stockholm harbour on its maiden voyage in 1628.
To find out more about what’s going on in LGBT Stockholm have a look at: www.visitstockholm.com/gay-lesbian, www.facebook.com/StockholmInFullGlory, www.twitter.com/gaystockholm or www.twitter.com/lesbiansthlm
More information about Stockholm in our press room. Find more information about Stockholm here: inspirational material, news, facts, images, films and other resources: www.visitstockholm.com/press. Log in to the image bank: [email protected]. Password: media.
Christina Guggenberger, project manager, Stockholm Gay & Lesbian Network at Stockholm Visitors Board, phone: +46 8 508 28533, [email protected].
Stina Bengtsson, social media and agent coordinator, Stockholm Gay & Lesbian Network at Stockholm Visitors Board, phone: +46 8 508 28571, [email protected].
Johan Tegel, press officer, Stockholm Gay & Lesbian Network at Stockholm Visitors Board, phone: +46 8 508 28538, [email protected].
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Byline: Yanan Li - Byline: Yanan Li - Stockholm Visitors Board Stockholm Visitors Board Filename: 00423420.jpg Filename: 00423415.jpg