In 2019, One Mile at a Time covered the Sheraton Buganvilias in Puerto Vallarta refusing to host a same sex wedding. Mr. Gay Canada Josh Rimer described the challenges he and his fiancé faced at what’s otherwise considered a gay-friendly destination:
The couple received an email saying the resort was not “specialized to carry out an equal wedding.”
I am infinitely grateful that you have thought of Sheraton for your big day, however, our hotel and our staff is not specialized to carry out an equal wedding and we would not like to take your wedding as a trial and error, and our service could be poor compared to what characterized Sheraton, because we know and we are aware that is your special day for you and your fiance, and do not want that by our non-specialed service some conflict can be generated on your big day, my apologies.
Credit: Sheraton Buganvilias, Puerto Vallarta
In response, the Hilton stepped up and offered to host the wedding at no cost.
We’ve heard you want to get married at Puerto Vallarta and we want to offer you the #HiltonExperience!
We want to celebrate with you this special day, so we’ll gladly host your wedding ceremony and feast for FREE for you and your 45 guests at Hilton Puerto Vallarta! Please send us an inbox!
That was a great response! But it left one wondering about the Sheraton. Lucky speculated that language barriers played a role in how the Sheraton’s message was conveyed, though he made clear it’s not as if the couple had asked for anything out of the ordinary in their wedding event request. And he wondered if it’s staff of an older generation, less-accepting of what’s become otherwise far more accepted and commonplace.
Well, it wasn’t a one-off. Six years later the same property appears to be taking a similar approach to same sex weddings. And this couple brought receipts.
When we reached out to the resort for pricing and availability, the numbers they came back with seemed… unusually high. So, we decided to do a little digging. We had a friend (a woman) submit an identical request for a wedding package with a male partner—same number of guests, same dates, same everything.
The quote they received was significantly cheaper and offered better availability than what we were told.
@illuminaughtytriangle So disappointed that my fiancée and I got discriminated against by #Sheraton in #puertovallarta ♬ original sound – Jeremy Isaac
Maybe it’s just discrimination of a different kind – price discrimination – like OTAs pricing hotels higher for Apple users assuming they’re wealthier and wiling to spend more? Maybe they just think that the same sex couple will pay more for their wedding? Although given this property’s history that seems unlikely.
For an inclusive, welcoming, and thoughtful experience in the sky, please consider Delta.
Glad all the Canadians that are boycotting the US are going to friendly and inclusive Mexico instead
@Chris Exactly because apparently Mexico can’t do anything wrong.
Josh Rimer opened his mouth and a purse fell out.
Surprising, to me, as my wife and I (traditional, woman and man) have been to Sheraton Buganvilias Sunday Brunch close to a couple of hundred times in the last 25 years. Plus we have stayed there, as guests, at least 2/3rd’s of the time. We’ve never witnessed anything untoward. During all this time attending the Brunches, staying there, etc, we’ve seen a great deal of alternative lifestyle couples… Men with men, Women with women. Having, seemingly, a great time. Never witnessed anything out of the ordinary, in respect to customer service (un)kindnesses, etc.
Vallarta is a genuine alternative lifestyle destination. I really believe it has reached the tipping point where, now, a heterosexual couple is probably more likely to feel out of place than a homosexual couple. It’s just the way it is, and has evolved there.
I would wonder if the friend who was quoted a much lower price was from North of the border. Because, in certain situations, Gringo pricing does exist in Puerto Vallarta.
I’m a US citizen who is a legal (card carrying) permanent resident in Mexico. My wife is a Mexican citizen. I always show my Residency card at the Brunch to receive the ~ Locals ~ discount.
My wife lived and worked in Vallarta for 10 years. 2 years living there for me. So, we do have the background knowledge of the area.
Don’t be daft, if the current supreme court was deciding gay marriage, they would vote 6-3 against , the gays in south beach
@Matt — Wow! You were quick on this one! Keep Climbing!
@CHRIS @George N Romey — Fellas, no one said Mexico (or anywhere) is perfect. Besides, I’ve seen your comments on here before–neither of you genuinely care for people of this ‘community’ or that ‘orientation.’ Hmm…
Ok, Gary. You now covered gay marriage, DEI, Fox News. Can we get back to travel news of relevance?
Not here to get gaslit, watch people hurl insults at one another and constantly be reminded how cruel people can be.
@Fred — What a sad ‘take’ on this. I expected folks like you to come here and say mean stuff like that. I wish you wouldn’t. They are human beings, too. They deserve dignity, as do you and I. They, and we all, can and should love whoever and however we wish. Stop the bigotry.
@Parker — I’m with you on this. I suppose all the blogs are trying to enhance their user engagement with ‘red’ meat these days. *facepalm*
We recently attended a gay wedding in Cancun at a resort that had never done one before. They wanted to be a model for gay weddings . They went out of their way to accommodate the 200 guests that attended with about 20 guests who were gay including the two grooms.
So there is that in mexico too.
@anon, there are no more gays in South Beach, unless they are thugs. Gays all migrated to Wilton Manors near Ft Lauderdale in the mid 2000s. South Beach has been “cleansed” of our unwashed….
Thank you for bringing Sheraton’s (and thus Marriott’s) bigotry to our attention. I think they should be ashamed of themselves. Their rejection of the couple is just as bad as refusing an interracial marriage. I think it is important to point these people out so that others know what is going on and can choose to book away whenever possible. So many of your readers are frequent flyers, and their travel naturally ties into hotel guest rewards programs, so exposing the hatred of a hotel that is part of a world-renowned chain is paramount. Gays travel, and they have the power to book whatever hotel they wish. Perhaps it won’t be a Marriott brand next time.
@haolenate — ‘Methinks you doth protest too much…’ Those are quite the 954-specific references you got there. But, even Broward County has changed dramatically over the years. It was practically the only remaining sort-of ‘blue’ part of the state. Yet, after Florida went deeper red, those who knew better have left. I feel for those who remain. I mean, they closed the CubbyHole for goodness sake! Bah!
“Can we get back to travel news of relevance?” Yeah, because hotels and how they treat their customers isn’t relevant travel news. Geez.