Howard Johnson Florida Plaza Hotel in Buenos Aires

[+ Axiom2001]

Alert! Alert! Alert! Last Friday a friend of mine found out the scoop on this venue when he attempted to make reservations. Roberto, "our man in Buenos Aires" sent him the most informative email regarding the change in the hotel's policy regarding registered gay guests.

 

It appears that this venue NO LONGER wants our business, thus Sr. Daniel Porce, manager at this HJ's is now sending his gay registered guests to Howard Johnson DaVinci which is located a few blocks for the HJFlorida.

 

I hope to be in Buenos Aires next month for eight days and received an email from Roberto yesterday stating that Sr. Porce has changed my original one from the HJ Florida to the DaVinci.

 

I am quite elated that the change was made. I also sent the manager two emails requesting this change.

 

But guys, I applaud Roberto for interceding for me! Read ALL info. at this site re: BA and "OUR Man..."

[bigguyinpasadena]

The two properties do not seem to be comparable according to the reviews on tripadvisor.com and fodors.The Ave florida property having much better reviews.

So,,,,What happened to make Sr.Ponce so wary of gay clients?He went from offering boys for rent(via a picture book kept under the desk)to "walking"one of Robertos clients to a different(and lesser?)property.

[bigguyinpasadena]

The two properties do not seem to be comparable according to the reviews on tripadvisor.com and fodors.The Ave florida property having much better reviews.

So,,,,What happened to make Sr.Ponce so wary of gay clients?He went from offering boys for rent(via a picture book kept under the desk)to "walking"one of Robertos clients to a different(and lesser?)property.

[trilingual]

I don't think anything made Daniel Porce wary of gay clients, as Daniel is gay himself. I think the HoJo on Florida found it was now doing well enough that it didn't need his services to market the hotel, but another HoJo realized that this was a way to build their own business.

 

The "new" HoJo is downtown but not as centrally located as the one of Florida, which has a virtually unsurpassable location. However, the rates are lower at the other HoJo. I haven't seen the "new" HoJo myself, but Roberto has and I gather it's fine. Roberto is a connaiseur of hotels and knows what kind of places Americans (and others) like, so I'm sure he wouldn't say a place is OK if he felt any readers here wouldn't be comfortable there.

[trilingual]

I don't think anything made Daniel Porce wary of gay clients, as Daniel is gay himself. I think the HoJo on Florida found it was now doing well enough that it didn't need his services to market the hotel, but another HoJo realized that this was a way to build their own business.

 

The "new" HoJo is downtown but not as centrally located as the one of Florida, which has a virtually unsurpassable location. However, the rates are lower at the other HoJo. I haven't seen the "new" HoJo myself, but Roberto has and I gather it's fine. Roberto is a connaiseur of hotels and knows what kind of places Americans (and others) like, so I'm sure he wouldn't say a place is OK if he felt any readers here wouldn't be comfortable there.

[bigguyinpasadena]

So Tri-did they move Sr. Ponce to the Da Vinci Hojo?That was not mentioned in Axiom's(the guy who was walked)post.

I think you would be well justified ,as a matter of duty,to make a little trip to BA to check things out!

:+

[bigguyinpasadena]

So Tri-did they move Sr. Ponce to the Da Vinci Hojo?That was not mentioned in Axiom's(the guy who was walked)post.

I think you would be well justified ,as a matter of duty,to make a little trip to BA to check things out!

:+

[trilingual]

I don't know if the two HoJos are owned by the same company. (Many chain hotels these days are franchises; they may use the logo and reservations system of the chain, but the ownership and management may be independent.)

 

Daniel had an arrangement with the HoJo on Florida to attract gay clients through special rates and extra services. I'm guessing he has a similar arrangement with the DaVinci HoJo. If I hear more from him directly, I'll post the info.

 

BTW, stay tuned for developments in general on the Argentina front. Drey and I have nearly completed the http://www.GayTravelBrazil.com site and are on the verge of starting GayTravelArgentina. (Putting these things together is a lot more work than I imagined, although we won't have to reinvent the wheel when we do the Argentina site.) You'll be able to reserve travel to Argentina through the new site, with the assurance you'll be getting good prices and staying at gay-friendly hotels and apartments. The new site will also have comprehensive information about Buenos Aires and other Argentine destinations. We're very proud of the wealth of information and excellent deals we've been able to offer on http://www.GayTravelBrazil.com and we intend for GayTravelArgentina to become the "gold standard" for gay travel to Argentina, too. Needless to say, we expect to work with Daniel and Roberto and other trusted friends in Argentina to be sure everyone who books their travel through the site has a great experience! As soon as the new site is on the air, we'll post the information here and on GTB.

[trilingual]

I don't know if the two HoJos are owned by the same company. (Many chain hotels these days are franchises; they may use the logo and reservations system of the chain, but the ownership and management may be independent.)

 

Daniel had an arrangement with the HoJo on Florida to attract gay clients through special rates and extra services. I'm guessing he has a similar arrangement with the DaVinci HoJo. If I hear more from him directly, I'll post the info.

 

BTW, stay tuned for developments in general on the Argentina front. Drey and I have nearly completed the http://www.GayTravelBrazil.com site and are on the verge of starting GayTravelArgentina. (Putting these things together is a lot more work than I imagined, although we won't have to reinvent the wheel when we do the Argentina site.) You'll be able to reserve travel to Argentina through the new site, with the assurance you'll be getting good prices and staying at gay-friendly hotels and apartments. The new site will also have comprehensive information about Buenos Aires and other Argentine destinations. We're very proud of the wealth of information and excellent deals we've been able to offer on http://www.GayTravelBrazil.com and we intend for GayTravelArgentina to become the "gold standard" for gay travel to Argentina, too. Needless to say, we expect to work with Daniel and Roberto and other trusted friends in Argentina to be sure everyone who books their travel through the site has a great experience! As soon as the new site is on the air, we'll post the information here and on GTB.

[BgMstr4u]

That's terrific news! I look forward to the Argentina site.

 

In addition to information about BA, I would very much like to have information about tours etc. to the Mendoza wine region.

[BgMstr4u]

That's terrific news! I look forward to the Argentina site.

 

In addition to information about BA, I would very much like to have information about tours etc. to the Mendoza wine region.

[trilingual]

We definitely intend to offer tours to other places in Argentina. Buenos Aires is one of those great cities that can keep you occupied for a lifetime (just ask Borges) but Argentina is the 8th largest country in the world and has a huge array of scenery and attractions. The wine country around Mendoza is certainly one of them. Compared to Buenos Aires, Argentina's other major cities are smaller. Córdoba and Rosario, the two largest cities in the interior, each have somewhat over one million inhabitants, and greater Mendoza is approaching that. This means that these cities are big enough to be regional centers and have some gay life of their own, in addition to their historical and cultural attractions.

 

Mendoza is especially lovely; it sits at the foot of the Andes at the beginning of the road through the mountains to Santiago (Chile). The region is naturally arid, so the agriculture is all based on irrigation from snowmelt in the Andes. The result is that Mendoza is warm and sunny much of the year; it's known as "La Tierra del Sol y del Buen Vino" (The Land of the Sun and Fine Wine). The central part of the city is exceptionally green and shady, arranged around four splendid squares. It is, in a word, a really charming place! People are also much friendlier in Mendoza and in other places in the Argentine interior than in more reserved Buenos Aires. So, hard as it may be to tear yourself away from the glamour of B.A., there are many other parts of Argentina worth visiting. We'll have lots of info about them on the new site!

[trilingual]

We definitely intend to offer tours to other places in Argentina. Buenos Aires is one of those great cities that can keep you occupied for a lifetime (just ask Borges) but Argentina is the 8th largest country in the world and has a huge array of scenery and attractions. The wine country around Mendoza is certainly one of them. Compared to Buenos Aires, Argentina's other major cities are smaller. Córdoba and Rosario, the two largest cities in the interior, each have somewhat over one million inhabitants, and greater Mendoza is approaching that. This means that these cities are big enough to be regional centers and have some gay life of their own, in addition to their historical and cultural attractions.

 

Mendoza is especially lovely; it sits at the foot of the Andes at the beginning of the road through the mountains to Santiago (Chile). The region is naturally arid, so the agriculture is all based on irrigation from snowmelt in the Andes. The result is that Mendoza is warm and sunny much of the year; it's known as "La Tierra del Sol y del Buen Vino" (The Land of the Sun and Fine Wine). The central part of the city is exceptionally green and shady, arranged around four splendid squares. It is, in a word, a really charming place! People are also much friendlier in Mendoza and in other places in the Argentine interior than in more reserved Buenos Aires. So, hard as it may be to tear yourself away from the glamour of B.A., there are many other parts of Argentina worth visiting. We'll have lots of info about them on the new site!

[+ Axiom2001]

...just read this thread a few minutes ago. I stayed at the HJ DaVinci for eight days at the special rate obtained through Daniel as I at first had a reservation at the HJFlorida.

 

Since I find myself rather fastidious, I found no problem with the HJ DaVinci; the location is only a block away from the Teatro Colon; it is in walking distance to the Recoleto. (Roberto and I made this trek.) It is also only a few blocks from Florida Street (a gigantic pedestrian mall), etc., etc., etc. I even found having guests at the hotel an easy experience as well as a non issue.

 

A friend of mine who arrived at the HJ Florida a week before I went to BA had no problems with having guests, so I find this to be a nonissue: I do think that the HJ Florida would prefer not having new gay customers based on what had been revealed to me prior to my coming to Buenos Aires.

 

Do contact Roberto with your queries and Guillero at gayguideargentina. Both should be able to clear up any concerns. Note Roberto is not in BA at this date-- he is in Paris.

[+ Axiom2001]

...just read this thread a few minutes ago. I stayed at the HJ DaVinci for eight days at the special rate obtained through Daniel as I at first had a reservation at the HJFlorida.

 

Since I find myself rather fastidious, I found no problem with the HJ DaVinci; the location is only a block away from the Teatro Colon; it is in walking distance to the Recoleto. (Roberto and I made this trek.) It is also only a few blocks from Florida Street (a gigantic pedestrian mall), etc., etc., etc. I even found having guests at the hotel an easy experience as well as a non issue.

 

A friend of mine who arrived at the HJ Florida a week before I went to BA had no problems with having guests, so I find this to be a nonissue: I do think that the HJ Florida would prefer not having new gay customers based on what had been revealed to me prior to my coming to Buenos Aires.

 

Do contact Roberto with your queries and Guillero at gayguideargentina. Both should be able to clear up any concerns. Note Roberto is not in BA at this date-- he is in Paris.

[rgutman]

I was in Buenos Aires this past month and this time I didn´t stay at the Hojo on Florida, instead I rented an apartment at Recolecta for only $60. The apartment was fantastic. It had high-speed internet and I could bring in as many visitors as I wanted. Besides I got to know all the different cafes in the neighbourhood and I saved some $ as the hotel was a lot more expensive than that, with taxes and all included.