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Guest Calls Wyndham's Spa Policy Discriminatory Against Gay Men, But Really It's Just Anti-Men

April 13, 2007 at 12:33 PM | 0 Comments

In American Airlines' weird attempt for getting more women customers, could their partnership with Wyndham hotels be enacting an anti-gay policy? A tipster thinks so. Here he writes into us to say that the spa policy of the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts in conjunction with American Airlines is discriminatory against gay men, although not against gay women. Here he writes:

Specifically, in conjunction with AA.com/women, a 20% discount is being offered on Wyndham's "Special Spa Offers" -- and GAY MEN DO NOT QUALIFY. (Lesbians, however, do qualify.) Here is the specific language of the promotion, on the Wyndham Web site:

"To enhance Wyndham's commitment to women travelers, Wyndham is offering you a 20% Discount and Special Spa Offers through AA.com/women. Simply fly with American and stay with Wyndham now through December 31, 2007. Reserve your Wyndham stay online then present your American Airlines boarding pass at check in to receive your discount. And don't forget to sign up for Wyndham ByRequestSM to personalize your stay with special member benefits."

I called the Wyndham toll-free reservation line to ask whether I could qualify for the discount anyway. The agent didn't know, and she put me on hold. After about 10 minutes of waiting, my call was disconnected. Here is a link to the Wyndham Web site where you can read the terms of the offer

Caught in the act right--um, highly doubtful. This offer can't really classified as anti-gay men because it's apparently anti-men in general, regardless of their sexual orientation. This is because both Wyndham and AA are trying to better understand the needs of female business travelers. So they probably just guessed that some spa discounts should help. That and a pink booking site.

Either way, we're pretty sure that Wyndham is not trying to be anti-gay with this policy. Consider the Wyndham Palm Springs which hosts the famous White Party every year.

After about 10 minutes of waiting, my call was disconnected.

That does however sound very anti-customer service...

Related Stories:
· American Airlines Launches Weird, Lame Website "For Women" [Consumerist]