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Same-sex Couples Invited to Say ‘I Do’ in California with TI Gay & Lesbian Travel Program Destination Wedding Packages

Three Nights From $445 Per Person; Featured Hotels Welcome Same-Sex Marriage Ceremonies

FARMINGDALE, NY (Aug. 18, 2008) – With gay marriages now legal in the state of California, the TI Gay & Lesbian Travel program (http://www.travelimpressions.com/gaytravel) - offered exclusively through Travel Impressions - is providing travel agents the opportunity to book a selection of vacation packages at hotels in California that have stated their willingness to host same-sex marriage ceremonies on their properties.

Through the TI Gay & Lesbian Travel program, agents can book three-night packages in San Francisco and Sonoma County, California’s picturesque wine country. All packages include accommodations, three-day Alamo economy car rental and hotel taxes. Rates quoted are per person, based on double occupancy and valid for travel now through Nov. 15, 2008. Rates vary by hotel and departure date. Blackout, weekend and holiday peak season surcharges apply.

Participating hotels include:

  • The Lodge at Sonoma, Renaissance Resort & Spa (Sonoma), from $445 -- Surrounded by some of California’s best vineyards, this intimate retreat features splendidly calming guest rooms.
  • The Radisson Hotel Fisherman’s Wharf (San Francisco), from $449 -- In the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf, the new Radisson Hotel Fisherman’s Wharf faces San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz Island and is one of the closest hotels to Pier 39.
  • Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf (San Francisco), from $495 -- The nautically inspired Sheraton is located near Pier 39 and the ferries to Alcatraz and Sausalito as well as the turn around point for the famous San Francisco Cable Cars.
  • Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf (San Francisco), from $529 -- This hotel has easy access to Pier 39, the Cannery, Harbor Cruises and Ghirardelli Square and is across from the Powell and Mason Cable Car Line.
  • The Fairmont San Francisco (San Francisco), from $585 -- Located atop Nob Hill, the grandeur of this fully restored hotel, with its 591 rooms and reputation for impeccable service, promises a truly memorable experience.
  • The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa (Sonoma), from $769 -- This premier Northern California wine country destination resort features three swimming pools fed by geothermal mineral waters, a renowned spa and fitness center, golf and more.

Airfare is available from gateways nationwide to San Francisco and can easily be added to the cost of the hotel stay. Airport/hotel transfers and Cancel for Any Reason travel protection options can also be added on to the vacation package for an additional fee.

Agents receive a 1% commission bonus in addition to their standard commissions when booking California vacation packages via http://www.travelimpressions.com/gaytravel.

In addition to these specific packages, travel agents can use the TI Gay & Lesbian Travel program website, http://www.travelimpressions.com/gaytravel, as a resource for other vacation and destination wedding ideas for gay and lesbian clients.  The homepage of the website prominently features information about gay weddings in California in the “California says “WE DO!” – So You Can Say “I DO!” article. 

On the homepage are also links to lists of gay-friendly destinations for romance, family travel and group travel. Each of these links leads to a list of pre-screened hotels:

  • Romance: All of the hotels listed here are ideal for a same-sex romantic getaway and the hotels often offer commitment ceremonies, holy unions, same-sex weddings, vow exchanges and vow renewals.
  • Family: A list of hotels that have asked the TI Gay & Lesbian Travel program to promote them as gay-friendly properties that welcome families of gay parents and their children.
  • Group: These properties are designed to handle group business, whether social or business, and welcome gay groups.

The lists are updated on a regular basis and include additional California properties where gay couples can plan their nuptials.

“The vacation packages are unique because the resorts we’re featuring have specifically asked us to promote them as properties that welcome same-sex marriage ceremonies,” said Keith Hickman, director, events and special programs, Travel Impressions. “In addition, our website contains even more California hotels that are welcoming to gay couples and gay weddings, gay families and gay groups, allowing agents to truly find the perfect match for their clients.”

Travel agents can opt in to the TI Gay & Lesbian Travel program via the http://www.travelimpressions.com/gaytravel home page, in the “Book Gay-Friendly Hotels” section.  Registration allows agents to book on the site and it will authorize Travel Impressions to send agents faxes, e-mails and promotions that are specific to the TI Gay & Lesbian Travel program.

The TI Gay & Lesbian Travel program offers the same services already available through Travel Impressions: Cancel for Any Reason Travel Protection Plan, 24/7 Customer Care, upgraded documents, highly skilled reservations staff and sales support, and much more. The added benefit is the confidence that travel agents are selling a “gay-friendly” property while receiving all the benefits of booking with a major U.S. tour operator.

Headquartered in Farmingdale, NY, with an additional office in Bethlehem, PA, Travel Impressions is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Express.  Travel Impressions has been the recipient of Travel Weekly’s Readers Choice award for “Best Tour Operator, Sales & Service” for three consecutive years (2005, 2006 and 2007), and has won the publication’s award for “Best Tour Operator, Domestic” for 2006 and 2007.  The company has also been recognized three times as an “Editor’s Pick” by TravelAge West – first in 2006 as “Best Tour Operator Website, designed specifically for travel agents” and in both 2007 and 2008 as “Best Tour Operator Mexico.”

Since its founding in 1974, Travel Impressions has taken approximately six million travelers on vacations to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Islands of Tahiti, Canada, Hawaii and the Continental U.S. And, its newest destinations are Croatia, Dubai, South Africa, Belize, Chile and Peru. Today, Travel Impressions provides leisure vacation packages to 150 destinations and more than 1,800 resorts and hotels worldwide, departing from cities nationwide.