Most of the bellhops at the Sanderson may look as if they spend Saturday night at Shadow Lounge, but at Hotel Axel in Barcelona the odds are that they actually do. Hotel Axel, the world's first quality hotel to be openly gay - albeit hetero-friendly - opens today.

Located in the heart of the aptly named Gayxample area of Barcelona it is a "space designed and decorated to favour a liberal and cosmopolitan atmosphere". Naturally, this involves personalised rooms responding to an exclusive design including Kenzo fabrics, Vitra chairs and photographic light boxes by Emilio Lekuona.

Elsewhere, for the stylistically sensitive gay, there is 'La Boutique del Hotel', stocking "haute couture" and prêt-à-porter collections by Voyage, Iceberg, Moschino, Viv Westwood and the other usual suspects. So there's no reason to spend your holiday wearing sweat stained wife beaters, Union Jack swimming shorts, manky flip flops and the confidence of irony.

Hotel Axel Barcelona opens on July 1 2003.
Rooms from EUR 120 (approximately £83)
Reservations on +34 93 414 2816 or www.hotelaxel.com

ST