VACAYA Planning Mexican Takeover for LGBT+ Travelers

VACAYA says it is the first large-scale LGBT+ vacation company for adults to launch in decades and is a hot new choice for LGBT experiences. The company charters entire ships and resorts, so LGBT+ travelers have the freedom to express their individuality, make personal connections, celebrate life, rev up or simply relax together.

Much of the company’s concept was sparked by the four founders’ own personal vacation experiences.

They found all-gay cruises liberating, empowering and fun, but limited to a small spectrum of people. Mainstream vacations offered more activities and destinations and were accessible to a diverse set of people, but didn’t always feel like a friendly, judgment-free environment. They hoped to find a sweet spot in between, one that capitalized on smart, tech-savvy booking and customer service.

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We spoke with Patrick Gunn, co-founder and CMO of VACAYA about the company and some of its upcoming plans, including buying out the entire UNICO 20 87 resort in Riviera Maya for an event in October.

TP: How many different tours/cruises/experiences does your company plan annually?

PG: For Season 1 (calendar year 2019), we have 4 events. We categorize our big ship cruise as “BLISS,” our all-inclusive resort as “OASIS” and two river ship cruises as “LUXE.” We also categorize our announced 2020 Iceland cruise as “LUXE.” You can read a short description of each VACAYA experience category here.

TP: What is a typical VACAYA experience like?

PG: A VACAYA cruise represents the very core of who we strive to be as a community—blissful, limitless, open-minded, welcoming, warm and friendly. In one word, it’s utopia. A chance to expand, to laugh and to connect with everyone and everything around you. It’s sensual, freeing, life-changing and unifying. The freedom of being on the open water is like no other—warm winds, countless stars, endless horizons.

VACAYA oasis resort vacations deliver a truly relaxing and exhilarating break from the ordinary—all at an incredible value. With a list of inclusions a mile long, nearly everything you could imagine comes with your vacation—from food and beverages to spa services and excursions. VACAYA’s exclusive partnerships with some of the finest properties in the world is rewriting the playbook on all-gay all-inclusive resort holidays.

Our resorts offer scores of daytime activities, exclusive nightly entertainment, gourmet restaurants, exquisite turquoise waters and sun-soaked beaches. But that’s only the beginning. These are magical places where you’ll become part of a much larger family—the VACAYA family.

TP: How long are typical trips, what are the costs and how much of it is planned vs. open?

PG: Typical vacations last 7-9 nights. Cost is determined by each guests’ level of accommodation, but our vacations will range in price from $899 and up so that everyone who wants to attend can. And for those seeking luxury accommodations, we have suites that can range from $3,000 to $14,000 per person, double occupancy.

We like to say that you can go at your own pace, attending planned activities and parties as much or as little as you like. But if you like to do planned activities, our guests will find that there is more to do than they can fit into each day and night.

TP: Who's your typical traveler? Do you primarily cater to gay men, or do you have different events that cater to other portions of the LGBTQ community?

PG: We like to say, if you believe love is love, then you belong on our vacations. As the only large-scale LGBTQIAPK travel company on the planet, we view diversity as being invited to the dance and inclusion as being asked to dance. With VACAYA, everyone dances! All of our events are open to the entire LGBTQ spectrum and their straight-ally friends. You can read more regarding various groups within our community here:

Alphabet Soup: myvacaya.com/discover/alphabet-soup

Lesbians: myvacaya.com/discover/lesbians

Straight Allies: myvacaya.com/discover/straight-allies

TP: Why did you choose UNICO for this buyout in October 2019?

PG: There are 4 main reasons we chose UNICO 20 87 for our buyout:

The value. We wanted to provide the LGBT+ community with the opportunity to experience a higher level of luxury and Mexican culture with a modern twist. UNICO 20 87 helps us deliver 5-Star luxury (member of Leading Hotels of the World), world-class food and top-shelf drinks, along with breakthrough inclusions.

And with our Essentials Rate starting at just $1397, we provide even the most cost-conscious guests with an affordable way to join this VACAYA experience—without a few of the extra bells and whistles, but still with undeniable 5-star luxury, top shelf drinks and all the VACAYA parties and activities.

Travel-savvy companions. Having traveled to every corner of the globe, the Vacayans and UNICO 20 87 employees understand the importance our guests put on fun, friends, discovery, culture, adventure and clear timely communication. The level of hospitality experienced by our guests will be unsurpassed.

Commonalities in our philanthropic spirit. UNICO 20 87 employees volunteer at a local orphanage that we will include in our ReachOUT program, where our guests will be able to give back in the local community they visit with a little sweat equity or by donating. We believe this is the way to change the world little by little by sharing our LGBT+ stories with the world.

Welcoming to all. Together, The Vacayans and UNICO 20 87 employees will create a warm environment where all who believe love is love are welcome and can leave their cares behind and focus on the fun!

TP: Tell us a bit about what's planned for the UNICO event? What can vacationers expect?

PG: VACAYA completely reinvents the all-inclusive resort experience with the 5-star UNICO Riviera Maya, offering a level of luxury and inclusions unmatched by past or present options available to LGBT+ travelers. VACAYA takes over the entire resort October 27 through November 2, 2019, celebrating Halloween and Mexico’s Day of the Dead.

All-inclusive resorts offer an amazing value for any cost-conscious traveler, but UNICO 20 87 takes those inclusions to a whole new level. Gone are the days of simply including food and drinks. VACAYA’s partnership with this groundbreaking new resort breaks the mold and sets an all-new standard in value.

Theme parties are announced about 90 days out from the event. This gives people plenty of time to get their costumes ready (if they choose to). And the lucky part is that the Halloween pop-up stores will be open prior to our buyout in large and small towns so there will be plenty of fun ideas to inspire the creativity of our guests.

What I can share now is that we will have a wide variety of activities and events, from intimate shared-interest meet & greets to kitschy afternoon t-dances to audacious evening extravaganzas. The one thing they will all have in common is that they will be welcoming to all and more fun that anyone can imagine.

VACAYA will work with some of the most recognizable names in entertainment—Tony, Grammy, and Oscar-winning talent from both the LGBT+ and straight-allied community, as well as performers/acts our guests may never have heard of, but who we know they’ll enjoy. We scour the planet looking for the best of the best in entertainment and it will be one of the defining signatures of VACAYA. Another is balance. Our experiences are all about balance.

We’re putting as much focus on our entertainment line-up as we do our parties. For those who don’t know a lot about the charter cruise or resort experience, VACAYA completely customizes the entertainment for our events—bringing in the best comedians, vocalists, musicians, specialty acts, and drag artists to entertain our guests. And as travelers contemplate the value of a vacation like VACAYA, it’s definitely something to keep in mind.

Nowhere on earth can you find so many value-added layers to a vacation—entertainment, parties, and social activities built to connect us all. One thing that separates us in the market is the fact that we’ll begin previewing our entertainment and party themes a full 120 days before each event. We understand how that adds to the fun and excitement of each trip and we try to give our guests all the tools they’ll need to have an easy and stress-free experience with us.