Inside New York City's first gay resort hotel

THE OUT NYC, a 105-room resort hotel for gays, opened in New York City in March. Located in Hell's Kitchen, it has many luxury amenities and is also open to straight people. Reviewing the hotel, The Boston Globe wrote: "It’s not surprising that a hotel dedicated to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender travelers would surface in this metropolis of anything goes. What is surprising is that a straight couple can have so much fun."

A man walks out the front door of a new gay resort hotel, THE OUT NYC, in midtown Manhattan after the ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 1, 2012 in New York City. The 105-room gay urban resort, which is "straight-friendly," opened in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood and features a nightclub, spa, restaurant and outdoor spaces. It is being billed as New York City's first gay hotel.

Workers tend the front desk at a new gay resort hotel, THE OUT NYC, in midtown Manhattan. A reviewer for The Boston Globe had this to say about the staff: "Like saints, they appear when you need them, disappear when you don’t, yet somehow you always know they’re there."

Visitors tour New York City's first gay hotel, THE OUT NYC, in midtown Manhattan. The hotel opened in March.

The reception area is seen at the gay resort hotel, THE OUT NYC, in midtown Manhattan. New York City's first gay hotel, the three-storey building is located in the gay-friendly neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen.

A man talks on his phone in the lobby area of THE OUT NYC. The 105-room boutique hotel, located between 10th and 11th Avenues in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City, is close to Chelsea, Times Square and the Theater District.

A waterfall cascades in an outdoor space at THE OUT NYC in midtown Manhattan. THE OUT NYC, designed by Paul Dominguez, features spaces to be used as a business and conference center or for intimate private diners, large events and weddings.

A room at New York's City's first gay resort hotel, THE OUT NYC. Rooms at THE OUT NYC start at $250 a night and include wireless high speed Internet, flat-screen TVs, in-room MP3 docking stations, workplaces and mini-bars. Valet parking is available. There are eight “Sleep Shares” -- hostel-style rooms that sleep four -- and these are equipped with four full-sized beds, personal TVs, a bathroom, and privacy curtains.

A man walks down stairs next to a waterfall at THE OUT NYC. This is one of three courtyards that has a pair of hot tubs, a water wall, and cabanas.

Doughnuts are displayed at a new gay resort hotel, THE OUT NYC. The full-service restaurant and cafe, KITCHEN, opened in May and serves upscale comfort food.

Magazines are seen in a room at the gay resort hotel, THE OUT NYC, in mid-town Manhattan. A 2011 study, which collected data from 18 countries around the world, found that New York was the No. 1-rated city destination for LGBT travelers globally.

An outdoor space with beanbags is seen at THE OUT NYC, the city's first gay resort hotel. Public spaces at the hotel include a 5,000-foot wellness center and three courtyards -- one with a sunbathing deck, two hot tubs, and a cascading curtain of rain; another with a bamboo garden. There is also a 11,000-square-foot nightclub, named XL.

A man walks in the lobby area of THE OUT NYC, the city's first gay resort hotel that is also "straight-friendly." The property welcomes gays as well as straights, and tourists as well as locals.

A courtyard at THE OUT NYC, a gay resort hotel in mid-town Manhattan. The challenge to run the hotel is like any other in NYC: Unlike resort locations where hotels are destinations themselves, New York City’s many attractions may often lure tourists away from the premises.

A photographer shoots pictures in a courtyard of THE OUT NYC in New York. Known as the Great Lawn, this AstroTurf-covered expanse is one of the three courtyards that invite air and light into the hotel.

A man walks out the front door of THE OUT NYC, New York's first gay hotel. Reviewing the hotel, The Boston Globe wrote: "It’s not surprising that a hotel dedicated to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender travelers would surface in this metropolis of anything goes. What is surprising is that a straight couple can have so much fun."