When it comes to being a place friendly to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender travelers, Salt Lake City is a much nicer place than most people would think - based on Utah's reputation as a bastion of conservatism.

"It's a surprisingly fun gay getaway," said Ed Salvato, a travel editor who put together the 12th annual "Out and About Travel Awards" for PlanetOut Inc., a San Francisco-based online media service for the gay and lesbian community.

"I actually like Salt Lake. I've had great times there. There's an energetic, vibrant nightlife and very friendly locals," he said Friday in a telephone interview. "And before I came there, I thought it would be the land of blondes and Mormons. But it really was diverse."

Salvato's rankings also single out Park City's Queer Lounge for its prominence during the Sundance Film Festival.

"It really is a fun and vibrant forum for gay filmmakers and gay film buffs to meet," he said. "In the last few years, all of the celebrities showed their faces there. It's a surprise they can be in this desert that is Utah and can find a gay oasis."

Although Utah voters approved a constitutional amendment in November prohibiting legal recognition of domestic unions outside of marriage between a man and woman, Salvato said he was impressed that Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County both considered extending benefits to partners of gay employees.

"I know it's being stymied, but just the fact that it was being discussed shows there's an effort being made," he said. "It's not one of the worst places in America for gays and lesbians."

Government activities aside, Salvato said the most important consideration is the reaction gays and lesbian travelers receive when finding lodging.

"If a staff member tells a gay couple, 'I'm sorry, there's been a mistake, there's only one bed,' well, it sounds silly but it's painful when you go through it," he said, praising two Salt Lake City hotels, the Mon- aco and Peery, for being so accepting and accommodating.

It's good business, he added, contending gays and lesbians spend $54 billion annually on travel. "The dual income, no-kid proposition means they tend to have more disposable time and money, and travel more than heterosexuals."

Salvato's endorsement pleased MaryLynn Beck, Hotel Monaco's general manager.

"I wouldn't say we go out of our way to [take good care of] gays and lesbians, but we feel it's important for everybody to feel comfortable, no matter what their sexual preference or race," she said.

"We train our staff, in general, to make sure they don't assume anything and they're not judgmental."

Noting that Hotel Monaco's parent company, Kimpton Hotels, is based in San Francisco and has 17 hotels in that gay-friendly city, Beck added "our employees are proud to work for a company that celebrates diversity the way we do."

Valerie Larabee, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) Community Center of Utah, was not surprised that PlanetOut commended Salt Lake City.

"I've been here since 1997 and have found that there is a wonderful community of gays and lesbians living here, very supportive of each other," she said.

"What we would like to see is our elected officials embrace us more widely," Larabee added. "How can the community be such a wonderful, open-armed place and yet have such intolerance coming from the Legislature and elected people?"

mikeg@sltrib.com

The best and worse for gay travelers

PlanetOut Inc.'s 12th annual list of the best and worst places for gay and lesbian travel included the following awards for 2005:

Destination of the Year: Spain

Top 5 Gay Resort Towns: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Key West, Fla.; Miami; Palm Springs, Calif.; Provincetown, Mass.

Great Gay Marketing: Icelandair Holidays, Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas.

Tour Operators: Arco Iris Tours.

Events/Organizers of the Year: Burning Man.

Tourism Development: Bloomington, Ind., for showcasing itself as a progressive college town with surprising cultural opportunities.

Special Mention: Yosemite National Park, for courting gays and lesbians despite "a challenging political climate."

"Rock Bottom:" Sandals Resorts, for ongoing discrimination and emphasis on "conventional male/female couples in love."

"Rock Bottom II:" The state of Ohio, for a harshly worded constitutional marriage ban.