Las Vegas LGBTQ+ boutique hotel to open near Fremont Street Experience
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The Bent Inn & Pub Las Vegas is preparing to welcome guests up its rainbow-colored steps.
The new, boutique hotel is made for and by members of the LGBTQ+ community, located within the Fremont East Arts District off 11th Street and Ogden Avenue.
The hotel, restaurant, and bar is the first of its kind in Las Vegas and is adult-only, gay, and locally owned. The project is the brainchild of husbands Mark Hunter and Greg Kakfa.
When asked where the idea for the name “Bent” came from, Kafka said, because it’s “not quite straight.”
He also added that there is something about having a place to your own.
“It makes it very special,” Kafka expressed. “When larger establishments have, you know, a gay day or a gay night. Well, to me, that’s gay for pay. We’re gay all day.”
He described the new hotel as a community for everybody and added that guests can build a community patio or poolside.
“There’s a lot of hotels that are billed as gay-friendly in town, but sometimes that’s just not enough,” Hunter shared. “We want to make sure that everybody, that is, in that category has a place that they can feel really comfortable.”
The 33 rooms average $175 a night and rates vary. The venue will have inclusive entertainment including trivia nights, happy hour, and pajama parties. It is marketed as a destination for the queer community and their allies to immerse themselves in the local adult LGBTQ+ scene.
The pair opened their first hotels in Palm Springs in 2010. They sold the properties in 2020 to move to Las Vegas. Unfortunately, the pandemic delayed the opening. Now, they’re ready to welcome people to stay at their prime spot, near the Fremont Street Experience.
“It is a great up-and-coming neighborhood putting this part of downtown on the map,” Hunter said.
Kafka agreed adding that their location is right in the middle of where a lot of new growth is taking shape.
“We’re right in the middle of this revitalization. Look at this neighborhood, and how far it’s come in just a few years. It’s tremendous. We’re getting back to those mid-century roots that just made this such an intriguing and fun area,” Kafka added.
The art and rooms evoke a fun, colorful vibe, and pay tribute to the original, 1965 Moonlight Motel.
“All of the little motels in Downtown Las Vegas that were built in the fifties, in the sixties, we really wanted to bring that back,” Kafka explained.
Charles Zalepeski is a satisfied guest and friend of the owners and spoke to 8 News Now about his visit.
“Come to Vegas and feel a sense of community that you don’t normally feel unless you’re in the bars,” Zalepeski said.
Kakfa and Mark plan to partner with organizations like The Center for future events.
“To bring kind of that culture and vibe into the city is really cool,” AJ Huth with The Center said.
The grand opening is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 22, at 3 p.m. The public is welcome to attend the free event which is located at 1100 East Ogden Avenue in Las Vegas.
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