Key West's Island House Is For Sale, Owner Jon Allen Hopes For Gay Buyer

As many of you learned several weeks ago, Key West's famed Island House resort is for sale following the December death of Martin Kay, who owned the business with Jon Allen (above), his partner of 23 years. Knowing that I have made annual pilgrimages to the Island House for the last several years, I've been getting messages from JMG readers who are fearful that yet another of Key West's dwindling number of gay guest houses will fall into straight hands. I held off on writing about about the sale until our own Father Tony could interview Jon Allen himself. Tony's story appeared this week in South Florida Gay News.

What will become of Island House? The asking price of $13.5 million has proven to be reasonable given the excellent condition of the property, the constantly low vacancy rate, the well-trained and harmonious staff, and a clientele so fiercely loyal that upon announcement of the offering, bookings for March went up 67 percent over last year. Often, such an announcement will cause customers to hesitate. Allen wonders if the increase is because his customers could not bear the thought of never again visiting Island House. Serious offers have been received in the first week of the listing. Almost all interested buyers are former Island House guests who know the property well. Allen says that his strongest wish for Island House is that it should remain a guesthouse for gay men. For him, Island House contains wonderful memories, and he often describes his work by saying, “In my workday, I am surrounded by happy naked men and a wonderful staff that know how to solve problems.”

Allen, 70, says that he can't bear to remain in Key West, where reminders of his late partner appear at every turn. After the sale is concluded, he will move to a gay retirement community near the Russian River area north of San Francisco.

Even if the Island House is acquired by longtime patrons who change nothing and run the business  with the same high standards that have earned countless glowing reviews, the new owners will be challenged to maintain the genial "every kind of gay man is welcome here" atmosphere created by Martin Kay and Jon Allen, who greeted and treated new guests like old friends.