After checking-in and handing the bellhop your luggage, why not go explore the city on a stylish bicycle? Compliments of your hotel, of course. That’s the idea behind one of the latest lifestyle amenities to come out of the hospitality industry, a trend that not only serves a branding purpose but also supports wellness-focused travel.
Take, for instance, the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City. They collaborated with publicist and trendsetter Lorenzeo Martone to create “the Christian Louboutin” of bicycles, each sporting crisp white wheels with a crimson chain accent and signature GPH license plates.
“It’s part of the desire now to step back from conspicuous consumption, and even things electronic,” says Jeff Weinstein, editor of Hotels Magazine, an Oak Brook, Ill. -based trade magazine. “People want to be more authentic in their approach to travel and relaxation.”
Across the pond, 45 Park Lane in London invites guests to take a spin on bespoke Brompton bicycles in the hotel’s signature purple color. Imagine pedaling through Hyde Park and over to the Buckingham Palace just in time for the Changing Of The Guard. Meanwhile, at Le Meurice in Paris, guests can explore the city of lights with their chic pistachio-green bicycles toting their cheese and baguettes back to their rooms in their baskets—elegant bike locks and matching helmets are also included.
For the traveler with a leisurely agenda and an urbanist spirit, the ultimate smooth ride can be as accessible as a strong wi-fi connection, and with more and more hotels catering to the single-speed lifestyle, there’s no better way to explore like a local.
