WASHINGTON D.C. – Bikes aren’t just for quirky boutique hotels anymore.
During my wide-ranging conversation at the Hay-Adams luxury hotel yesterday with general manager Hans Bruland (see photo below) and director of sales and marketing Sarah Deam, we talked about how the luxury hotel famously located near the White House recently bought four bikes and that guests love them.
Typically when I think of hotels with bikes, I think of quirky Kimpton boutique hotels or resort properties so this caught my attention. The Hay-Adams parks the four bikes outside near its semi-circular driveway from Thursday to Sunday so guests know they are available.
“People want to be outdoors. They were being requested,” Bruland told me.
The idea of offering free bike rentals to guests also comes at a time when Washington D.C. is trying to build its reputation as a leisure destination and as it grows its reputation as a bike friendly time. The city has rolled out a bike program just like New York and London, where anyone can pay to rent a bike from public bike stations. A number of city streets are also lined with visible bike lanes aimed at boosting the safety factor for what could at times be a dangerous mix of cyclists, pedestrians and drivers.
The hotel specifically bought bikes that are easy for any adult to ease, and retro-looking to boost the fun factor, Bruland told me.
“We put a license plate on them that says Hay-Adams. We provide helmets and locks, and people sign off when they leave,” he said. “They’re out constantly.”
Readers: When traveling for either business or leisure, would you borrow a bicycle to see your destination if one was made available to you?
Photos courtesy of the Hay-Adams.
