TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – July 15, 2010) – Looking for new ways to enhance the guest experience and help travelers stay fit and maintain a balanced lifestyle while away from home, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has announced an extension of its partnership with German automaker BMW to provide a complimentary hotel bicycle service featuring BMW Cruise Bikes. Already present in Fairmont’s Canadian properties, Fairmont hotels across the United States will introduce these state-of-the-art bikes as the newest benefit for guests this summer, granting active and adventurous travelers the opportunity to explore the vibrant cities and stunning landscapes of Fairmont’s distinctive locales. In addition to having a selection of regular BMW Cruise Bikes available, hotels will also boast some child-sized BMW Junior Cruise Bikes, allowing families to enjoy the great outdoors together.
With a diverse collection of iconic hotels and picturesque resorts throughout the United States, guests will have no trouble putting the bicycles to use in exploring the sundry sights and landscapes of Fairmont’s unrivalled destinations. From The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, where guests can cycle through beautiful wine country, to Fairmont Chicago, set on the doorstep of the famed Millennium Park, to Boston’s Fairmont Battery Wharf, where visitors will be able to cruise to the city’s many historic sites, there are myriad ways to take advantage of the new amenity. Lock and helmets are also provided to keep both guests and bikes safe and secure.
“BMW’s stylish Cruise Bikes have proven to be very popular at our hotels in Canada, so we are excited to extend this unique new service offering to our guests in the U.S.,” said Brian Richardson, Fairmont’s Vice President, Brand Marketing & Communications. “This program allows us to work with a well-respected partner to reinforce Fairmont’s reputation of providing thoughtful services that make the travel experience more convenient, comfortable and memorable.”
The perfect companion for both busy urban streets and scenic trails, the BMW Cruise Bike promises a smooth ride on any surface, thanks to a distinctive design and a Suntour suspension system. A striking frame, achieved through hydro-forming manufacturing, an advanced process using high-pressure water to allow the walls of the tube to expand inside a mold and free the aluminum of any shape restrictions, complements other original features including an integrated brake routing system that enables riders to stop on a dime.
“We are pleased to offer the joy of BMW to Fairmont guests and enhance their stay with our Cruise Bikes,” said Dan Creed, Vice President, Aftersales, BMW of North America. “Guests can experience the engineering BMW is famous for and best of all, with zero emissions.”
With a strong company-wide focus on health and wellness, the introduction of BMW Cruise Bikes acts as an extension of the company’s Fairmont Fit program. Offered to members of Fairmont President’s Club (FPC), the brand’s guest loyalty program, Fairmont Fit also provides guests with easy access to adidas training gear during their stay, delivering exercise apparel and footwear directly to guestrooms for use in-room, in the gym, or to enjoy outdoors. In addition, guests are provided with pre-loaded mp3 players, offering a wide-range of tracks and genres, to use during their workout. Afterward, the training gear can simply be returned or purchased through the hotel’s guest services desk.
BMW offers a line-up of bicycles that offer performance with no fuel consumption or emissions. This is part of the company’s environmental strategy called Efficient Dynamic that incorporates a short, medium and long-term plan to improve driving dynamics while significantly lowering fuel consumption and emission levels. According to a 1990 – 2005 study by Environmental Defense, BMW Group reduced its fleet average level of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States far more than any other manufacturer, resulting in a 12% reduction in that timeframe.
The new benefit is one of many ways guests can tread lightly on the environment at Fairmont. As a pioneer in responsible tourism for twenty years, Fairmont offers a wide-range of eco-minded options for guests. Notably, the newly opened Fairmont Pittsburgh is aiming for LEED Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council, and will be the brand’s first hotel to achieve this prestigious rating. At The Fairmont Washington, D.C, the chef maintains an onsite herb garden that is now home to three honeybee hives, which provide fresh produce year-round for entrees, desserts and cocktails. In 2008, Fairmont’s hotels worldwide removed threatened fish species such as Chilean Sea Bass and Bluefin Tuna from their restaurant menus and aligned themselves locally with reputable seafood watch organizations, ensuring guests continue to be provided with a comprehensive selection of sustainable seafood choices. For more on Fairmont’s award-winning environmental programming, please visit www.fairmont.com/environment.
As part of the new bicycle initiative, Fairmont is offering FPC members priority access when reserving the bikes. Free to join, Fairmont President’s Club provides guests with special benefits and privileges designed to reflect individual travel preferences and offer an enhanced level of service. Personalized travel profiles afford members customized stay experiences, while in-hotel benefits include private check-in, complimentary room upgrades, and high-speed and wireless Internet access. Guests can enroll at time of booking or online at www.fairmont.com/fpc.
ABOUT FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS
With over 60 distinctive hotels, including the iconic Fairmont San Francisco and Fairmont Peace Hotel, Shanghai, and more in development, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is a global hospitality brand known for its warm and engaging service and culturally rich experiences. Located in coveted worldwide destinations, its unrivalled collection of classic hotels imbue a sense of heritage, sophistication, and social importance, and are often considered destinations in and of themselves. Fairmont is also committed to responsible tourism and is an industry leader in sustainable hotel management with its award-winning Green Partnership program. Fairmont is owned by FRHI Holdings Limited, a leading global hotel company with 95 hotels under the Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel brands. The company also manages Fairmont and Raffles branded residences, estates and luxury private residence club properties. For more information or reservations, please call 1-800-441-1414 or visit www.fairmont.com.