With 200 properties worldwide offering Westin Hotels & Resorts’ Run Concierge program, it’s clear that guests want to stay active while traveling, but want to get outside and explore the location while doing so. This prompted the brand to expand the current program to more properties and to launch additional active-focused concierges.
“In three years, we have grown the number of Run Concierges at our hotels from 30 to 200 globally,” said Bob Jacobs, vice president, brand management, Westin Hotels & Resorts. “With the program’s success, we know that today’s travelers are more active and more socially connected than ever before but with much less free time, so the way they engage with hotel concierges has evolved. Expanding our concierges’ expertise to offer diverse active experiences feels like a natural extension.”
The new specialty concierges will offer advice, tips and insight from experts in activities like cycling, hiking, skiing and even surfing that will improve skills and performance in each field as well as mix fitness with exploration through tours and excursions.
At The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, the Hike Concierge encourages guests to explore Arizona’s Sonoran Desert and the Golf Concierge even offers the option to use a mountain bike equipped to carry a set of clubs around the course.
Coinciding with the 2016 U.S. Open in late August, The Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa debuted the brand’s first Tennis Concierge. Guests can learn insiders’ tips on footwork, gear and equipment to improve their game. The resort also has a Hike Concierge that assists in choosing trails and add-ons, like yoga atop a nearby summit.
In Silicon Beach, the expanding tech hub in Los Angeles’ Westside, The Westin Los Angeles Airport created a Surf Concierge so guests can hit the beach between meetings. Partnering with Campsurf at El Porto in Manhattan Beach, the program includes transportation, a surfboard and wetsuit rental, as well as lessons for guests of all skill levels.
At The Westin Monache Resort in Mammoth, the Ski Concierge advises guests on equipment rentals and helps chose ski runs based on skill levels.