The Hotel Palomar aims to help its guests better explore Phoenix with the launch of its bicycle-rental program and pocket square bike maps during a debut party Sunday, which will also include free bike tune-ups and a community ride.
Guests participating in the community bike ride will be led using one of Hotel Palomar’s new cycling maps, which highlights popular restaurants, museums and parks in Phoenix. The featured cycling route on Sunday is the shortest route and will take about one hour, Hotel Palomar’s general manager Jim Hollister said.
Hollister said the new cycling maps will help hotel guests better navigate downtown Phoenix and the surrounding area and participate in the growing cycling trend around the city. The maps also list where bike racks are located and family friendly areas.
“People are surprised to see what downtown Phoenix has to offer. And when you get on a bike and are able to see it up close and personal, it’s a different experience,” Hollister said. “We want the general public of downtown Phoenix to be able to enjoy biking, but also people who are visiting from around the world to see what we have and what’s available in downtown Phoenix.”
The party will kick off at 2 p.m. with tune-ups courtesy of the Bike Cellar, followed by refreshments and a community bike ride led by Phoenix Spokes People at 4 p.m. Guests are encouraged to dress their best, as the most “Dapper Dude” and “Dapper Dame” will each win $50 gift certificates to British Bicycle Company. The hotel’s specialty bicycles will be available to rent for the community ride and picnic baskets will also be available to purchase.
Kimpton Hotels, Hotel Palomar’s parent company, began offering specialty bicycles by Public to rent at its hotels across the nation earlier this year in an effort to promote cycling and wellness. Hotel Palomar has been waiting for the weather in Phoenix to cool off before launching its program, Hollister said.
Supporters of Hotel Palomar’s cycling maps believe that the launch party and community ride will help promote cycling in Phoenix as a whole. British Bicycle Company owner Lindsey Kohrt said the community ride itself will help spread the word of cycling in Phoenix.
“I think when we’re riding around it will give people who aren’t part of the ride some exposure. The ride itself will gain some attention from passersby on the street,” Kohrt said. “It’s good to just spread the word that Phoenix is becoming a cycling-friendly city and this is gaining popularity.”
Hotel Palomar’s new cycling maps have gained the support of cycling organizations around Phoenix, including Phoenix Spokes People. Organizer Lisa Parks said the hotel’s new maps set it apart from other hotels that offer bicycles to rent because the maps provide guests with routes for cycling to hot spots in Phoenix, rather than just a bicycle.
Parks also said the community ride, which will have a “little black dress” theme, will help establish that cycling is an activity that does not have a dress code.
“I think a lot of times people think if you’re riding a bike they think you’re riding in spandex and getting all sweaty and people are worried about riding to work,” Parks said. “We want people to know that you can put on your regular clothes and ride to work. It’s just a way we get from point A to point B.”
Jim Hollister acknowledged that cycling is an up-and-coming form of transportation and said he hopes guests at Hotel Palomar can join in the trend.
“There’s more people riding bikes than have ever ridden bikes and we want to showcase that to our guests as well,” he said.
Contact the reporter at pkunthar@asu.edu
