Traveling light is an art. One way to do that is to take advantage of items on loan at your hotel. Here are some examples of hotel lending programs that can help lighten your load.
Workout clothing and equipment: You can leave your running shoes home if you stay at a Westin Hotel when traveling. Its loaner workout clothing, including sneakers, costs $5 and the socks are yours to keep. Many hotels, including all Kimpton properties, stock their rooms with yoga mats. Hilton Garden Inn also provides a Pilates band, straps, abs ball, three-pound hand weights, and a resistance rope while Mandarin Oriental hotels offer meditation, Pilates, yoga, and fitness videos with their yoga mats. And Hilton’s Five Feet to Fitness rooms, available at select properties, are equipped with an indoor bike, TRX, and much more, plus a topical analgesic in case attendees overdo it.
Curling irons, anti-static spray, and pashminas:  Kimpton Hotels “Forgot it? We’ve got it!” menu of amenities on request include curling and straightening irons, deodorant, quick-fix apparel tape, nail clippers, and even a humidifier. And there’s no need to pack sweaters or jackets for meetings at the Kimpton EPIC Hotel in Miami; they provide complimentary pashminas to keep your attendees warm and productive in their air-conditioned conference rooms.
Pillows and sleep aids: You may want to check ahead before stuffing your hypo-allergenic pillow in your luggage. Many hotels have pillow menus, often with intriguing choices. Montcalm Luxury Hotels in London options include a vitamin E-treated anti-aging pillow, and The Benjamin in New York City also provides sleep masks, earplugs, blackout curtains, noise machines, a pillow menu, and 24/7 advice from a member of a trained sleep team.
Binoculars and boots: Asilomar Conference Grounds, situated on California’s Monterey Peninsula amid one of the top birding areas in North America, lends attendees binoculars and bird guides, while the Inns of Aurora in New York State provides attendees with recreational items from movies to golf clubs. Boots, yoga kits, binoculars, and bird guides, tennis rackets, and Plein air easels and art kits are also on tap.
Water bottles: A growing number of hotels, from the Rose Garden Hotel Yangon in Myanmar and Canopy by Hilton properties to the Hyatt Regency Maui are going green with free re-usable water bottles and complimentary fill-up points around the property.
For more information on what to pack, and what not to pack, click here and here.
(Image provided by Trainer Academy)
