Kimpton Hotels – Meet Mat

Earlier this week, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants “rolled” out a new way to help guests feel great on the road. Newly custom-designed Gaiam yoga mats with a butterfly motif will now be put in every guest-room closet and available for use at no charge.

Kimpton has also introduced complimentary “Roll-Out Service.” Upon request, Kimpton will come to the guest’s room, roll out the mat, provide extra towels, flavored water, an assortment of fresh fruit or an energizing mix of dried fruit and nuts, and set the TV to Kimpton’s complimentary on-demand yoga or Pilates channel.

“We know that some travel – particularly for business – can suck the life out of you. Our point of view is that it doesn’t have to, so we’re making it easy for our guests to work in some restorative activity,” said Mike DeFrino, executive vice president of hotel operations at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. “We’re not yoga experts. Some of us can’t even touch our toes. But we think that incorporating exercise in the form of something like stretches or pushups are a good idea on the road. If a guest rolls out the mat and decides to take a nap or have a glass of wine and watch TV, no judgment from us.”

To introduce guests to the new in-room yoga mat offering, Kimpton hotels across the country will invite guests to participate in yoga-centric activities – from pose challenges to trivia triumphs – during its popular hosted evening Wine Hour,April 23–May 3.  They’ve also unveiled a new video to promote the service Meet Mat

Kimpton is also running a  “Strike a Pose” sweepstakes contest on Kimpton’s Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/Kimpton). FromMay 1 –May 31, guests and fans of Kimpton are invited to snap a picture of themself striking a unique or humorous pose that might reflect the ways they like to live life and post it to Kimpton’s Facebook page. Those voted as having the best poses will win a relaxing getaway at any Kimpton hotel nationwide among other prizes, including yoga mats.

The in-room mat adds to a long line-up of amenities Kimpton offers to help guests feel their best away from home. Other Kimpton wellness-minded perks include complimentary 24-hour yoga and Pilates programming on demand, complimentary bikes, weighted work-out hula hoops and jump ropes in Kimpton fitness centers, employee-led runs through town, group exercise classes and more. Kimpton’s approach to wellness also extends beyond the physical aspects of fitness to other forms of feel-good activity. The company also encourages guests to socialize at Wine Hour, travel with pets as often as possible or request a goldfish companion during your stay.

What do you think? Would you use a yoga mat provided by the hotel?  Personally, considering how clean – or unclean – we’ve all learned hotel in-room glassware is, I wonder how clean the yoga mats will be.