Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts, in partnership with alpine adventurer John Harlin, is celebrating the hotel brand’s very own Vitality Day with the launch of a series of new destination Vitality Guides. Vitality is a Swissôtel program aimed at inspiring travelers to maintain an active and energized body and mind while on the road. The Guides are digital, interactive maps that showcase key attractions within walking distance of Swissôtel locations and are meant to encourage guests to explore the great outdoors.
“This year, we wanted to celebrate Vitality in a fresh and fun way and to provide our guests with a new travel tool to experience the Vitality concept all year long,” said Lilian Roten, vice president, Swissôtel Brand. “Through our new Vitality Guides, we can now curate a list of compelling attractions that will help our guests gain a greater appreciation and deeper sense of place of destination they are visiting.”
And the timing couldn’t be better. According to the ITB World Travel Trends Report 2014/2015, “Consumers are more interested in individual and local experiences, authenticity, wellbeing, community, and engagement as part of their travels. As a result, demand is rising for specialist and niche travel and tourism, such as wellness, sustainable trips and adventure/sports.”
The Guides also have an interactive component that allows guests to pinpoint and share interesting attractions they discover while exploring the destination.
“Consumers are more interested in individual and local experiences, authenticity, wellbeing, community, and engagement as part of their travels. As a result, demand is rising for specialist and niche travel and tourism, such as wellness, sustainable trips and adventure/sports.”
In Chicago, the Guide takes guests on an enjoyable walk from Swissôtel, across the Riverwalk through New Eastside and Millennium Park to the world famous Loop neighborhood, the Chicago Public Library, Dusable Harbor and Navy Pier, ending with a spectacular view at Wolf Point. The entire walk takes approximately 25 minutes.
At launch, the Guides will be available in Amsterdam, Ankara, Bangkok, Berlin, Bremen, Chicago, Dresden, Dusseldorf, Foshan, Geneva, Istanbul, Kolkata, Moscow, Osaka, Shanghai, Singapore, Sochi, Sydney, Tallinn, and Zurich, with more destinations to be added throughout the year.
“Swissôtels are often located in urban centers where exploring key attractions and local cultures is easily done on foot,” said John Harlin, travel writer and alpine adventurer. “The slower you go, the more you can see, and these guides give guests an opportunity to truly immerse themselves in the culture of a destination without having to purchase a tour package or hire a guide.”
Swissôtels around the world will be holding special events on March 21st to celebrate Vitality Day, providing guests and community members with an opportunity to take advantage of the new Guides.
Swissôtel Chicago will host a global brand event in the form of an urban adventure, where participants will visit nearby destinations, completing a different Vitality-themed task at each, and finish at a Vitality Lounge. One lucky adventure participant will win a trip to Switzerland.
Vitality city tours are being planned around Swissôtels in Zurich, Tallinn, Amsterdam and Ankara while properties in Berlin, Istanbul, Kunshan and Singapore will host special exercise and health and wellness classes in celebration of Vitality Day.
The new Vitality Guides, which are optimized for mobile viewing and housed on the Jauntful platform can be found here.