In the middle of the afternoon on Monday, I hopped on a conference call with Reebok to learn more about the agenda for the next few days in New York. It seems like many press trips come together in the days before the event takes place, so I typically feel like I am traveling blind going into many blogging events. It definitely keeps things interesting and sometimes leads to some pretty incredible surprises.
Like this one:
I am staying at the gorgeous and iconic Plaza Hotel in New York City! When our hotel was announced on the conference call on Monday, I geeked out and said, “The hotel from Home Alone!?” I was ecstatic and my excitement only grew as I learned more about the hotel and all that it had to offer.
Fairmont Fit Program
The Plaza is a Fairmont-managed Hotel and offers the Fairmont Fit program to guests who are Fairmont President’s Club members. (It is complimentary for Premier and Platinum members.)
Through the program, guests are provided Reebok workout apparel, footwear, sports bras and socks and may also request a pre-loaded MP3 player with workout music! All items are delivered directly to your room upon request and are laundered for you when you’re done with your workout. (If you choose to purchase the workout apparel to keep, you may do so at a 15 percent discount.)
Unbelievable, right!?
Since I am traveling with Reebok and the company is a partner with Fairmont Hotels, my fellow blogging buddies and I were given access to the Fairmont Fit program to try out during our stay.
As someone who likes to remain active when I travel, this whole concept blew my mind! It takes working out while traveling to another level since you don’t have to worry about packing workout gear in your suitcase. It makes exercising while on the road a breeze. I am planning to test out the gear during a run in Central Park later this afternoon with Gina and Heather, two of my blogging friends who are also on this trip!
I think I’ve sent Ryan 10,000 pictures of this hotel already. The Fairmont Fit program is just one of the many things that are blowing me away about The Plaza. It is stunning and I feel so lucky to have the chance to stay here.
Reebok FitHub 5th Avenue Store Tour
Before checking into our hotel, I met up with Gina and Heather at the Reebok Fit Hub on 5th Avenue for a store tour.
We were immediately greeted by the smiling faces of Michelle and Darren, two enthusiastic Reebok fitness ambassadors who gave us a tour of the store and answered any questions we threw their way.
The store featured lots of Reebok shoes and apparel from their CrossFit and yoga line. So many cute things! (This studio pullover was my favorite!)
My favorite part about the store was the gigantic activity calendar on the wall.
In addition to upcoming events at the store, the calendar listed a Fitness Challenge at the bottom for anyone to pop by and do at any time. The floor of the store is made with the same material featured in the CrossFit box next door, so people can test out shoes in the store and know how they’ll feel at the gym which I thought was neat! The store also has boxes for box jumps, kettlebells and other exercise equipment for customers to use to help them properly test out Reebok footwear and apparel before purchasing.
Before it was time to leave, Michelle let us briefly check out the CrossFit box next door. The energy in that place was absolutely electric!
Music was blaring and I immediately felt motivated to work out!
Exhale Spa Core Fusion Barre
Following our time at the 5th Avenue Fit Hub, Heather, Gina and I headed out to take a Core Fusion Barre class together at Exhale Spa.
(I could not get over the natural light and ceilings in the yoga studio. So beautiful!)
Reebok provided us with their new True Studio Slippers to wear during the barre class and I was grateful to have them!
In the past when I’ve taken barre classes, I’ve worn my own socks, so these slippers were a treat. The bottom of the slippers features tiny little grips to provide traction during the workout which I really appreciated. I always feel like I am sliding all over the place during barre classes, so these slippers made a big difference.
My feet didn’t overheat in the slippers thanks to the Concona woven coconut fiber lining that Michelle explained offers natural evaporative cooling (and odor resistance <—Yay!).
I’ve taken a handful of barre classes before, so I knew enough to know the expect to feel the burn and I definitely did! Our instructor, Kat, didn’t go easy on us and after tons of tiny pulsing movements, my legs were shaking. It was a great workout and made me wish, yet again, barre classes were offered in Ocala.
Time to run! We have another jam-packed day today!
Question of the Morning
- When you travel, do you work out or try your best to stay active?
- How important is a hotel gym to you when you travel? Does it make a difference if you’re traveling for work or for fun?
I like to stay active when I travel and feel like whenever I travel for vacation it seems to come naturally since Ryan and I love exploring new areas together. When I used to travel for my old job, I really valued hotels with gyms since I knew I’d be in meetings all day and would likely only work up a sweat if I could sneak in a workout before the work day began.
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
The plaza sounds amazing!!! Lucky girl! I love the idea of the Fairmount Fit program too. Sometimes fitting running shoes into a carry on bag can be the hardest thing to do.
Looks absolutely incredible!!
When I travel I always make sure to pack some workout items! If it’s somewhere with nice weather I try to workout outside if I’m with someone who wants to as well. In my family usually it’s my brother who will venture on the run with me!! Hotel gyms are nice for when you don’t have that partner and or it’s gross outside. Especially when there’s 24 hour access! I like going later or early and having it to myself!
Ahhhhh The Plaza!! From Bride Wars! hahaha
The PLAZA! It is my dream to stay there one day, how exciting for you!! It looks beautiful and old school glamorous 🙂 I try to fit in workouts when I vacation especially on the days I travel to and from the destination. After sitting on a plane or in a car for hours a short run or walk feels great. If I’m traveling for work I usually do some type of workout in the hotel room, you have one that is perfect for that!
that fit program is such a great idea- I can’t believe no one has thought of that sooner! I can imagine that would make it so much eaiser for frequent travelers to fit in their workouts- without having to lug around all their workout stuff!
The Fairmont looks amazing! And that barre class sounds intense! If you enjoyed the barre class, you should try barre3’s online classes! Or their 28 to Great set which has 5 DVDs plus the Core Ball. I love it!
I have always wanted to stay at the Plaza! Looks incredible. I always like to find a way to workout when I travel – especially when it’s for work. It can be the only activity you get all day!
That program looks amazing! A little confused by the whole borrowing and reusing process but it is a nice idea. Workout clothes barely take up any room but sneakers can be a bulky thing to pack!
So jealous of all of your wonderful adventures that have come along with your blog! Looks like a blast!
I stayed at a Westin last year that I had similar program for borrowing workout apparel and equipment (I think it was New Balance instead of Reebok). I didn’t try it because I felt a bit odd borrowing workout shoes, but after reading your post I think I might give it a try next time I’m at a hotel that offers it if I don’t have my stuff with me! If nothing else I think it would be nice to have workout equipment to use in my hotel room if I don’t feel like using the hotel gym.
What a pretty pretty pretty hotel! I am working day and night to ensure that one day, I will get to partake in cool blogger trips like this one! Keep posting these cool pics!
The Fairmont Fit program is amazing. My cousin works for Fairmont it IT. He and his wife actually just moved to NY a few weeks ago as he is starting his new job at the Plaza!
This might sound totally weird but that bathroom is gorgeous!!
Looks like an amazing trip so far! 🙂
The Plaza reminds me of Eloise at Christmas time! I am in love with all of Reebok’s products. They are so reliable and fashionable.
what do they do with the clothes you wore working out after you have left? DO they re-use them for other guests? (sharing stuff like bras and shoes is kinda icky…..)
Or do they donate them ???
The Plaza! From Bride Wars! I love the fitness program/partnership…more hotels should do that! Enjoy the rest of the time at Reebok 🙂
Also, saw on Miranda Kerr’s Instagram she was at Reebok earlier today. Did you meet her?!
Hi Julie! That hotel looks incredible.
This is random, but I was wondering if you ever wear jeans (it occurred to me that I can’t remember a time I saw you in them) and if so, what brand do you prefer? I ask because we have similar body types and I’m on a mission to find the perfect fit!
the sneakers are the kicker (!) when packing, bulky, not totally light, and not always a pleasant scent. bringing the rest isn’t bad (as long as it isn’t too many nights!)i even have tees that go do both sleep and gym duty.
HOWEVER, i SWEAT…and i sweat A LOT! which has two issues: can’t reuse the set of clothes for another w/o and risk making the whole bag, or the whole room stink! i’ve taken to giving the whole load (socks, shorts,sports bra, top_) a soak in the sink using the hotel’s mini shampoo (often kinds cheap, plus i prefer my own when i don’t forget it) and hanging over the shower rod. they aren’t great but i’ve both reworn them (hey, i’m gonna smell “off” soon enough”, but the stiffness can be a bigger issue) and repacked them (an odor, but not as horrid).
NOT an ideal solution and i’d DEFINITELY take the Fairmont deal over my band-aid approach. I have gotten to use sneakers at a hotel once, back in 2001ish….def felt like a luxury!
Please update your faQ’s!
What an amazing program! I dream about fun trips like that 🙂 luckily the trips my family take are quite active because we all can’t sit still. Also my sister runs for her school so she is always training and I try to tag along. Have a blast!
The Westin offers a similar thing and I, too, was shocked at how great it was!! I think it’s so important for hotels to offer this!
I’m on vacation now and I’ve been running every morning + getting in some circuits when I can! It’s nice to move, but I try not to stress about it either!
When I travel alone for work, a hotel gym is a necessity. I love to run outside when I can, but sometimes if I don’t know the area or have to work late, I get nervous. On vacation when I am with the husband this isn’t an issue, but when I’m alone I prefer the gym.
I love staying active while I travel — I actually tend to enjoy it more because it doesn’t have to be something scheduled into my day, I can just enjoy it whenever 🙂
What a cool trip! That room looks pretty legit!
If you enjoy barre, check out Jessica Smith TV on YouTube…she offers a BUNCH of free full length barre classes! Obviously a little different than being in a class environment, but great when you can’t make it to a gym (and since you’re a dog lover, her pup, Peanut, is almost always in her videos 🙂
What a beautiful hotel! I always try to find a hotel with a gym. Staying active is important to me… even if there’s no gym, I at least bring the workout gear.
Oh Julie – this looks like the BEST NYC fitness trip! Reebok seems like an incredible company, and that Fairmount Fit club is insane awesome!
As a gal who travels for work OFTEN I actually always book a hotel based on the access to a gym (extra fees or no equipment immediately turn me off). I also try to consider the weather and safety of where I’m staying in case I can get a run in though 😉
Have a great trip, and I can’t wait to find out more about it all!
Wow, that’s an amazing program. One I’m sure I could never afford but glad to know it’s out there.
I travel a lot. I’m starting to think a little too much. I really do appreciate hotels with good work out facilities. Multiple cardio machines and weights and ear buds and fruit and towels and water. Oh, and let’s not forget the wipes. Ew. Some people have no gym courtesy.
If I start my day in the hotel gym, my head is clear and my co-workers don’t encounter a grump all day long.
I wish Marriott would adopt a workout program like the Fairmont program! As a business traveler, sometimes its difficult to get a workout in, especially if I forget my shoes or my ipod. And I really want to try a barre class!
-AJ
OccasionallyAJ.com
That program is so cool! I’ve never done an actual barre class but I”m dying to try!
Next time you are in the city you should try Anna Gagie’s class at Exhale. She is AMAZING.
Hi, I am a Fairmont Presidents Club member. Do you know how much they charge for hiring the fitness gear during your stay? Thanks