LOCALS WELCOME: When you think about a hotel, and what a hotel is, and the people it serves, it can be easy to assume that it caters almost entirely to guests who don't live in the area. They need a place to stay, they need to eat, and the hotel is their HQ for a short stretch of time. Sure, you might head to a hotel for a holiday brunch or drinks, but that's about it, if you live in the venue's neck of the woods. With that in mind, we love to see hotels reaching out beyond the once-and-awhile brunch to their neighbors; it is all too rare but makes an important connection, reminding locals that while the location does often serve out-of-towners, it is very much rooted to its place. And when the reaching out is free? Hoo boy, we're happy. That's what's going down, right now, with four Kimpton properties around San Francisco; during September, all yoga classes at the Sir Francis Drake, Hotel Triton, Hotel Monaco, and Harbor Court Hotel are free for locals.
WHAT CLASS IS WHERE: Nope, don't expect an all-day yoga studio situation but do expect an array of lively instructions meant to keep visitors energized. There's Cityview Yoga at the Sir Francis Drake on Tuesdays and Funky Yoga at Hotel Triton on Thursdays. You should show with your own mat, being a local, but H20 and towels are comp'd. Oh, and a tip? You're "encouraged to sign up at the front desk the evening prior," so if you're in the area, swing by. And now that we think about it, shouldn't we all give hotel yoga a go? Figure that it caters to travelers and tired sorts with jet lag, most of the time, so it really has to energize. We're for that, nearly as much as we're for free yoga classes.
