Introducing RunWestin, Cordis Hotels and New Travel Gear

Run in the Sun

My colleague Adele Wong recently went on a healthy holiday to Singapore to try out the Westin Singapore’s new fitness services. Here’s her dispatch:

Want to maintain your workout routine while you travel? The Westin hotel group is doing its bit to keep its guests fit and healthy with its RunWestin Concierge program. This cool initiative allows you to sign up for an outdoor guided 5-kilometer run in the morning (6:30am) or evening (6:30pm) that takes you across lovely Marina Bay and also past historical and cultural buildings like Parliament House and the Esplanade theaters. So, you get to squeeze in some exercise as well as a bit of fast-paced sightseeing at the same time. It’s a great idea for time-poor Hong Kong business travelers, though the morning run might be a bit of a stretch for night owls—particularly if you’ve been out partying at Zouk the night before.
Included with hotel stay. Rooms from SGD540 ($3,110). Westin Singapore, Asia Square Tower 2, 12 Marina View, Singapore, (+65) 6922-6977, www.thewestinsingapore.com.

It’s Opposite Day

If you’re slow to make your Chinese New Year holiday plans, don’t worry—it’s not too late! Gallop into the Year of the Goat in style with a last-minute trip to Opposite House in Beijing. The boutique hotel’s “Gongxi Facai” room package should make the grade: stay one night over CNY and dig into an epic-sounding 12-course dinner for two at the hotel’s venerable restaurant Jing Yaa Tang (yes, Peking duck is on the menu!). And since everyone in China will be migrating home to see their families, you might just have the city to yourself…. Yeah, who am I kidding?
From RMB1,888 ($2,340), through Feb 18-24. 11 Sanlitun Rd., Beijing, China, (+86) 10-6417-6688, www.theoppositehouse.com.

Steer the Cordis

Langham Hospitality Group just announced plans to add a new upmarket hotel brand to its stable. Despite meaning “heart” in Latin, Cordis Hotels and Resorts is not all about honeymooners: the new brand will ambitiously try to please corporate travelers, big families and couples alike. It’ll be interesting to see how they balance those wildly varying needs. So far, the plan is to give each Cordis hotel its own personality—no two will be alike in terms of style and architecture, though all will be equipped with wellness facilities, Wi-Fi and luxury interiors. The first property is set to open right here in Hong Kong this summer: the Langham Place in Mong Kok will be rebranded to take on a new Cordis identity. There's more to come, with plans for eight hotels by 2018.
Stay tuned for more details at www.langhamhospitalitygroup.com.