By: Lynn Burshtein
The Kimpton Saint George Hotel Toronto Hotel in Yorkville | Kimpton Saint George, located at the edge of Toronto’s swanky Yorkville neighbourhood, is a stylish and compact boutique hotel with a fantastic location. It has numerous amenities that make it feel urban yet cozy, such as the daily “Wine O’Clock” ritual where guests can convene in the stylish lobby area, glass in hand. The property is also pet-friendly and boasts interesting design moments (see the Instagram-worthy mirror near the lobby elevators). The Fortunate Fox restaurant, adjacent to the hotel, has a pub-style vibe.
My specific reason for visiting the Saint George, however, was to test the new Peloton, the high-end, indoor cycling equipment, which was recently added to the hotel’s already well-appointed fitness centre. The addition of the beloved bike, which offers a wide range of immersive, on-demand and live classes, means that traveling away from home does not have to impede one’s fitness goals.
I must admit, I used to have a love-hate relationship with spin classes. Prior to Covid, I attended a few live classes at local spin studios. And, while I loved the dynamic workout on the bike, I did not exactly mesh well with the environment, which invariably featured pounding dance music and loud shouting amidst blaring strobe lights and a nightclub atmosphere.
Then Covid happened, and no one was going to any nightclubs, or spin classes that resembled nightclubs, for that matter. So, the emergence of the Peloton was a natural fit for people who craved challenging and dynamic workouts while under lockdown. I tried a Peloton class a little while ago and fell in love with the program: it had the tough cardio and strength workout I needed, but in a much calmer and solitary environment – highly suitable for introverts!
I was delighted to try the Peloton again when I stayed at the Saint George. I could put in a good sweat, in a format I was familiar with, without having to leave the hotel. I ended up choosing the perfect level class and felt energized afterward – it helped that my virtual instructor kept me motivated and inspired.
In keeping with the high-end fitness theme, I then headed off to the Bata Shoe Museum’s “Future Now: Virtual Sneakers to Cutting Edge Kicks” Future Now – Bata Shoe Museum (the museum is located kitty corner to the hotel). “Future Now” showcases over 50 different innovative futuristic sneaker designs, such as the auto-lace “Nike MAG”, and features digitally designed fitness footwear from luminaries such as Zaha Hadid to Yeezy. Sneakers made from unexpected and inventive materials such as mushroom leather and reclaimed ocean plastics are also featured in this exhibit.
Now that people are travelling again, fitness-forward hotels like the Kimpton Saint George provide continuity to guests who have grown accustomed to working out at home with on-demand classes and virtual instructors. This is a terrific way to keep hotel guests on track with their fitness goals. And who knows, perhaps we will soon be seeing fitness-loving hotel guests sporting some very futuristic footwear as well.
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Lynn Burshtein is a frequent contributor to Travel to Wellness. She was a guest of the Kimpton Saint George and the Bata Shoe Museum in August 2022. Future Now is open now at The Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto until October 2023.