BikeDenver.org » Grand, Green, and Giving: Grand Hyatt Denver is our Bicycle-Friendly Business of the Month!

Clif Bar and BikeDenver are pleased to announce Grand Hyatt Denver as December’s Bicycle-Friendly Business of the Month! Centrally located at 1750 Welton Street downtown, Grand Hyatt Denver encourages its employees and guests to bike for a fun, convenient way to get around, give back, and go green. The concierge is happy to recommend bike-accessible places to visit and provides B-cycle maps so guests can skip the cab ride and really get a feel for Denver. General Manager Greg Leonard encourages his 300+ employees to ride to work where the hotel provides secure, covered bike parking, locker rooms, and shower facilities. Leonard himself makes his 40-mile round-trip commute by bike at least once or twice a week, daylight permitting–not a bad way to train for the hotel’s annual showing at Bike MS, a 150-mile ride to help wipe out multiple sclerosis.

Leonard is especially proud of Grand Hyatt Denver staffers’ enthusiasm when it comes to giving back. Eleven years ago they formed a three-person team to ride the MS 150; this year, team Stay Fit at Hyatt had grown to 213 employees, friends, and family members (see photo at right). The ride’s largest corporate team of 2010, it raised $163,000 for the MS Society’s Colorado chapter for a cumulative total of over $500,000 since the team’s inception. And the giving doesn’t end there. Grand Hyatt Denver supports the Special Olympics as well as several charitable organizations and events within the community. Last month, for example, nearly a third of the hotel’s employees donated the Thanksgiving turkeys they received as gifts to the Denver Rescue Mission.

Speaking of giving, Grand Hyatt Denver also gives the green light to green operation. It promotes discounted “Go Green” meetings without all the typical conference waste (notepads, water bottles, etc.), and the hotel’s Green Team constantly assesses and implements energy, water, and waste-saving practices. This, combined with making biking in and around the city a priority, is why we’re saluting Grand Hyatt Denver for being a grand, green, giving member of our community!

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BikeDenver’s Bicycle-Friendly Business (BFB) of the Month Awards help highlight organizations that are making standout contributions and offering great success stories from among BikeDenver’s Bicycle-Friendly Business (BFB) Program members. The BFB program, with 125 honorees to date, recognizes businesses, organizations and workplaces that are leading the way to make bicycling an easy and accepted form of transportation in Denver. Nominate a workplace as a Bicycle-Friendly Business here.

Grand Hyatt Denver works hard to encourage biking as a fun, practical means of transportation; to enhance personal well-being; and as a vehicle for giving back to our community. Grand Hyatt Denver

BikeDenver is Denver’s bicycle advocacy organization. BikeDenver promotes and encourages bicycling in Denver and works to make Denver a better place to ride your bike. Why? Because it’s healthy for you, and healthy for Denver. www.bikedenver.org

Clif Bar & Company started on a bike ride. Founder Gary took a bite of another energy bar and thought he could make a better bar. Today, Clif Bar is a leading maker of all-natural and organic energy and nutrition foods and drinks. www.clifbar.com

Bicycle Friendly Business of the Month Awards: Since partnering in July of 2009 to launch the monthly awards program, Clif Bar and BikeDenver have recognized Watercourse Restaurant, Historic Denver’s Story Trek, Downtown Denver Business Improvement District, Jones Lang LaSalle, Human Powered Transit Authority, Denver Pavilions, the Alliance for a Sustainable Colorado, Salvagetti Bicycle Workshop, Little Man Ice Cream, Denver Water, Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), Sweet Action Ice Cream, MIGHTYkarma, Quiznos, REI Denver Flagship Store, Solera Green Living, Holland & Hart, and Grand Hyatt Denver.

More about BikeDenver:

See BikeDenver’s PSA’s and learn about the great reasons to ride in Denver: “Priceless” “Why I Ride”