I travel a fair amount for business and am always looking for hotels with a legitimate pool, i.e. not something that resembles a hot tub. Thought others might have the same problem so thought I would start a thread to keep everyone informed of my experiences and others can post theirs too.
Atlanta - Marriott Marquis (downtown). They have a pool that is oddly shaped. Not rectangular, closer to a large triangle, about 15 yards on each side. You can't really do laps but can hug the wall and swim almost in circles, assuming no one is in your way.
Boston - Copley Square Marriott (Back Bay). They have a legit 25 m pool with lap lanes.
Indianapolis - Courtyard Marriott (by the Capital). Their "pool" is probably less than 10 m long. Don't waste your time.
A few years ago, a swimmer in my LMSC set (and achieved) a goal to swim one million yards in a year. He traveled a lot so he was always looking for appropriate pools. He said that when he called a hotel and asked about their pool, he learned not to ask whether it was a "lap pool" (because hotel clerks assume that any puddle of water is a "lap pool"). Instead, he learned that he got more realistic information when he asked, "Does it have lines painted on the bottom?"
Anna Lea
Yeah, I travel a lot too and it's incredible what people think is an "Olympic size pool." Recently, the concierge at a hotel in Phoenix said that the downtown YMCA has a state of the art "Olympic size pool" so I was guessing that they at least had a 25 yard, 6 lane pool, but when I got there it was in fact 25 yards, but 4 lanes, two of which didn't have lap lanes. Hilarious! At least it was a place to swim a few laps!
Places I have been happy with:
Hilton Chicago- The have an indoor 20 yard pool. Better than nothing and works in a pinch when I can't get to a masters practice.
Couples Swept Away- Negril, Jamaica- Just got back from there and not only do they have a great swimming area in the ocean that was about 350 meters long and safe from boat traffic, but there was a 7 lane, 25 meter pool on the property! It was beautiful! I highly recommend the resort if you're looking to get away during a cold winter!
Mostly I just scope out a masters team and then figure out cabs/public transportation. Every once in a while I do get a rental car so that makes it SO much easier.
Julie
The Del Mar Marriott in the San Diego area has 2-25 yard lanes on the long side of a triangular shaped pool.
The deal is though, that the Bar area is adjacent to (and overlooks) the pool area which is separated by a short wall with a counter top on it.
So, I'm in San Diego for an audit, a couple of days before the SPMA SCM Champs last December, and I just want to get in and loosen up a little. When I get in, there's practically no one in the bar area. No prob - but I guess there's a convention of some sort that lets out while I'm swimming and I look up and all of a sudden I seem to be the entertainment for the night. There's a crowd of people with drinks on the counter top and most of them are watching me. I felt kind of awkward and lasted another 15 or so minutes :bolt: but I got what I wanted and some.
A few years ago, a swimmer in my LMSC set (and achieved) a goal to swim one million yards in a year. He traveled a lot so he was always looking for appropriate pools. He said that when he called a hotel and asked about their pool, he learned not to ask whether it was a "lap pool" (because hotel clerks assume that any puddle of water is a "lap pool"). Instead, he learned that he got more realistic information when he asked, "Does it have lines painted on the bottom?"
Anna Lea
Boston - Copley Square Marriott (Back Bay). They have a legit 25 m pool with lap lanes.
I think I've posted this before, but *many/most* full-service Marriotts (not Courtyards and the like) have 25 y or m pools. I know the Marriott Camelback in Phoenix and the Marriott in downtown Philly do.
Although not necessarily sorted as such, I think you can find most of this information over in the hotel forums on Flyertalk. I'm a HHonors person myself, so I look there all the time....
Flyertalk Hotels list: www.flyertalk.com/.../forumdisplay.php
Flyertalk/Hilton: www.flyertalk.com/.../forumdisplay.php
Before I travel, I'll usually research what kind of workout facilities various hotels have. There is quite a difference between a workout room that has a treadmill and an exercise bike and a workout room that has a full gym (weights, treadmills, pool, etc). If you are going somewhere and don't see a property listed in that city, start a new thread; it is amazing how quickly I've gotten responses to my questions.
Travel is a strong passion of mine (maybe even more than swimming), and looking at flyertalk has taught me how to get the most out of my travel experiences.
Thanks, "aztimm," for flyertalk site.
For the sake of this thread, I'll do the honors for Chicago. Some hotels with pools have a fitness center and offer individual swim coaching. Note that there are multiple masters clubs in Chicago as well.
--Hotel Intercontinental, on Michigan Ave. (main drag). 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., free to hotel guests. Beautiful 25 yd Art Deco pool, recently restored. Johnny Weismuller swam here! And so do I!
--Peninsula Hotel. 108 E. Superior @ Michigan Ave. 25m pool. Pic: chicago.peninsula.com/.../spa_10.html
--(more coming)
The Shamrock Hotel near the Texas Medical Center in Houston had a beautiful outdoor 50 meter pool. The Air France flight attendants stayed at the hotel during layovers and would hang out (so to speak) poolside. Sadly, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot.
I travel quite a lot myself.
Usually, I will ask about the hotel pool, but more often than not, I try and get access to a local pool.
www.swimmersguideonline.com is an excellent resource.
