Transit agencies benefit when they provide information about the benefits of public transportation.When it comes to public transportation, some of Arlington, Virginia’s most forward-thinking businesses are in the hospitality industry.
A handful of hotels have recently been recognized for their initiatives, in partnership with Arlington Transportation Partners (ATP), to implement transit benefits and educate their employees about the area’s transportation options.
They were honored at a recent Champions breakfast awards ceremony. Here’s what each is doing above and beyond the competition:
- The Hilton Garden Inn Shirlington is located off I-395 in Shirlington Village, a neighborhood filled with shops and restaurants, the Signature Theatre, and not far down the road from the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. The hotel provides nearly all of its employees with a transit subsidy. Employees also have access to a hotel shuttle, showers and bike facilities, and transportation information in Spanish and Amharic as well as English. It was designated a Best Workplace for Commuters in 2013.
- The Potomac Yard Renaissance Inn and Residence Inn Arlington Capital View hotels in the Crystal City neighborhood are a mile from Washington National Airport, adjacent to the Crystal City Metro, and share a fleet of rental bikes. These hotels also provide employees with a transit subsidy, access to showers, employee bike racks, shuttles to the Metro, and easy access to transportation alternatives.
- The Hyatt Regency Crystal City at National Airport offers easy access to the D.C. public transportation system. It provides employees with a shuttle to the Crystal City Metro station and pre-tax public transit benefits. And the hotel participates in health and wellness programs, such as National Walk at Lunch Day.
- Employees and residents of the Residence Inn, Ballston take advantage of the various transit options such as Metrorail, Metrobus, ART and Capital Bikeshare, all located within an eighth of a mile from the hotel. The Residence Inn provides employees with pre-tax transit benefits and all new employees are provided with a preloaded SmarTrip® card.
All 43 major hotels in Arlington work with Arlington Transportation Partners. Of the more than 700 total employers in the county that work with ATP, 63 percent offer at least a transit benefit to their employees – the highest rate in the region.
This article is based on one previously published by Arlington Transportation Partners.