
Step 1: Requirements & Recommendations
In order to participate in the Bike Friendly Business program, we ask that you adhere to our program requirements and recommendations.
Requirements
1. This program is intended for tourism-related businesses that offer services to visitors. Your business needs to be considered one (1) or more of the following categories below to be eligible:
- Eat and Drink (restaurant, cafe, brewery, artisan food producer, etc.)
- Lodging
- Camping
- Visitor or Welcome Center
- Tour Operator, Guide or Outfitter
- Bicycle Shop
- Retail/Shopping, Attraction or Point of Interest
- Gas station, Grocery or Other*
*Please note, while businesses in this category are eligible to participate in the program and receive most of the benefits, they may not be included in Travel Oregon’s digital and print materials, as they may not fall in line with Travel Oregon’s business listing guidelines.
2. Your business must have a physical location in Oregon, which is open to the public and has hours of operation clearly posted at the location and/or online.
3. In order for your business to be recognized as Bike Friendly, we ask that you provide at least five (5) services or amenities from this approved list.
4. If you are a lodging property, you must provide: A.) secure and dry bike parking for overnight guests, and B.) be listed with the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association (ORLA).
A.) Acceptable examples of dry bike parking include:
- Allow visitors to bring their bikes into their rooms
- Provide a locked, fenced-off area in our parking garage, parking lot or storage room
B.) We require lodging properties to be listed with Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association (ORLA), as they are our partner that helps power our lodging listings both online and via print. You can easily check if you already have a listing by searching your lodging property’s name on TravelOregon.com in the top ‘search’ box. If your lodging property appears in the search, you are good to go! If your lodging property appears, but is not up-to-date, please email changes to ORLA at Listings@OregonRLA.org. If your lodging property does not appear, download the Basic Lodging form (FREE) prior to applying to the Bike Friendly Business program and submit to ORLA at Listings@OregonRLA.org or fax to 503.682.4455. Once you’ve received ORLA confirmation (this can take up to 90 days), then you can apply to the Bike Friendly Business program.
Note, ORLA requires your lodging listing to be verified or updated every year. ORLA will contact you in October of each year. If you do not update this, your listing could be suspended on our websites and the printed visitor guide.
5. If you offer camping, you must provide a dedicated camping area for people who arrive by bike without a reservation. If you offer camping, we also recommend providing (optional):
- A sheltered location where people who are arriving by bike can get out of the weather to prepare food, rest, etc.
- A place for guests who are arriving by bike to plug in and re-charge their phone and laptops safely
6. If you have multiple business locations, we require each location to submit a separate Bike Friendly application. The application ought to be submitted by the manager of the particular location that is applying.
Recommendations
We recommend that your front line staff be able to share local knowledge about where visitors can find bicycle shops, get a rental, locate maps and know where to ride whether they are mountain bikers, road cyclists, or a family with kids. To find this sort of information, check out RideOregonRide.com, ask local cyclists in your community, visit your local bicycle shop, and contact your local DMO.
We also recommend that your front line staff become Oregon Guest Service Gold; though this is optional. Oregon Guest Service Golds is the state’s tourism and hospitality industry customer service training program.
Most importantly, we recommend that your front line staff is welcoming and friendly to visitors – especially to visitors who ride bicycles!
If you are a restaurant, we recommend that you provide at least one of the options below:
- High-carbohydrate food options
- Larger-than-average portions of fruits and vegetables
- Food options (or meals) prepared with local ingredients
Thank you for reviewing the program requirements and recommendations! Now, head to Step 2.