Hotel Fitness Center

In days of yore, possibly around the early 2000s, hotel fitness centers weren’t much of a step up from what you might have found in your parents basement. There might be a treadmill, and probably a stationary bike along with a set of dumbbells and maybe a bench. Sure, the hotel listed “Fitness Center” amongst its amenities, but it certainly felt like an afterthought.

The Evolution of the Fitness Room

As a new age of fitness has dawned, however, so has the rebirth of the hotel fitness center. These days, a full 53 percent of hotel guests get their workout in while they are on the road, with 52 percent of those respondents stating that they rely on the hotel fitness center to get their workout in. With such a high percentage of potential customers now taking an interest in the quality of their facilities, the hotel industry has responded.

What used to be a small room that had just enough equipment to qualify as a “gym” have been replaced by fully furnished workout rooms. In 2012, over 84 percent of hotels had a fitness center up 63 percent from 2004. As a new decade begins to dawn, some hotel chains are offering in-room fitness equipment and workout gear to guests. At the Park Hyatt in Tokyo, the entire 47th floor is a workout facility.

The Present and Future of Hotel Fitness Center

As top-end hotel chains shift their fitness focus, the rest of the industry won’t be far behind. When Hilton decided to ask their customers what they wanted in terms of workout options, they relied on a study that stated while 46 percent of hotel guests were drawn in by the availability of a fitness center, only 22 percent actually utilized it. This lead Hilton to change their focus away from modern fitness centers instead to in-room options, which they call Five Feet to Fitness. For the fitness-minded individual, Hilton offers rooms that include upscale stationary bikes, Gym Rax stations, and a fitness kiosk that puts 200 fitness classes and tutorials at the guests finger tips. All without having to leave their room.

As the burgeoning fitness industry just continues to grow upwards of $600 billion a year, expect the trend of fitness-focused hotels to continue.

Hotel chains that are serious about catering to their customers have not just looked at investing in high-end workout equipment, they’ve also put dietitians on staff and looked at the room service offerings for their more fitness-minded guests. Some of the big players in the fitness industry, like Soul Cycle and Equinox, are even eying their own plays in the accommodations industry. Soul Cycle has opened a 2,600 square-foot facility in 1 Hotel South Beach. Equinox is set to make an even bigger play, debuting their own luxury hotel chain that will, of course, feature a state-of-the-art workout facility as the centerpiece.

For road warriors that seek out the path less traveled, the days of the afterthought hotel fitness facility has become a thing of the past.

For more information about hotel fitness centers in California and Nevada, contact Opti-fit fitness professionals at 888-601-4350.