Hotel Exercise Rooms' Trends and Marketing Value
By John Sarver

Director of Design and Development
Hotel Fitness Club®

Just as the roadside hotel has evolved into welcoming stay, so has the hotel exercise room since it was first introduced more than 20 years ago. What was once seen as a guest perk has morphed into necessity that could be the make or break factor for many guests. The trend to simply offer a fitness center as an amenity has elevated into a revenue producing amenity with its own set of evolving trends within hotel gyms, spas and exercise rooms.

As health and fitness has gained importance in the United States, guests have become increasingly aware of how to stay healthy while traveling. What once was a small dusty room with a treadmill and a few free weights is now often a full-fledged spa or exercise center in many hotels and resorts.

No matter what the destination, guests expect to find a quality and balanced amenity for exercise at their hotel or resort. The challenge for hoteliers is how to best leverage their investment to attract business without going overboard.

When specialized design companies such as Hotel Fitness Club emerged on the hospitality scen, the fitness centers were mostly optional, whereas an on-site restaurant or night club was the more popular amenity.

Today, the hospitality industry has discovered that the exercise and fitness facility can become a marketing tool to differentiate between brands and individual boutique hotels. The hospitality marketplace has become intensely competitive with the economic downturn and hotels have experienced that the health and wellness amenity is an important factor in driving travelers to a hotel. Savvy chains have implemented branded rooms with sleek logos and cross marketing campaigns with sporting good companies in an effort to attract guests. No matter how a health and wellness program is branded, the key to an overall positive experience is still based on the quality of the fitness room.

Every hotel health and wellness program must deliver the right overall experience, which includes many of the key elements that go into designing a quality fitness center. The basics of the facility, which must be addressed in order to ensure success, include quality equipment, exercise stations, room design, proper space planning and balance, ventilation and air circulation, and room entertainment.

Among some of the current hot trends in hotel exercise centers are an increased use of global technology, leasing equipment and "up-sizing" of fitness centers overall.

Fitness equipment technology has become more global with new technology such as touch screens and entertainment systems first being introduced in Asia or Europe before hitting the U.S. markets. Touch screens, like used on most cell phones and some computers, will be the way of the future with fitness equipment.

The cost of a quality hotel fitness amenity can be substantial in implementing a new fitness center concept. Hotel Fitness Club® has worked with hotels to lease quality equipment and spread payments out over time in much the same manner as most health clubs do today. Leasing equipment affords hotels the opportunity to utilize higher quality equipment than they would be able to purchase and they can also better keep up with current trends in exercise by trading out key pieces at the end of the lease. A typical lease length for fitness equipment falls between 36-48 months, whereas at the end of the lease you replace the equipment with new equipment.

In general hotels are increasing the size of the fitness room. Typically in the past a fitness center might be a converted guest room. Now architects and designers are specifying a larger space than a typical guest room and in the larger hotels, there is a more robust space allocated to the amenity. A good fitness room should have a balance of aesthetic space and user or functional space. It is important that when developing a fitness center, that an experienced designer with experience in the setting and proper products for the application be consulted early in the process.

Designing a hotel fitness room incorporates many specialized aspects and it is important to work with qualified designers that have experience in this arena. Creating a concept that attracts guests involves more than simply choosing a reputable manufacturer's brand of equipment, even though that is a good place to begin.

Companies like Hotel Fitness Club® work with many different manufacturers and innovators in an effort to bring the most dynamic products and balance to the marketplace. This allows for the flexibility to serve the market with the most dynamic products per category and great balance to a room. To properly outfit a hotel gym, multiple manufacturers are utilized; much like most health clubs do, providing great variety and balance to a room.

Consumers can see on TV all the new fitness products that are introduced on a regular basis. It's a pleasure to incorporate many of these trends into a commercial application. Guests want to be impressed when they walk into a fitness center. The key to "wowing" a guest to offer a balanced variety of quality products and various exercises in four categories; cardiovascular, strength toning, stretching and personal fitness.

Hotel Fitness Club® has been designing hotel exercise facilities and equipment for over 15 years globally and has enjoyed working with all types of developers, owners and operators. The company's consumer division partner's with hoteliers and travelers to provide hotel booking to travelers looking for quality fitness centers while traveling. Hotel Fitness Club®'s focus and goal is to help hoteliers provide the highest quality fitness center with the parameters they have to work with. It doesn't have to be big to be good; we can make the best with what is available.

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