Fitness in Hotels – Tips to Developing the Best In-House Fitness Centre

Hotels are quickly shaping up to the changing needs of their guests and frequent travelers.  With the quality of fitness provision playing an integral role in the decision process of many travelers, it is necessary that your hotel and spa offer the right kind of exercise, fitness and relaxation facilities.

A simple conversion of a couple of guest rooms or function room into a fitness facility is no longer sufficient to satisfy the demanding requirements of today’s guest.   Today you need to ensure that your guests are able to experience a high-quality workout and fitness routine through the right mix of cardio vascular product, strength training equipment, stretching & flexibility tools and great entertainment options that they enjoy at their commercial health club back home.

Having a well-designed and fully equipped fitness centre is the key to attracting more customers, while also maintaining a loyal clientele. Having said that, it is important to know what your customers desire and what they look for in a fitness facility within a hotel:

Fitness Clubs in Hotels – Points to Consider

Exercise Equipment – Obviously the first and foremost aspect to be considered is the kind of gym gear and exercise equipment your fitness centre will have. Guests who are interested in using your health club would definitely expect and desire a variety of exercise options to be available.  Top of the list is a complete suite of cardio equipment starting with treadmills and cross-trainers.  If you have more room then upright and recumbent bikes, rowing machines (preferred among European travelers) and steppers.  A line up of resistance training equipment that provide training for 8-12 major muscle groups supported by dumbbells and a choice of benches is the minimum mix of equipment.

Ease of use, compliance to safety standards, a small footprint and a design that focuses on user results are the four starting criteria to equipment selection.

Ambience – So your hotel is known for providing luxurious and comfortable accommodation, but what about the ambience of your fitness club? It is important to hire experts to design and build your in-house gym. From the type of flooring to be used, to ensuring proper ventilation and optimum use of space, it is important to focus on each and every aspect while building a health club for your hotel.

If you have a tight budget and are looking for a comprehensive solution for building a health club in your hotel, you should only rely on experts and commercial fitness solution providers.

Adequate Space & Facilities – Even if your gym is designed ornately and is well-equipped, it would mean nothing if your guests need to wait in a queue for using it. Ensure that the health club is designed to handle peak hours with ease. If you hotel remains fully packed during holidays or other occasions, keep that in mind while designing and furnishing your fitness centre. Ensure that the fitness club is adequately equipped and has enough space for handling maximum inflow of clients/guests. 

Staff – A fitness facility in hotel is not an opportunity to ignore your guest’s needs!   Hotel Management carefully manages the staff to guest ratios for public areas, housekeeping and F&B, whereas you can often stroll into a hotel gym and find the place deserted.  Leaving faculty’s unsupervised can be not only a safety issue but it is a poor reflection on the quality of service and attention to guest satisfaction of the hotel management.  Having your equipment supplier provide not only comprehensive staff training but also facility operations information and equipment programming content is essential to ensure your investment in the equipment is going to be put to good use.  Effective equipment programs offered by your staff to the guest can ensure they will leave the fitness facility having had a great workout and a memorable experience.