Cover

Advertisement
Acxiom Corporation
Virginia Peanut Group

Printable version Send this page to a friend... Share this page

Hotels for Health Nuts

SOMETIMES THE BEST WAY TO GET IN SHAPE IS TO GET OUT OF TOWN.
by ALLISON WEISS ENTREKIN - January 2010

Published in :: Features

FOR MEMBERS OF THE Houstonian Club, a private health and fitness center at The Houstonian Hotel, the going rate for staying in shape is a $7,000 to $24,000 initiation fee, plus monthly dues of $200. But if you’re staying at the hotel, you can access the facility for free. That’s quite a perk, considering it has a whopping 125,000 square feet of workout space and offers more than 145 exercise classes a week.

If yoga, Pilates or cardio-dance classes aren’t your thing, you can scale the club’s 20-foot rock-climbing wall or take advantage of the indoor and outdoor tracks. Want to talk with a nutritionist about your new diet? There are two on staff. Feel like shooting some hoops? A full-size basketball court is at your disposal. Pretty much the only thing the facility doesn’t have is a person to wheel you back to your room after an extra-strenuous workout. “Our club offers just about anything you could want to stay in shape,” says hotel manager Steve Fronterhouse.

And guests expect nothing less—especially in January, when fitness resolutions are at the top of many minds. “People are investing in their health now more than ever, and they’re making it a priority when they’re on the road,” says Dr. Eric Plasker, author of the international bestselling book The 100 Year Lifestyle. “They aren’t going to let go of that healthy mindset just because they’re away from home.”

In fact, an industry study by Coyle Hospitality found that more than 50% of today’s hotel guests said they were “likely” or “very likely” to use a property’s gym or exercise programs—a number that is probably going to rise in the future. Based on this statistic and society’s increased focus on fitness, “I think we’re probably going to go into the 60% or 70% range,” says Jean Francois Mourier, founder and CEO of REVPAR GURU, a hotel sales and revenue management firm.

And quality definitely matters. Health-minded guests expect far more than a cramped room with a treadmill and TV, and they won’t be satisfied with a hotel that just hands out area maps without also offering guided jogs through the area. According to a study by Lieberman Research Worldwide, 59% of travelers consider a hotel’s work-out amenities to be an important factor in their choice of where to stay—which is why properties like The Houstonian are raising standards by beefing up their facilities and getting creative with their health programs. “It’s all about creating a buzz and getting an edge to attract guests,” says Glenn Colarossi, who has helped develop programs for hotel groups such as the Four Seasons and Star-wood Hotels and Resorts and is president of the hospitality division for exercise equipment manufacturer Cybex International Inc.

Colleen Seise is one such guest who expects a lot from hotels when it comes to fitness. The New Jersey resident trains for several marathons a year, so when she travels, “not getting a run in isn’t an option,” she says. During a recent stay at The Westin Jersey City, she took advantage of a program made for athletic individuals like her: guided runs led by the property’s running concierge, Dawn Waters. “It helped me run around an area I’m not familiar with,” Seise says.“It was also really fun having the concierge with us. He pointed out interesting trivia and facts about the city while we were out, and I loved it.”

That’s the kind of feedback Waters likes to hear. He designed the 3.5-mile running course so it would showcase the best of Jersey City: the historic Paulus Hook neighborhood, the 50-foot Colgate Clock, the Hudson River and views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. Guests can run at their own pace, learn about the area and never once worry about getting lost. “Having someone like me come along gives you a comfort zone,” says Waters, who tries to encourage guests to run no matter how tired they are or how foreboding the clouds look. “And I give people the motivation to continue with their exercise programs.”

Another hotel garnering attention for its workout options is Scottsdale’s Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa, which recently hired Olympic gold medalist Misty Hyman as its on-site swim instructor. (The hotel’s gym also offers yoga, Pilates, cycling and nutrition consultations.) A sports legend since winning the 200-meter butterfly in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Hyman offers one-hour lessons for $125 to guests who want to wow their friends during their next sprint triathlons. “I like to help people swim better and make it fun,” she says. “And hey, if you want to go home and say you took swim lessons from a gold medalist, that’s a pretty good souvenir.”

At Gansevoort South in Miami, travelers can use the property’s ultra-trendy David Barton Gym + Spa to work out with the city’s buff and beautiful. With hand-laid mosaic flooring, a 30-foot domed glass ceiling and rotating DJs mixing beats, it’s part health facility and part lounge. Group-fitness sessions have hip names such as “Steam” (an extreme strength-training class) and “Junk” (30 minutes of exercises for the gluteus maximus). There are also 10 different types of yoga classes and three full floors of cardio equipment. And forget body odors—the gym is pumped full of green tea-scented air. “People love that it doesn’t smell or look like a normal gym,” says Ilan Segal, the hotel’s managing director.

Colarossi says that wanting the workout center to match the quality of the hotel is only natural. After all, if you’re staying at a hotel where the lobby, suites and restaurants exude a cool, modern vibe, you don’t expect that to stop at the gym door. “The idea is for a hotel’s fitness facility to emulate the rest of the hotel,” he says. “The space can’t just be well-equipped. Even the design has to be inviting.”

While hotels like the Gansevoort try to make exercise hip, others are helping to make it easy. At Fairmont Hotels and Resorts across the country, members of Fairmont President’s Club can leave their bulky sneakers and workout gear at home—the property delivers Adidas shoes and exercise apparel, as well as yoga mats, stretch bands and MP3 players loaded with hundreds of upbeat tunes directly to their rooms upon request.

With all the emphasis hotels are placing on fitness nowadays, finding a great place to stay—and stay fit—is becoming easier. And who knows? Maybe in the not-too-distant future, these properties will figure out a way to have someone do our workouts for us.

 

FIT FOR SUCCESS

THESE HOTELS MAKE IT EASY FOR HEALTH-MINDED TRAVELERS TO STAY IN SHAPE.
 

THE HOUSTONIAN HOTEL
111 N Post Oak Ln, Houston; 713-680-2626; www.houstonian.com

THE WESTIN JERSEY CITY
479 Washington Blvd, Jersey City (16 miles from LaGuardia Airport); 201-626-2900; www.starwoodhotels.com

SANCTUARY ON CAMELBACK MOUNTAIN RESORT & SPA
5700 E McDonald Dr, Paradise Valley (11 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport); 480-948-2100; www.sanctuaryoncamelback.com

GANSEVOORT SOUTH
2377 Collins Ave, Miami Beach; 305-604-1000; www.gansevoortsouth.com

FAIRMONT HOTELS AND RESORTS
800-257-7544; www.fairmont.com

Published in :: Features

Related features

Recent features


Browse Go Features: