Mr. Broadhag

Spas, Health & Fitness

Current Hotel Fitness Center Trends

By Kurt A. Broadhag, President, K Allan Consulting

The fitness industry is constantly evolving. Each year brings a host of new or improved products and exercise routine. This evolution can be traced to a number of factors - new research findings leading to advances in training techniques, infusion of high-tech ideas, or simply a new creative way to deliver instruction. These factors combine to shape the trends of the fitness industry.

The goal of any successful fitness center is to forecast trends and anticipate member’s needs in order to attract and maintain client base. This is achieved by creating the perfect workout environment – a blend of equipment selection, layout, design elements, cleanliness, program components, and general management, all effected by trends within the industry.

The hotel fitness center is unique in that it must incorporate fitness trends in a limited space while also combine those specific to the hospitality industry. Following are some of the top trends hotel fitness centers are incorporating into their operations blending these two industries.

Going Green

The fitness industry has been slower to adopt environmentally friendly practices than the hospitality industry. As a result, in the past many hotels that incorporated green practices lost oversight in the hotel fitness center. Unfortunately, guests that stayed at hotels because of their environmental responsibility also recognized this. Now more and more facilities are adopting protocol to extend the green ideas into the gym. Equipment manufacturers are developing products that require less energy, incorporate recycled product, and are made from rapidly renewable material. Products are being used in the design and cleaning that are either no or low VOC and friendly to the environment. New building design within the fitness facilities are using high efficient HVAC and lighting systems. Bottom line – the workout environment is healthier and guests respond positively to that.

Spa/Fitness Integration

More and more hotels are recognizing the fact that the fitness center requires the same amount of customer service and attention to detail given to other areas within the hospitality industry. The incorporation of spa-like services within the hotel fitness center bridges the gap between traditional gyms and the needs to “pamper” hotel guests regardless of facility size. Simple practices being adopted include offering cold wet washcloths, water with lemon, and quality towels. Greater care is being taken to create a clean, comfortable, peaceful environment indicative of spa settings with things such as personal disinfectant wipes, better climate control, and noise reduction techniques. Larger facilities have found that integrating the fitness center with spa services is a great cross-promotion especially if the standard of excellence within the two areas is equal.

Dual Use Facilities

Dual use facilities open up the gym for use to local residence. This type of business model does not work in every market but it can be a win-win for the hotel, guests, and the community. By offering memberships to local residence you are generating a new profit stream while also building brand awareness. The income generated can be used to fund a larger facility. In turn the bigger space allotment offers hotel guests more options in terms of equipment and exercise. It also has the advantage of providing a staffed facility which can aid in the check-in process, help to maintain a clean environment, and answer any questions a guest may have. Smaller hotels with limited space are turning towards cross-promoting with a local gym in the area which can be available to hotel guests. While this does not provide a new revenue stream it still provides guests the option of working out in a larger space with better equipment selection.

Advances to Equipment

Offering the newest equipment is perhaps the most obvious trend to stay on top of. The demographic of people who exercise in hotel fitness centers largely stem from those who have a membership at another gym. Obviously, these gyms are in the gym business and, as a result, must always offer the latest and greatest equipment. Bottom line – what they do the hotel fitness center must follow. New specialty pieces and advances to the old such as the hiker/climber, functional trainers, personal screens, ipod docking stations, and virtual programming are all finding their way into the hotel fitness center. Hotels are realizing they must stay on top of the trends through visiting local mega-gyms, attending fitness conventions, and reading industry publications.

Programming

Adopting trends in programming is the easiest to integrate into the hotel fitness center. Although it usually requires floor space there is little to no investment needed. This programming can be either a class structure or one-on-one. New fitness class including Zumba, pole dancing, yoga, and pilates are all the current craze. Classes that require equipment such as spinning and now the new cranking are also hugely popular. One of the main stumbling blocks in the past has been the inability of the hotel fitness center to offer class structure given the need for specific timing and an instructor. New developments in kiosks’ offering class-like structure to individuals on demand are beginning to catch on, especially in a setting such as the hotel fitness center. Outside of the new classes creative workout routines such as the TRX strap system and functional training using resist-a-balls, medicine balls, and kettle bells are also finding their way into the hotel fitness center.

Creating a Personalized Experience

Unlike the traditional gym hotel fitness centers are not really know as a social setting. As a result the trend towards creating a personalized experience for your guests is gaining in popularity. With the creation of personal screens and iPods guests now have the option of choosing their own audio and visual programming within the gym. This also allows them to be somewhat unapproachable if they desire. More and more effort is being made in the design phase to create different workout “zones” so that the intimidation factor is kept to a minimum and guests are comfortable in their defined space.

Advanced Technology

Perhaps the biggest trends generated within the fitness industry have come from recent advances in technology. These advances benefit all areas within the fitness center. New training aids such as heart rate monitors, iPods with downloadable workout routines, equipment with personalized web-based workout monitoring/tracking, personal screens, and virtual cardiovascular programs are all becoming available to guests to enhance the workout experience. From an operational standpoint, new technology has led to streamlining efficiency. Advances in such things as web and software based entry system/membership programs and the popularity of the internet has lead to a new digital era in place of paper. Another example of technology streamlining efficiency is the rise of asset management software built into some of the new cardiovascular pieces which flags equipment malfunctions by sending a message via the internet. With this in place gym owners and management can cut down on the time it takes for equipment repair. From a marketing standpoint, new personal screens available on cardiovascular equipment have the capability of providing market through advertisements or announcement programmed and downloaded onto the screen which facilities are now using to promote services both in-house as well as cross-promoting with local businesses.

The hotel fitness center is unique in that it can be both a leader and a follower in setting, forecasting, and following trends. By staying abreast on the new research and development of exercise equipment and following the lead of larger fitness centers in terms of program components you can be assured you are creating the optimal workout environment for your guests. On the flip side, by infusing customer service and the attention to detail the leaders in the hospitality industry are known for the hotel fitness center can influence and create trends that can be passed on to the gyms industry.

Kurt Broadhag has over 16 years of experience in personal training and gym design. He is president of K Allan Consulting, a firm specializing in health club design and management. K Allan Consulting works in unison with property owners, architects, and interior designers to address fitness solutions and develop functional workout environments. The company specializes in two-dimensional and three-dimensional fitness facility renderings, consulting from conceptual design to final installation. Kurt obtained his LEED AP certification and has authored articles on green fitness center design. Mr. Broadhag can be contacted at 310-601-7768 or kbroadhag@kallanconsulting.com Extended Bio...

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