Hotel fitness centers, regardless of their location, have a universal obligation to provide guests with a safe, healthy workout environment. Whether the hotel invests in the gym as a guest perk or a profit center is of little concern - the facility operations should focus around the concept of risk management.

Hotels are no strangers when it comes to liability risks. Guests are met with rules and regulations, waivers and releases to sign upon check-in all put in place to protect the hotel from risk of a potential lawsuit. Staff members are trained to constantly be on the lookout for risks throughout the facility and either take steps to eliminate the risk or inform management.

The typical health club hosts a litany of liability risks. Whether through user error or negligence on the part of the facility there are inherent risks associated with the activity of exercising. Contraindications associated with members pre-existing health conditions, often left undiagnosed, can lead to life-threatening emergencies. The act of exercising in itself places the body under extreme loads and compromising positions that can result in injury from improper instruction or equipment failure.

Although hotel gyms do not produce nearly the same amount of foot traffic as a ...