A common mistake made in hospitality as it relates to the fitness amenity, is trying to offer a “health club” look and feel within the confines and constraints of a hotel or resort. Unless you have 40,000-60,000 square feet available, achieving health club levels of scope and segmentation are simply unrealistic. A more-tailored approach in terms of exercise consolidation, functionality, and aesthetics are both advisable and reasonably expected by your guests. The solution is to provide your guests what they need while they are with you versus what they expect from a membership level facility they frequent at home. This then is our foundation for effective planning & design for the hospitality-based fitness amenity.

Although there are logical constraints to how extensively the fitness amenity can be developed, there are also very distinct advantages to a more-specialized environment – one that is tailored around efficiency, convenience and relevance to your customers. What are these advantages and how are they achieved? Let’s begin by focusing on what not to do:

The “DON’Ts”

• “Variety is not the spice of the life of your fitness facility”

Having it all may sound good, but that’s hardly the case with the fitness amenity. Not only ...