Marriott Bonvoy has partnered with an on-demand fitness platform to offer guests free access to virtual exercise classes.
Members of the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty programme will receive a seven-day trial of the FitnessOnDemand platform, which offers hundreds of exercise classes on the app or website for use in the hotel room, gym or at the beach and pool.
The partnership is available at over 450 hotels and resorts across Europe, Middle East and Africa, and members can access the platform by scanning a QR code provided by a participating hotel. This will then ask guests to complete registration details, after which they will receive a verification email and can connect online or via the app.
If members enjoy the seven-day service, they have the option to subscribe for $5.99 per month.
The partnership comes after Marriott Bonvoy conducted research in December 2022 on attitudes to exercising while on holiday. The research found that 53 per cent of UK travellers workout while on holiday, which was lower than counterparts in Europe, Middle East and South Africa.
Of the 47 per cent that do not exercise when on holiday, a third proactively exercise at home. The research found that swimming was the most popular activity when on holiday (47 per cent), followed by working out in a hotel gym (42 per cent) and running on the beach (32 per cent).
A fifth of UK travellers would like to practise yoga while on holiday (18 per cent), and 14 per cent would like to do more meditation exercises.
Neal Jones, chief sales and marketing officer at Marriott International – Europe, Middle East and Africa, commented:
“Keeping up with exercise regimes while on holiday or business travel may feel like a big effort for some, but it doesn’t have to be a chore. You don’t even have to go to the gym. Just 20 minutes of light exercise in your hotel room can have a significant impact on your mental and physical wellbeing and can help to assuage those feelings of guilt of not working out while away from home.
“We’re delighted to offer our members access to FitnessOnDemand™, to make it as easy as possible for them to workout wherever and whenever it suits them. Plus, they can take part in classes such as meditation which they may not have tried before and come back home feeling completely refreshed.”
Uday Anumalachetty, divisional VP FitnessOnDemand, added:
“It’s easier when you are travelling to stay on track with your fitness goals when you feel a class or a workout is familiar and similar to the activities you enjoy in your own gym.
“Members at participating hotels can now access any one of hundreds of core-strength, cardio and specialty classes that feel just like the classes they take at home, making it quick, easy and painless to press play and workout.”
For more information on fitness programmes available at large hotel brands, see our feature:
