Life on the road can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. Awareness of this has meant that staying fit and well has become a priority for many business travellers. To meet this healthy demand, hotels have launched a range of amenities and services, from in-room fitness to nutrition-focused meal plans and ergonomic workstations. Here, we round-up some of the ones to watch.
Hilton Hotels and Resorts
Hilton’s Five Feet to Fitness concept is “part traditional hotel room, part miniature fitness centre.” It incorporates 11 different equipment and accessory options into the hotel room while a touch screen display providing over 200 bespoke exercise tutorials will guide guests through workout routines.
To ensure other guests aren’t disturbed, the room’s “sports performance floor” has been designed to provide a protective surface for guests, with an additional layer of soundproofing. The rooms also have a meditation chair, blackout shades for sleep, bio freeze gel packs to relieve muscle tension, and a selection of hydrating beverages – free-of-charge. The rooms are only available in a few hotels in North America. fivefeettofitness.hilton.com
Even Hotels
IHG’s US-based Even brand can be found in New York, Seattle and Miami. It has a “where wellness is built in” tagline, so rooms are fitted with gym equipment, fitness videos, and ergonomic workstations (standing desks), while beds have eucalyptus linen for a cooler sleep. Staff can provide running routes and walking trails, while its food and beverage platform “Cork and Kale Market and Bar” focuses on healthy eating. ihg.com/evenhotels
Fairmont
Accor’s Fairmont has had the Fairmont Fit programme since 2016, where guests can borrow Reebok training gear for use in-room, in the gym or outdoors. This can be replenished at any time during your stay. Available exclusively to loyalty members, guests can also request yoga mats and other fitness equipment to be delivered to the room. The hotels also have running maps, tested by Reebok running specialists. fairmont.com
Rosewood Hotels
Rosewood first introduced its wellness concept Asaya at its Phuket location in 2017, and is looking to extend this to other city and resort locations. Founded on the “key objective of empowering self-change and transformation”, guests are provided with tailored experiences designed by lifestyle coaches, nutritionists and therapists. The wellness programme has partnered with Technogym to offer both indoor and outdoor workouts, ranging from yoga to tai chi and boxing.
The Rosewood Hong Kong, which opened in March, has a fitness centre overlooking the harbour and will be home to the first urban outpost of Asaya in autumn 2019. This will be set over two floors, offering fitness and lifestyle activities, healthy eating plans and specially designed spaces for relaxation and reflection. rosewoodhotels.com
JW Marriott
JW Marriott has teamed up with health and fitness expert Nora Tobin to provide a series of workout videos, ranging from yoga to HIIT, for guests to use in their rooms. The videos can be found online, or can be streamed in fitness centres at select hotels. The workouts are tailored to an array of fitness levels and range from three to 30 minutes in length.
The hotels have also partnered with The Joffrey Ballet for a “Behind the Barre” fitness-focused video series, available to watch online. marriott.com/jw-marriott
Tryp by Wyndham
Wyndham’s Tryp brand, which is largely based in cities, offers both regular rooms and fitness rooms. The latter include streaming facilities, an in-room elliptical, exercise bike or treadmill, and an exercise mat.
Guests can follow workouts via the in-room streaming facilities, while free bottled water and towels are provided for a post-workout cool down. wyndhamhotels.com/en-uk/tryp
Swissotel
This Accor brand launched its Vitality concept in 2012, offering ideas for in-room exercise workouts on their website and allowing guests to order equipment to their room. Each hotel has a local jogging map (available on Google Maps), with three levels (emerge, enjoy, perform).
The hotel partnered with Wallpaper magazine in 2017 to create a Vitality Room which offers in-room equipment such as a cyber-trainer, a refreshment centre offering energising snacks and drinks, and ergonomic furniture. The room also has an air purification system to cool down those exercising, while circadian light can help guests overcome jet lag. Available at the Swissotel Zurich and The Stamford in Singapore, the brand plans to extend this to hotels in North America, Asia and the Middle East.
Meeting packages can also get a wellness shakeup, with morning jogs and coffee breaks filled with vitamin-rich dishes, salty snacks to regulate fluid circulation and sweets to prevent a lull in the afternoon. swissotel.com
Westin
Marriott International’s Westin brand allows you to book a Workout Room in select hotels, which comes with hand weights, yoga accessories, a Peloton bike and medicine ball. If you prefer to keep your room as a fitness-free space, all hotels have a state-of-the-art gym, partnering with both TRX and Peloton Bikes to provide a range of workout possibilities. The TRX app also features a selection of free training videos which guests can follow.
The hotels have also introduced a Gear Lending Programme which allows guests to borrow New Balance clothing and shorts for US$5 – the socks are new and yours to keep. Westin’s Run Concierge – an on-site running expert – also suggests scenic three- and five-mile running routes for the Run Westin programme. westin.marriott.com
