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Hotel Fitness Club Q & A
by John Sarver
With an ever-growing number of hotel and resort properties incorporating fitness clubs and day spas into their facilities, it is important to ask the right questions before beginning the process of building a new facility or expanding an existing center.
The questions that follow are among the most common asked of me by hospitality operations managers from across the country.
· Should we have stretching mats in our exercise room?
Yes! stretching is becoming more and more popular. This exercise is really becoming very prominent and is great for all ages. Stretching has been demonstrated to provide both cardiovascular and strength benefits. There are many stretching programs such as: yoga, pilates, stability ball training as well as group stretching exercises. Some additional benefits of a good program can be: leaner body mass & look, increased stress relief, increased flexibility & improved posture. Exercise mats can provide for a great workout station and are a very inexpensive amenity that will be enjoyed by many of the people that visit the room.
Exercise mats can also provide an adequate resting spot for anyone that might be feeling faint or waiting for a partner, spouse or friend to finish their workout.
· How important is it that we have strength equipment in our exercise room?
Having strength equipment in your room is extremely important - if you want to satisfy the majority of your guests. Strength equipment is one of the most aggressively growing segments for all age groups. Statistically, both men and women demonstrate close to equal participation levels, with women accounting for 45% of strength equipment usage and men accounting for 55% participation. Strength training is well dispersed over all age groups.
The most important factor is that strength training is very popular and is an essential part of a well balanced fitness room.
· What is the minimum square footage needed to put together a nice fitness room in my resort?
There are many factors that need to be considered, such as: size of property, type of property, geographic location, convention or airport property vs. rural, as well as several other key factors. Generally a good rule of thumb is a minimum of 1000 to 1200 square feet is needed to put together a complete, well-rounded facility. With 1200 square feet, you can place approximately 6 cardio products and 6 strength stations appropriately. With this format, you should be able to accommodate most major body stations and popular exercises.
If your property is more than 300 rooms and is located in a very busy area, you might want to consider a larger room for the fitness amenity. Most importantly, when developing a facility, try to work with someone with experience. It is very important that the quality, quantity and specifications of each product are appropriate for your facility type.
· Are Dumbbells safe for our fitness area?
Good question! First and foremost hand weights or dumbbells are the most popular free weight strength training product. Since these products are so popular, I think it is important to consider these products for your room, providing it can be done in a controlled environment. I would recommend that if you decide to provide dumbbells, to make sure that your fitness room has room key access only and is controlled enough so kids cannot just walk into the room without supervision.
Not having any weights above 50lbs. can also help to maintain better safety standards. I also recommend only providing a high quality dumbbell with a dumbbell rack that is specifically designed for that style of dumbbell. I recommend only having the horizontal style dumbbell racks - 6 to 10 pairs - with individual storage cups and with matching style dumbbells. The three primary dumbbell styles are: beauty bells, solid cast and pro-style. Pro-style seems to be the most popular choice.