Westin hotels follow a formula for size of fitness centers. Each center has a minimum of four treadmills with square footage tied to number of guest rooms, according to Jacobs. If a Westin hotel has 250 rooms, the fitness center is 700 square feet; 251 to 450 rooms, 1,050 sq. ft. fitness center; 451 to 650 rooms, 1,400 sq. ft. fitness center; and 651 to 850 rooms, 1,750 sq. ft. fitness center.
The Denihan Hospitality Group doesn’t use a ratio of square feet to guestrooms. Instead, centers are customized based on the property and guest use. For example, at the 297 guestroom Chicago James Hotel, the fitness center is 2,000 sq. ft. facility. The James in Miami, with a 393 rooms, was recently renovated and one of the changes included expanding and moving the fitness center. The hotel now has a 1,500 sq. ft. fitness center, which includes an outdoor deck. And at The James in New York’s SoHo district, the fitness center is 800 square feet.
For properties with even more space available to devote to fitness, look at the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park. Three years ago, the owner’s renovated the fitness center, and it’s now a 5,000 sq. ft. facility with 26 cardio machines, including treadmills, ellipticals, and stair climbers. In addition, the center has free weights and conducts event-themed fitness activities and classes.
Outside Advantage
Having a sprawling fitness center isn’t the only way to connect your property to fitness. By offering fitness-related services and events, your property can have a big fitness reputation without lots of square feet devoted to cardio machines.
For example, Westin properties offer a running shoe lending service and exercise concierges, which can provide guests with maps of three- and five-mile running routes from the hotel. Then, when the guest-runners return, they’re greeted with a cold bottle of water and a towel. The exercise concierge also organizes group runs and acts as a tour guide to local sights during the runs.
Westin has also partnered with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon to provide a guest package, which includes a pasta dinner the night before the race, an early breakfast, tour of the running course, and post-race refreshments. The Fairmont Chicago offers complimentary Reebok clothing and shoes to guests during their stays. The hotel also hires a personal trainer to conduct a boot camp classes. And two mornings a week, a hotel staffer leads a five to seven mile job along Lake Michigan. In addition, guests can borrow bikes, yoga mats, and golf clubs.
“Business travelers are traveling lighter,” says Ken Hall, manager of the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park. “So having clothing at the hotel is more convenient. We’ve seen more people working out during their stays. “For Fairmont, it’s really important to have a wellness program, and it’s a great way to interact with guests.”
Similarly, Kimpton Hotels have developed an Urban Outdoors Menu for guests, which includes a fleet of bikes, yoga mats with OnDemand yoga and Pilates channel, CoreSentrik fitness classes, and a runner’s amenity kit, including a map of local running paths, iPod Shuffle with pre-loaded exercise music, a sports watch, and a running belt with water bottles.
