Scroll down for the full article detailing each of our chosen trends…

1. GYM BOXES TAKE THE GYM TO THE GUEST

2. SOCIALLY DISTANCED WORKOUTS

3. THE TRAVELING AMATEUR ATHLETE

4. HOLISTIC WELLNESS ROOMS IN HOTELS & RESORTS

5. HEALTHY HOTEL GYM INTERIORS

6. ADULT-FRIENDLY OUTDOOR HOTEL GYMS

7. FITNESS STUDIO PARTNERSHIPS FOR HOTELS

8. HYGIENE & ECO CLEANING PROTOCOLS IN HOTEL GYMS

9. IN-ROOM AI WORKOUTS FOR HOTEL GUESTS

10. THE END OF TECHNOGYM’S DOMINANCE?
    

HEALTHY GYM INTERIORS - BIOHACKING by design

Healthy design practices, also known as wellness design, integrate elements of biophilia, or biophilic design with biohacking to create environments that have been curated to deliver an experience that is as close to a state of nature as possible.

Circadian lighting follows the body’s natural rhythm with blue-white tones during the middle of the day to energise and amber hues later on so as not to disrupt sleeping patters for hotel guests who work out after dark.

Air purification via high grade HEPA or MERV 13 filters in the air conditioning system ensure protection against airborne particles, CO2 levels and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), while organic aromatherapy can add in healthy forest phytoncides that help restore calm and mental acuity.

Natural materials such as cork, bamboo, FSC certified wood, canvas and to some extent leather all reduce the need to introduce plastic whilst ensuring a consistent aesthetic designed to nurture and restore.

PORTABLE GYM BOXES - TAKING THE GYM TO THE GUEST

The first of several Covid-related hotel gym trends that begin to illustrate just how profound an impact the pandemic has had on the fitness industry; within a hotel or resort context there is now an opportunity to completely rethink the previously immutable relationship between a guest’s workout and one physical space. 

If the idea of densely packed equipment in a modestly sized lower-ground hotel gym with no natural ventilation isn’t enough, the risk of bumping into other hotel guests who may have their own beliefs around hand hygiene could be the final straw for some guests - but crucially, not all! We firmly believe the hotel gym will survive and perhaps even bounce back stronger after all this.

In the short-term though, forward-thinking hotels and resorts looking to anticipate a guest’s needs, may well chose to offer a curated box of stylish gym equipment delivered to the room or to an agreed location on property. 

This closed system allows for the gym equipment selection to be tweaked according to the overall aesthetic of the hotel, as well as for male and female guests potentially. A housekeeping seal would also reassure the guest that everything has been sanitized pre-use.

For those lacking in motivation, a range of pre-programmed workouts could be uploaded onto a tablet delivered with the gym box, or onto a webpage accessed via a QR code from the guest’s own device.

SOCIALLY DISTANCED WORKOUTS - THE SPACE TO BREATHE 

Closely aligned with the portable hotel gym box concept is the idea of space as the new luxury; in hotel gym terms that translates to not being met by a row of treadmills spaced just 20-30cm apart, no matter what angle they might be positioned at!

In most hotel or resort gyms, space is going to be at a premium from day one because the floor space is limited, the situation is not helped however by a hotel gym equipment supplier going overboard on the  equipment list in order to push up the project value. 

If anything, the new awareness of personal space will encourage hotel management to look again at their gym layout and reconsider just how many treadmills and isolation weight machines they 1/ really need and 2/ can realistically offer whilst staying within safety guidelines.

For some hotels this may mean temporarily removing or more likely roping off certain pieces of equipment to allow for adequate social distancing, while for resorts with more floor space available and/or an on-site instructor to manage the flow of guests things may be slightly easier.

THE TRAVELING AMATEUR ATHLETE

Recent years have seen a boom in the number of amateur athlete tribes, most notably around cycling, running, open-water swimming, kitesurfing and CrossFit communities. The Campus at Quinta do Lago is a fine example of this.

Social media has helped fuel the flames of interest in these respective groups, especially YouTube and Instagram where stories of physical excellence can be most powerfully told in visual format. 

Whether their site of worship is a training facility such as a CrossFit ‘box’, a favourite trail or Sunday morning meeting place, there is now a demographic of wealthy, 40 to 60-somethings who  identify strongly with their sport, aim to compete in semi-pro races such as an Ironman and will appreciate a hotel going out of its way to cater to their needs.

For luxury hotel and resort management, this means expectations are higher than ever not only in terms of gym equipment but the full fitness landscape on offer during a stay, be that the brand of bike for hire or the range of marked running trails nearby. 

Hotel gyms that think a treadmill, recline bike and some dumbbells is enough to satisfy such amateur athletes will be left behind whilst others that aim to tap into their passion and enthusiasm will be richly rewarded. 

So whether that be upgrading to a sports performance training facility open to local residents as well, bringing in a top bike brand as an equipment partner, hosting triathlon retreats and events, or setting up swimming lanes with distance markers in a Bay for guests to enjoy. The opportunities are endless.

HOLISTIC WELLNESS ROOMS - YOGA, PILATES & MEDITATION

Just as cyclists and triathletes have their own perception of what their ideal hotel gym might look like, so too does the yoga and pilates crowd, except this time they are more likely to appreciate empty space, quiet and a neutral setting than expensive equipment or motivational interior design.

Equally fanatical, the yoga and pilates scenes retain a prominent place on the health and wellness charts, with barre classes riding on their coat tails as an easy, almost no equipment needed add-on to make extra use of the same space.

When applied to the hotel and resort industry, there is a need for dedicated rooms of practice. While some might say that their interior design is irrelevant, in order to extract maximum value from such a space both in terms of the guest experience and social media appeal, a little consideration for the look and feel of the room will surely go a long way.

Yoga equipment needs are limited to a smart set of mats, cushions, blocks and ropes, meaning budget can be focused on thermal comfort, acoustics, lighting and decor.

Great example of studios in this regard at are MNDFL and INSCAPE in New York.

ADULT-FRIENDLY OUTDOOR GYMS - real NATURAL FITNESS!

Previously the domain of children only jungle gyms, or public parks, the global pandemic has brought renewed interest in the role an outdoor gym can play in the luxury hotel guest experience.

The likes of Rixos in the Middle-East have teamed up with Woodsman fitness from Turkey for a Flintstones-inspired, all-wood set-up that certainly looks impressive online but may leave some guests feeling left out when they go looking for a treadmill or medicine ball.

We believe a middle path exists, more in line with the Equinox / Into The Wild concept of transporting a functional fitness gym area outdoors, under cover, and letting guests have some fun!

Our 800m2 outdoor gym for the Porto Montenegro Yacht Club was inspired by functional fitness concepts and required installing a perimeter fence, laying a fair amount of sand (!) and a shared reception with the adjacent Yacht Club pool. The facility is used by the Sports Club for outdoor group fitness classes during the summer months as an alternative to crowded indoor training sessions, either early morning or towards the end of the day when temperatures are less of an issue.

FITNESS STUDIO PARTNERSHIPS & branded hotel gyms

Few luxury hotel or resort brands can match the cultural cache of a dedicated fitness studio targeting a specific tribe of fitness fans with an experiential workout. Just as management have learnt the benefits of bringing in an outside brand to add appeal to their wider offering, might there be a case for the more adventurous hotels and resorts to collaborate with a fitness studio in the same way?

We believe a hybrid model or light partnership may be the best way to go in most instances as the deal has to work for both sides, as well as the guests in question. As a first step, a co-branded retreat such as Biofit’s at the Regent Porto Montenegro can help to establish levels of demand and equally allows the hotel and fitness brand to collaborate on a modest scale before deciding whether to go further with a dedicated facility..

Having a SoulCycle on the ground floor of the 1 Hotel South Beach in Miami on the other hand has a certain logic to it as the location makes the operation viable all year round thanks to the local residential market and a myriad of other hotels nearby.

From the 1 Hotel team’s perspective, a SoulCycle studio brings the cool factor, it’s a value-add for their guests who get to experience the original cult spinning workout, whilst the studio themselves get to run a year-round operation.

These boutique fitness studio businesses require considerable upfront investment in equipment, interiors and staff training, not to mention marketing to specific demographic and psychographic audiences, typically only present in larger cities.

A seasonal resort location immediately renders that business model questionable unless heavily subsidised at the front end by the resort, for example by offering an attractive rental agreement, sponsoring co-marketing initiatives and so on.

There is also the obvious question of brand fit to consider here - how well do the two target audiences of host hotel and fitness studio overlap? What synergies exist today and how could they be enhanced in future?

HYGIENE & ECO CLEANING PROTOCOLS IN HOTEL GYMS

Healthy building interiors are best maintained using eco cleaning products that are toxin-free and, ideally, stored in reusable containers rather than single-use plastic bottles.

Green cleaning protocols in healthy building certification systems such as WELL and FITWEL specify eco-friendly products in all cleaning procedures, implemented either via facilities management or an easy to follow standard operating procedure. For hotel gyms, this shouldn’t present a problem beyond a switch in procurement of the cleaning materials, ideally for the entire property at this point of course!

Twice-daily cleaning schedules of all equipment as a minimum (or hourly pre & post a global pandemic) help to prevent the potential transmission of viral or bacterial infections, meaning a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will be needed to ensure suitable levels of hygiene, as well as additional signage asking guests to wipe down their cardio machines after use. Provision of hand towels, sanitizer spray and a corresponding number of waste bins are all, thanks to Covid19, essential.

IN-ROOM AI WORKOUTS - BOTH STYLE & SUBSTANCE?

Lululemon’s acquisition of Mirror and the popularity of Peloton bikes coincided with the closure of gyms during the pandemic, giving both brands the chance to make a mark on the fitness routines of a far wider market than might otherwise have been the case.

We believe there is a place for both pieces of smart gym equipment based on adequate floor space in a resort bedroom for example or a larger Suite at an urban property. A Peloton bike combined with a Mirror and capsule collection of equipment, as per the hotel gym box concept above, would effectively provide a suitably wide range of in-room workout options for most guests to feel satisfied.

The fact remains however that there is something magical about having a dedicated place of practice such as a hotel gym, a wide range of hotel gym equipment to play with, perhaps even to experiment with or explore new movements during a workout, and a visually stimulating hotel gym design in which to get hot and sweaty!

GYM EQUIPMENT BRANDS CHALLENGING TECHNOGYM

The dominance of Technogym in the hotel gym equipment market is a remarkable feat of commerce, the Italian brand has risen to near ubiquity in luxury hotel resorts and hotel gyms thanks to sharp design, high quality materials and a reputation for reliable after-sales service.

A busy hotel manager today does not need to bring in a gym design for the hotel gym in many cases as Technogym will provide a basic service.. albeit focused around the equipment layout.

The issue here clearly, from our perspective at least, is that there is no room for incorporating equipment from other gym brands nor is there much likelihood of hotel gym floorspace being left empty for movement, stretching, yoga and so on as empty space negatively impacts the project’s equipment budget!

Allowing an equipment supplier to design the layout for a hotel gym may be an easy option but due to this inherent tension between delivering a bespoke hotel gym concept and simply copy/pasting items from one brand’s latest collection of gym equipment, it is also a guarantee that the final result will be equipment heavy, packed full of the latest treadmills, isolation weight machines and Kinesis walls.

We would argue that engaging a specialist hotel gym designer is a worthy investment that need not increase the overall budget, in fact it will almost certainly result in savings overall due to the use of smaller, niche market gym equipment brands offering more competitive prices.