A new study confirms why I often have hotel gyms to myself.
Hotels are racing to build fancy gyms for their guests—but that may be an exercise in futility.
Fewer than half of hotel guests who say they planned on using a hotel’s fitness center actually use property’s gym during their stay, according to a new survey on hotel amenities by the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.
The study polled 782 hotel guests over an eight week period at 33 different properties within a single (unnamed) hotel chain. I’m not a statistician, but the sample size seems small.
46% said they planned to use the gym but only 22% actually did.
I will almost always use the hotel gym, even in the tiny fitness rooms you sometimes find at a roadside property. The most important amenity at a hotel is the Wi-Fi, the only non-negotiable thing, but I put gyms to good use. But apparently I am in the minority.
Still, hotels are investing in fitness–
Hyatt, for example, last month announced it was acquiring wellness hotel and spa operator Miraval Group. Marriott last year opened a lab hotel where it tests out new fitness offerings such as on-demand video classes on guests. Westin is so eager to make exercise easy for guests that it rents out New Balance clothing, though it notes that “socks are yours to keep.” Luxury gym chain Equinox says it plans to open its first hotel in New York by 2019.
An Alternative Solution
It is kind of hard to determine whether hotel gyms matter when almost all hotels have them. I am surprised that more hotels, particularly city hotels, do not partner with gyms (like Equinox) to offer their guests access. The capital expense of procuring fitness equipment is high and maintenance is not cheap. I would think a negotiated rate on guests access might gives guests the best of both worlds: a quality gym experience at a cheaper price. Certainly some hotels already do this.
Still, gyms tend to get crowded–a rare occurrence in a hotel. Speaking personally, I am happy with hotel status quo. Also, 22% utilization rate is a decent number: that alone may still justify the investment.
Do you use the hotel gym? If not, do you intend to use it but just not get around to it?
As you know, quite a few urban hotels do indeed “gym share” with established stand-alone facilities. The Denver Ritz Carlton’s relationship with a downtown (physically connected) gym is among my faves. The Renaissance Midtown actually has a Planet Fitness on the second floor.
If you look at this survey from a marketing perspective, it means that 48% of potential guests will consider the presence / size / quality of a gym to be a factor in their purchase decision. This is ultimately what matters to hoteliers.
Once guests have arrived at the property, whether or not they end up actually using the gym is irrelevant – it was instrumental in getting them through the door in the first place.
(And on a personal note, I really dislike hotels that would send me to an off-site gym. I don’t like roaming unknown cities in my gym stuff – not to mention that it could be hot / snowing etc.)
Depends on the facilities. I can’t exercise effectively in claustrophobia inducing spaces. Exercise is as much mental as it is physical and I have difficulty feeling comfortable when I don’t have room to breath. That said, I do take my workout clothes every week I travel with the intention of using the facilities. As you said, my favorite hotels are those that partner with local gyms instead of building their own in-house workout rooms (e.g. Hyatt Bellevue Philadelphia). I feel more motivated and feel a closer tie to the city I’m in if I can take a short walk to workout with others who live in the city. While local gyms might appreciate the income from a hotel contract, they have to consider “cheapening” the experience of their local customers and also the liability of opening their premises to transient customers – I’ve had to sign waivers when I used local gyms.
I almost always use the gym. In fact, it is one of the reasons I prefer hotels to airbnbs. And even when I don’t use the equipment, I often go there to fill up my water bottle.
As much as I would like to use a local gym to just get a feel for the city I’m visiting and have access better equipment and possibly fitness classes, there’s a great convenience to have it on-site so that you don’t have to carry gym bag and a change of clothes, locks, etc.
Two properties I stayed last year even had their complimentary yoga classes. At one, I was the only student during the week I stayed, so it was like having a private instructor.
@Ed, signing waivers is standard practice for any fitness facility or classes.
I only book hotels that have gyms. Even if I am going to walk 7 miles a day in Europe, I still want access to a gym. I am a faithful exercise both at home and on vacation.
Nope, I don’t use them. I only travel for leisure, and that’s infrequent enough that I can afford to miss working out. Now maybe if they had a football/soccer pitch . . .
Literally never used one, probably never will, certainly don’t base my hotel choices on their gym or lack thereof.