Fit for purpose: hotel havens for fitness and well-being

The hotel industry should thank Walter Cannon. In 1926, the physiologist was the first to define the term 'stress' as it related to an individual's mental well-being. In so doing, he equated its avoidance with the pursuit of happiness. The number of reasons one could cite in favour of a relaxing excursion abroad subsequently exploded.

Insofar as it persisted as the holiday's natural way station, the average hotel stay became crucial to the success of the whole proposition. That general principle no longer applies in quite the same way to every guest, however. It is beginning to be realised by operators like Wyndham, IHG and Starwood that those whom we see pounding the streets in jogging gear or logging the number of air miles they're likely to rack up on their forthcoming trip abroad might require something more purposeful, even spiritually fulfilling, than the star-graded service most commonly offered.

Not just run of the mill

"Fitness is part of life, and a healthy lifestyle is part of what we offer at our hotels," says Michael Zager, TRYP by Wyndham's regional vice-president for the Middle East and Africa. "With worldwide obesity levels currently at an all-time high, personal fitness should be at the top of all our agendas. The problem is particularly prevalent in our own region, with the UAE alone ranking as the fifth most obese country in the world. Conversely, we've seen an increase in demand for exercise and fitness facilities from our guests so that they can maintain their own personal routines when away from home on either business or pleasure."

TRYP by Wyndham, which includes properties in Frankfurt, Amsterdam and New York City, markets itself as an urban sanctuary, its stated aim to keep its guests "connected to the city in every way possible". A large number of them are business travellers, some staying for no longer than a couple of hours. These guests in particular don't have the time to kit themselves out for the in-house or local gym. So, in select properties at least, TRYP brings the gym to them.

"Some of our TRYP by Wyndham hotels now offer specially tailored 'Fitness Rooms' for those who prefer to exercise in the privacy and convenience of their own rooms," says Zager. "They're similar to our 'Premium Rooms' but with the addition of a high-end treadmill, cross-trainer or exercise bike. We also supply all the gear our guests need for a good workout, including an exercise mat, T-shirt and shorts, mineral water and extra towels."

Guests are able to spend however long they like working out on their own machine and, once they're finished, freely fling their depleted selves onto the bed nearby or hop straight into the shower. "We can offer our guests the full gym experience in the comfort of their own room," Zager says. "On request, we can also provide various fitness programme DVDs that can be followed on our large flat-screen TVs."

For the hotel owners themselves, the addition of the rooms allows them to enhance their property's claim as a health and fitness haven. "They're a great differentiator," Zager explains. "We hope that these rooms will continue to help us promote a healthy lifestyle among our guests by encouraging those who might not usually use the communal facilities to exercise while staying with us."

This is in addition to a general commitment on the part of the brand to state-of-the-art communal fitness facilities. "Our concierge associates and gym attendants can provide a tailored experience for any one of our guests," says Zager. "This can include a morning jogging session with the general manager, and yoga on the beach or the rooftop terrace, to renting road or mountain bikes for guided tours of the local area."

TRYP by Wyndham is not the first brand to pursue a tailored physical fitness experience as a way to enhance the satisfaction of their guests. IHG's Even chain features a similar roster of in-room fitness amenities, including yoga mats and blocks, exercise blocks and a small training zone. Westin's WestinWorkout rooms also encourage guests to exercise with what the operator's global brand leader, Brian Povinelli, described to Hotel News Now in July as "advanced cardio equipment ideal for high-performance workouts".

Designed for lifestyle

"Our Fitness Rooms have certainly attracted a lot of interest," adds Zager. "We regularly see guests trading up from Premium Rooms when they learn about the new category." This statement is somewhat belied by the fact that TRYP hosts only one Fitness Room per property. Yet, that simply adds to its cachet as a brand in tune with its guests inevitably variegated needs, also serviced by the 'Family Room', complete with bunk beds and bottle warmers, or the Premium Room - "Just like our TRYP Rooms, only with better views, and your very own luscious bathrobe and slippers," says the brand's website.

In that sense, Wyndham has aimed to foster in the brand a sense that personalised service, especially when it comes to personal fitness, is relatively standard fare within its self-definition as a mid-scale urban hotel chain. Starwood, meanwhile, through its Element brand, has decided to adopt an approach to guests' well-being that goes beyond the burning of calories. "We established the Element brand in 2008 as Starwood's eco-innovation lab and set out to create a new standard for life on the road," says Brian McGuinness, global brand leader for the operator's Speciality Select Brands.

This underscores most of what comprises an Element hotel stay. "We continue to look for new ways to enhance the guest experience," says McGuiness. "These include the complimentary RISE breakfast and the popular 'Bikes to Borrow' programme, which offers free bikes along with a local trail map so that guests can explore the surrounding area, whether rural or urban."

Similar priorities are reflected in the hotel's interiors, albeit in a more subtle manner. The rooms at Element hotels are designed to be filled with as much natural light as possible and are populated with sleek furniture built out of forest wood. This is accompanied by the advanced technology you'd expect from an upscale offering but with a sustainable twist: keyless entry, low-flow rainfall showerheads, bed frames carved out of forest wood and, in select properties, solar energy canopies. "Guests walk in and wish their own homes were designed in a similar way," says McGuinness. "We see it as an opportunity to build a mindful brand that is eco-friendly for our guests and the environment," he adds.

Any residual worry guests might feel about the effect of a hotel stay on the environment is intended to simply melt away. "To be honest, the majority of the time, our guests don't even realise all of the sustainable offerings at the hotels. For instance, all of our couch cushions are made from soy, and we use low-VOC [volatile organic compounds] paints and carpets with 100%-recycled content to improve overall air quality in each room."

Is this the future of the average hotel stay? Perhaps not specifically, but what is certainly clear from the success of brands such as Element and TRYP, as well as online disruptors like Airbnb, is that offering customers a wider choice of services in an intelligent way pays for itself - and in so doing, the market is aptly responding to the changes in how we deal with our own little stresses.