In the post-pandemic era, the profile of the typical hotel gym user has changed. People are now looking for more personal experiences, where they have more control with minimal intervention.
But how can you incorporate post-pandemic fitness trends into your offering?
Fitness products and brands travel with their customers. During the pandemic, many users have integrated fitness routines into their lifestyle, so it is essential that when they travel, they also have access to the facilities they are well accustomed to. For those guests who want to continue taking care of their health during their stay, the following is important:
- Training tracking,
- On-demand sessions
- Daily routine proposals
More and more hotels are offering in-room workout equipment, such as treadmills, exercise bikes, dumbbells and balls. Some wellness hotels are already offering their guests adjoining rooms fitted out as an office or gym. These are known as “Work-in, Work-out” promotions and feature virtual training services. Hilton’s Five Feet to Fitness concept fuses the traditional stay with a mini fitness centre, featuring eleven different pieces of equipment and accessories in the room itself, plus a touch screen with individualised exercise tutorials so guests can follow their workout routines. Kempinski hotels have introduced the concept of “fit rooms” in selected properties. These are suites equipped with workout equipment and on-demand fitness services, as well as individual sessions with a virtual trainer accessed via a QR code.
Knowing your audience well will determine your final offer, and how the experience will affect their stay and the likelihood that they will want to return.
- If your guest profile is traveling for business and wants to maintain their daily exercise routine, offering them that possibility in their own room could offset the initial investment.
- If your audience usually travels for leisure and prefers to work out at the hotel gym and reserve their room to sleep and rest, it will be necessary to change strategy.
It is true that you do not always have the budget to offer a gym in the room or to have the most advanced technology equipment, but there are other ways to design a stay geared towards wellness tourism.
The offer doesn’t have to be limited to exercise machines, you can choose to offer mindfulness, meditation and basic stretching sessions on the in-room TV to enhance their experience without making a huge investment. You can also recommend fitness apps or nearby hiking trails.
Wellness goes beyond exercise, so make sure room service offers a wide selection of local and even organic produce where possible, and don’t forget to highlight the healthy options available or offer more targeted extras, such as protein shakes, for the most dedicated fitness enthusiasts.
Wellness doesn’t end in the room either, it’s an ongoing process that can’t be confined to a single room . By working through all aspects of your organisation through the prism of the wellness philosophy, you’ll ensure that your guests receive the experience they expected, that they enjoy it and that they come back for more.