In the last few years, the health-meets-travel trend has reached new heights, in no small part thanks to gyms themselves. In 2019 the luxury fitness-club empire Equinox opened its first hotel in New York City. Now, everyone’s taking their exercise routines with them wherever they go. “Before the pandemic, my clientele was local,” says Luke Goulden, a London-based personal trainer who now also coaches clients virtually. “They don’t want to break routines when they’re traveling for work or pleasure.” The good news: Hotels are paying attention.
Beyond upgrading their on-site hotel gyms, properties big and small are fusing exercise with travel, often by partnering with big names in fitness. Hilton and Peloton offer in-room bikes at select locations. Westin Hotels & Resorts spins sightseeing into a workout with its RunWestin program where, in Vancouver, group runs tour landmarks like the seawall and Stanley Park (all levels welcome), while its partnership with the Abbott World Marathon Majors helps guests train for marathons in Boston, New York, and elsewhere. At Hotel Figueroa in Los Angeles, a Rest & Recovery Suite comes with Forme smart fitness mirrors for strength training and Hyperice gadgets like massage guns to relieve sore muscles. Just remember to pack your sneakers.
The hotel gyms of the future
The gym at Pillar Wellbeing, Raffles London at The OWO, led by celebrity trainer Harry Jameson, offers custom exercise programs, a 20-meter pool, a movement studio, top-notch physical therapists, and more. The hotel’s Lifestyle Suites come with their own gym and a virtual PT, and are specially set up for in-room massages. Book a suite and get access to Virgin Active, Tanjong Pagar, Sofitel Singapore City Centre which houses the city’s only high-altitude studio, where you can train in a simulated high-elevation, low-oxygen environment for improved performance. For wellness at sea level, take an antigravity yoga class, or slip into a regenerative sleep pod.
Dedicated wellness suites at Hotel Esencia, Quintana Roo, Mexico, each have a steam room and a private gym stocked with fitness gadgets upon request, including a Peloton bike, TRX suspension training equipment, a Technogym treadmill and weight set, a Lululemon Studio (the smart mirror–slash–virtual trainer), and no-tech yoga mats. At Montage Kapalua Bay, Hawaii, the gym’s à la carte menu delivers workout equipment to guest rooms, from standard fare like free weights and resistance bands to Bosu balls and spin bikes (guest’s choice: Peloton or Technogym). Recovery is covered by Hypervolt massage devices and Vyper vibrating foam rollers.
This article appeared in the January/February 2024 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.
