Staying fit and enjoying the holidays are no longer incompatible. Sport or fitness hotels are an answer to the boom in the number of travellers who wish to maintain their workout routine, whose number grows bigger by the day and are use those moments meant for rest, in order to do so.

Focusing on sports tourism or more specifically, in those travellers that incorporate exercising in their travel itineraries, we can identify the following:

• Those that although travel in order “to discover”, they combine this activity with some sort of sport;

• the participants, athletes that travel to take part in competitions or sport events;

• a small part that travel with the end of visiting a sport heritage site.

This trend also involves the business traveller branch, which even though travels for work purposes, according to an article by CWT, are experiencing an increase in the awareness of maintaining healthy eating habits while travelling. Overall 38% of business travellers eat healthier while on the road and a 49% use hotel exercise rooms and equipments. 

The “Expedia Fitness Breaks Study” reveals that the weight of sport practice varies according to the nationality of the traveller, being Australians, Americans and Canadians those who feel that is “very or somewhat important” to exercise while travelling. 

Facing this niche market and the long shadow cast by hotel gyms, large American companies have adapted their services to meet the needs of their most athletic guests. 

Some of the most relevant hotels or chains identified during a market study and benchmark at the hotel factory were:

 Hilton Hotels 

“Five feet to fitness” aims to give their guests the opportunity to exercise in the comfort and intimacy of their own room wherethey will access to over 11 different fitness equipment and accessory options. Among those elements, kiosk stands out the most, a screen that offers up to 200 tutorials of guided exercises and more than 25 classes. In addition, the room has specific amenities, a hydration station that includes up to five drinks among which you can find coconut water or Core Power.

Westin Hotels & Resorts:

New services and products have been included in the firm’s portfolio in order to satisfy its most fit clientele. 

• Run Westin programme. Through the partnership with New Balance, this programme consists of  “runner concierges” who help guests in the preparation of routes of between 5 or 8 kilometers. Besides, thanks to this collaboration, sportswear of the brand is available for guests during their stay for only $5 USD or the local currency equivalent.

• Westin Workout. Loyal guests have physical trainers who prepare circuits of exercises to put into practice in the hotel’s gym.   

• Peloton bikes at every guest’s room (on request). 

Even Hotels 

This chain equips every room with up to 10 fitness elements including an exercise bike, a fitball, a yoga mat or TRX. In addition, the room has their specific amenities to complement the sport practice such as a canteen, disinfectant wipes or an exercise catalogue and fitness videos (on request) ranging from 5 to 30 minutes long. 

W Hotels 

W Hotels organize the FUEL Weekends, a holiday weekend package powered by the brand’s “Detox. Retox. Repeat.” philosophy. The programme combines world-class workouts, with the hottests parties and exclusive cuisine. This new concept aims to change the world of retreat and combine the idyllic location of the company’s hotels with programmes of the same size. 

Equinox Hotels 

Equinox Hotels is the line of luxury hotels launched by the gym chain of the same name. These hotels are characterized by their combination of top quality facilities with a gym tailored to its customers. Personalized in-room workouts, nutritionists, vegetable juice bars and the right clothes for practicing each exercise are some of the products and services included in their portfolio. They also offer soulcycle classes, the latest trend in the world of indoor cycling. 

Although the great forerunners of sport hotels are the American hotel chains, many national hotels are transforming their fitness offer. Some of the most relevant fitness hotels in Spain are:

Artiem Madrid 

While the culture of Artiem Hotels already promotes the well-being of its guests by providing them with a large number of activities and services to disconnect and release tensions, Artiem Madrid has taken a step further by offering a bag, “Gym in a bag”, which provides everything necessary to practice stretching, yoga or meditation inside the room. This bag also includes a training routine with numerous guided exercises so the guest gets the most out of the material provided.

Iberostar Hotels 

Iberostar Hotels or more specifically, its innovative Fit & Fun programme has a comprehensive proposal with more than 50 fitness activities for all ages and levels, healthy eating options and wellness spaces for its guests’ emotional well-being. 

Other hotels, such as Las Playitas Resort in Fuerteventura or Club La Santa Lanzarote are in a way, hotels for athletes in their essence, being often chosen by cycling, football teams or some Olympic sports as their place for training.  

The specialization in sports tourism entails an exponential diversification and differentiation of the hotel’s product. Moreover, If we put the focus in Spain, the added value of sport hotels is their deseasonalizing element whose potential in Spain is further aggravated given the climatology and orography of some of the most important touristic regions of the country such as the Balearic Islands, Comunidad Valenciana, Andalucia or the Canary Islands, which are perfect for fans of cycling, golf or swimming, for example. 

Having actively participated in sports hotel projects over the past few months, at the hotel factory we are constantly vigilant of any changes and trends that such as this, could emerge in the industry. This way we can assist our clients in repositioning and conceptualization projects in the best possible way and giving higher guarantees of success. If you have any doubts or you would wish to know more about this new segment, please do not hesitate to contact us.