Drat.
No more excuses for skipping my workout routine when I’m on the road (yes, I really do have one; no, I don’t always do it when I’m here, either). But if you are like me when you’re in a hotel, you don’t want everyone in the elevator or the lobby staring at your flabby arms that poke out of your T-shirt or your Rodney Dangerfield derriere that gets no respect from Spandex.
Plus, you feel like crawling under the bench press when you walk into the fitness center and see someone who looks like Cindy Crawford. No way am I going to pump iron standing next to her.
Now, you can be the only one who has to look at you. You can work out in your room, thanks to several hotels that are bringing the fitness center to you.
At Westin Hotels & Resorts, guests pay $20 above the regular rate for a WestinWorkout Room. It’s equipped for a complete cardio workout and strength training, including a bicycle, a treadmill, Pilates and spinning DVDs, exercise balls, mats and adjustable dumbbells.
“We piloted it in a couple of our properties and just launched it globally in April-May,” says Amy Heilgeist, director of guest experience for Westin, based in White Plains, N.Y.
She says the customer feedback has been “incredible.”
“People do not want to have to fight for a treadmill in the gym in the morning,” Heilgeist says. “They would love to not have to walk through the public space when everyone is there. They don’t want to have to work out next to what they call Barbie. This is giving people that option. They don’t have to go down to this place where all these other gym rats are working out.”
Westin is starting with two workout rooms in each of its hotels. “We just invested more than $12 million in renovating our gyms,” Heilgeist says. “We’re not sure how many workout rooms we need. We could increase the number as we generate demand.”
Marriott doesn’t charge for its in-room fitness program, which was launched in January at its full-service hotels.
“We find very often with women that they would like the option of exercising in their room. We also found it with male guests,” says Marriott spokesman John Wolf. “It is difficult to keep on a workout routine when you’re traveling. Our guests want to create their own experience. They want options. They don’t want things to be prescribed for them.”
Marriott and its Renaissance hotels in North America offer BodyRev, an oblong device with handles at either end that you twist in a circular motion. “Kind of like riding a bike with your hands,” Wolf says.
It also offers BodyWedge21, a large foam wedge incline with 21 exercises printed on it, and personal trainer Michael Sena’s Traveling Trainer Kit, which features resistance tubes to improve strength and balance.
(For guests who would rather work out with the crowd, Renaissance Clubsport is a 175-room hotel in Walnut Creek, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay area, with a world-class sports and fitness center. A second one is being built in the Orange County, Calif., town of Aliso Viejo. “We thought people would stay there and take advantage of the health club, but the hotel has become an amenity for resident health club members as the place where their relatives stay,” Wolf says.)
At Homewood Suites, guests can go retro by checking out a Hula Hoop – great for the hips. The chain also offers a “Family Activity Locker” with such toys as Frisbee, TracBall, Hacky Sack, jump rope and exercise tapes.
Homewood’s mother company, Hilton Hotels and Resorts, offers personal trainers through an arrangement with Bally Total Fitness. Hilton guests also can check out “mini-gyms” to use in their guest rooms, including yoga mats, elastic exercise bands, resistance tubing and two sets of hand weights.
And, at least one Holiday Inn chain doesn’t live up to its “no surprises” motto. Its boutique Wall Street District Hotel breaks the mold by offering in-room exercise equipment, including stationary bikes, stair climbers and exercise videos.
A personal trainer also is available ($50 for a half-hour, $75 for an hour) three times a week at the push of a button on the room phone.
“The personal trainer started about six months ago,” says managing director Frank Nicholas. “It really amazes me that the trainer would get that much play. Maybe it’s because we’re getting closer to summer.”
Nicholas is somewhat startled that some guests ask the hotel to get rid of the goodies in their mini-bars because they are too tempting. “It kind of makes you wonder what they do at home.”
Gas rebates
Many hotels this summer will offer gasoline rebates to offset the high prices at the pumps.
One offer from hotels.com allows travelers a mail-in rebate of up to $30 when they book accommodations on line through June 19 for stays of two nights or more through Sept. 5. Go to hotels.com for details.
On the Western Slope, Mountain Lodge at Telluride has a “Gas Me Up” campaign to Oct. 15 offering a $30 cash voucher for any reservation of two or more days. Summer hotel rates start at $129 a night. Call 866-368-6867.
I’ve got mail
Don Wood writes about my May 22 column on Kathy Sudeikis, newly elected president of the American Society of Travel Agents:
“Thank you for printing the article. As the owner of Gold Key Travel in Longmont for the past 26 years I always appreciate anything positive written about our beloved industry.
“We have been operating in Longmont since 1966 and are very fortunate to have 10 agents who have been working at Gold Key anywhere from eight to 27 years. It is no wonder we are still busy – our agents can all cut through the ‘information overload’ because they deal with it every day all day. Some people might enjoy the challenge of doing it all on their own, but many still find that a good travel agent can save them dollars upfront, as well as saving them by not making mistakes that can be so costly.
“We enjoy the fact that many of our clients go to the Internet for research. All we ask is that they please let us make the reservation in the end. This is how we are able to stay in business and contribute to our community in so many ways. Making the final purchase of any product in your own community truly helps. I am afraid this is lost on many of those who feel they can save a few dollars (I stress the feeling part) by purchasing on the Internet.
“We still sell a number of airline tickets (we charge a $30 processing fee), but our real business is now selling cruises, tours and packages (we do not charge a fee for these). Our clients appreciate the friendly, efficient and knowledgeable service they receive. As the article states, the Internet is a great tool. I just do not think it is wise for the majority of people to put their faith in it completely. I believe there will always be a place for a good travel agency with good travel agents. Thank you for helping us along the way, and by educating your fellow travelers.”
