Hotel & Motel Management - January 19, 2009 - (Page 42)

H&MM January 19, 2009 | HotelMotel.com 42 Design FITNESS CENTERS/SPAS “Guests [using] the ﬁtness center are not casual ﬁtness people. They are committed exercisers.” CHRIS WHITE, SVP, PLANNING & DESIGN, WTS INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS The Innisbrook Golf Resort and Club in Tampa Bay, Fla., renovated the last of its three conference and convention centers, which is part of a $25million restoration project. In addition to installing new furnishings in all of its 65,000 square feet of function space, Innisbrook has added two new 16-seat executive boardrooms. Coastal Hotel Group announced the completion of the $7-million renovation of Portland’s Hotel Fifty, with 140 new guestrooms, enhanced amenities and the new H50 bistro and bar. The project’s interior designer was Gibb Fischer of MNID Associates in Seattle. At The Magnolia Dallas, $3 million was invested to give the hotel a fresh, new look. Guestrooms, public areas and meeting space were revamped with modern furnishings, ﬁxtures and décor. Also, The Magnolia Hotel in Houston underwent a renovation focused on the hotel’s entire public space. Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center is developing a tower to add 229 guestrooms to the existing 220. The hotel also will add a conference dining area to create 40,000 square feet of ﬂexible function space. Compiled by Emily Hanna, ehanna@questex.com balance By Emily Hanna ASSOCIATE EDITOR Keeping the A key component of exercise is maintaining balance—without it, muscles can be worked improperly, machines may not operate correctly or exercisers could lose their stability. Exercising balance extends further—to the setup of the ﬁtness center. “Too many hotels will say, ‘Do two treadmills, a bike and an elliptical,’ but 50 7-10percent of a hotel’s guests potentially would use the ﬁtness center each day Source: Chris White, SVP of planning and design consulting services, WTS International percent of the population uses strength training equipment,” said John T. Sarver, director of design and development at Hotel Fitness Club. “What we try to say is the room needs to be balanced, and it needs to be balanced with the appropriate balance of cardio and strength, but you also need to have a personal ﬁtness area that involves some stretching.” Sarver recommends dividing the room into four areas: cardiovascular, strength training, personal ﬁtness and stretching. Kimberly Howarth, wellness design specialist at Technogym, said the company emphasizes the importance of spacing within the areas. While hotels can choose the exact space between each cardio piece, the space behind cardio equipment is non-negotiable. “The minimum should be 4 feet. This is an area where injuries can occur if the user is not using the equipment properly and there is insufﬁcient space,” she said. Equipment that must be entered from the side, like elliptical machines or stationary bikes, should have 2 feet between them, while others should have a minimum of 12 inches, said Glenn Colarossi, president of hospitality at Cybex International. Plus, hotels must be careful not to overload the facility with equipment—a common problem Howarth sees. And while hotel ﬁtness centers vary in size, a few rules of thumb will help ensure it is sufﬁciently and comfortably equipped. First, look to brand standards to make sure your ﬂag doesn’t require certain square footage. If not, Sarver suggests the following: 400-500 square feet for economy; 600800 square feet for limitedservice and 1,000-1,200 square feet for full-service. 60percent of a business-focused hotel’s ﬁtness center users would use the gym between 5:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Source: Chris White Fitness rooms rely on location, location, location Howarth suggests keeping in mind what rooms are above, below and around the ﬁtness room, like a ballroom or a spa that might be adversely affected by noise in a ﬁtness area. It should, however, be close to an elevator so guests can have easy access to and from their rooms, said Chris White, SVP of planning and design consulting services at WTS International. Some disagreement exists as to where equipment should be located within the room, with many saying to face the outside windows. “If there are views, take advantage,” Howarth said. And Glenn Colarossi, president of hospitality at Cybex International, said he has heard putting cardio equipment in a circle makes guests “feel uncomfortable in staring at each other.” Conversely, Sarver said creating a “social environment,” like facing equipment into the room, positively inﬂuences opinions of the ﬁtness center. “It doesn’t matter what view you have outside of the window,” he said. “We feel people would prefer to see who’s coming in and out of the room than any view they would have outside.” 55:45 Source: John T. Sarver, director of design and development, Hotel Fitness Club HOTEL FITNESS CLUB ratio of cardio equipment users to strength equipment users 6 core products to keep in a hotel ﬁtness center: treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical, dumbbell or other strength equipment, exercise mat and abdominal bench Source: John T. Sarver When planning a ﬁtness center, location is vital. Within the hotel, John T. Sarver, director of design and development for Hotel Fitness Club, and Kimberly Howarth, wellness design specialist at Technogym, suggest keeping the ﬁtness center away from the lobby to maintain aesthetics. “Seeing an exerciser in an outﬁt drenched in sweat as they walk through a conference room hallway passing business professionals isn’t always a good look,” Howarth said. CYBEX For more info Company Circle No. Cybex International . . . . . . . . 281 Hotel Fitness Club. . . . . . . . . 282 Life Fitness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 Octane Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . 284 Precor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Technogym. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 WTS International . . . . . . . . . 287 ONLINE EXTRA: To learn about recycled ﬂooring options for your hotel, visit www.hotelmotel.com/ﬂooring. http://www.HotelMotel.com http://www.hotelmotel.com/flooring

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Hotel & Motel Management - January 19, 2009 Contents Select Inn First in Vista's Buying Plans Danzinger Chosen for Round 2 at Wyndham Perspective Energy Star Update Legally Speaking Consultant's Corner Sales Clinic Travel Trends Franchise Law Family Business Cornell Insights HotelWorld Update Transactions Careful Marketing is Key for Timeshare Debt Market Slow for Most Transactions Trends & Stats Proper Mix of Uses Leads to Profitable Partnerships Card Check, Employee Retention Big Issues for CEOs Locking Systems Televisions Fitness Centers/Spas Mattresses Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - January 19, 2009

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