Hilton has taken the innovative step of installing gym equipment in individual hotel rooms so guests can workout in privacy. The new room category, which will be rolled out across existing properties, is called Five Feet to Fitness.
The concept launched in May at Parc 55 in San Francisco and Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, near the Hilton Worldwide HQ in Washington DC. Over the coming months it will also begin appearing in Hilton hotels across Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York and San Diego.
Far from being a half-baked attempt at tapping into the trend for staying fit and healthy on the road, Globetrender is impressed to see that the Five Feet to Fitness provides people with a comprehensive range of state-of-the-art gym gear. It doesn’t take up too much space either.
Hilton says the introduction of the workout room is the biggest change in the fitness hospitality space since it became the first major hotel company to standardise hotel gyms 20 years ago. We are inclined to agree.
Five Feet to Fitness – what do you get?
There is an indoor exercise bike from British brand Wattbike that is used for both longer endurance sessions or focused interval-training.
Gym Rax is a built-in station that displays apparatus and accessories such as weighted medicine balls from Lyft, resistance bands, Hyperwear Sandbells and TRX suspension straps for strength, core, suspension and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts.
At the heart of it is the Fitness Kiosk, a touchscreen display embedded within the Gym Rax system where guests view tutorials and guided workout routines.
In partnership with Aktiv Solutions, Hilton has created more than 200 bespoke fitness videos for Cardio, Cycling, Endurance, Strength, HIIT, Yoga, Stretch and Recovery. This means you don’t need a personal trainer.
Guests will also find a yoga mat, balance ball, massage ball from Trigger Point, and meditation seat. There are blackout blinds to help you sleep more deeply, Biofreeze pain relief gel for aching muscles, and a selection of protein and hydration drinks (Vitamin Water, Zico coconut water, Dasani water, Core Power shake and Powerade Zero).
What is the thinking behind it?
Ryan Crabbe, senior director of global wellness at Hilton, says: “A guest room that combines a sleep and fully integrated fitness experience delivers an impressive new dimension of convenience and personalisation – an industry first.
“Five Feet to Fitness has been thoughtfully engineered to serve as a guest’s personal wellness stage, complete with sports performance materials and best-in-class gym accessories. Guests will quickly realise we have gone much further than simply placing a piece of equipment in a room.
“The variety of activity the room enables is motivating. One morning a guest can decide to roll out of bed for quick guided stretch and yoga poses. Then later that evening, he or she may return from a stressful day and take a brisk bike ride while catching up on a favorite show or the day’s business news. The room is made to suit the varied and evolving wellness habits of our guests.
“We know that no matter how determined people are about making healthy decisions while at home, the ability to replicate those choices are often not as accessible as they should be while traveling. We’re creating choice and control for guests to drive their own fitness experience.”
Early adopters
Back in 2013, Intercontinental Hotels Group launched a new wellness brand called Even. With seven hotels across the US (including three in New York), all rooms come with yoga mats, resistance bands, foam rollers, yoga blocks, core exercise ball and bespoke workout videos as standard.
Since 2001, Kimpton’s Topaz hotel in Washington DC has been selling rooms with a choice of recumbent bikes, V bikes or elliptical edgers.
When the Kameha Grand in Zurich opened in 2015, it created a speciality suite with a running machine, luxury free-weights and a Kinesis machine.