But unless you’re designing your hotel from scratch, adding a hotel gym is far easier said than done. Hotels large and small can face the same problem: a lack of space for a dedicated fitness centre.
In this guide we’ll take a deep dive into small hotel gyms: why you should consider building one, how to find or create the necessary space, and the space-saving gym equipment you can fill it with.
Why offer a small hotel gym?
Why choose to spend your limited hotel floorspace on a gym? The reasons are many and varied, but a few of the most compelling include:
- More bookings: A hotel gym is a desirable amenity for a range of potential guests, and can be the reason that they choose you over another hotel.
- Greater earning potential: A free hotel gym means your guests don’t need to pay for or travel to an off-site gym. You may be able to increase your nightly rate to reflect this added value.
- A broader target audience: A hotel gym can see you attract guests that you’ve never attracted before, from fitness fans to business travellers looking to maintain a routine on the road.
- Glowing reviews: Over 80% of guests read reviews before booking a hotel room. A hotel gym is an enticing amenity that past guests will want to include in their review, and that potential guests will want to hear about.
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A better atmosphere: A small hotel gym is an intimate setting where guests can meet and become fast friends. Health also leads to happiness, which can make managing guests a little easier!
How to find space for a small hotel gym
You can’t generate floor space out of thin air, so where might you find the room for a small hotel gym? Consider the following options:
- Surplus conference rooms: A former meeting room can be an ideal setting for a small hotel gym, so if you have one more than you really need, consider converting it.
- Rooftops and terraces: Offer a workout with a view by converting part of your rooftop or terrace into an exercise area. If you put wheels on your compact workout equipment you can even convert it back into an entertainment area every evening.
- As part of a pool area: Your guests may already be using your indoor or outdoor pool for fitness, so consider dedicating some poolside space to a hotel gym.
- Under an outdoor shelter: If you are blessed with plenty of acreage you might consider constructing a basic shelter that offers guests a place to workout (and protects your gym equipment).
- Unused storage areas: Is a store room sitting empty? Could you consolidate two storage areas into one? While store rooms might be small, modern, space-saving gym equipment can turn almost any area into a hotel gym, no matter the size. Speaking of which…
Space-saving gym equipment to consider for your hotel gym
A hotel gym should be fitted out in much the same way as a commercial gym, with equipment designed for regular, heavy use. Circle Fitness, Body-Solid, Concept2 and Force USA are a few commercial gym brands you should be looking out for.
While commercial equipment is heavy-duty, it isn’t necessarily bulky. With space at a premium, you’ll be looking for compact workout equipment that helps you do more with less. Good news: there are a wealth of options designed to do just that:
- Folding treadmills: A treadmill already distils the space-hungry experience of jogging into a machine that measures a little longer than your stride. But a folding treadmill like the Pure Design TR7 condenses it further, allowing you to fold and store the machine when not in use.
- Foldable elliptical cross trainers: Delivering a cardio workout that gets every major muscle group moving, ellipticals pack serious exercise into a small machine. And when that machine equipment is foldable, like the Horizon Andes 3.1, it gets even smaller.
- Multi-stations: A multi-station is a great solution when space in your hotel gym is limited. Multi-gym stations combine a whole heap of different workouts into a single machine, letting you replace multiple pieces of equipment with just the one.
- Functional trainers: Functional trainers are unique and adaptable pieces of gym equipment that use cables and pulleys to help you hit muscles that you simply can’t on other machines. You can work whatever part of the body you want on a single machine.
- Space-saving power racks: Weightlifting racks are notoriously bulky items, unless you choose one that has been designed to minimise its footprint, like the Force USA MyRack Spacesaver.
- Vertical weight storage: Weights are a staple of every gym, no matter how small, so when you have limited space the focus should turn to storage. Vertical storage racks take up the least amount of floor space, and offer the added benefit of making the weights easier to handle, as you don’t have to pick them up from the floor.
- Foldable pilates reformer: Attract fans of holistic exercise and mind-body training to your small hotel gym with another foldable item, the F3 Folding Pilates Reformer, which takes up half the space when not in use.
- Ice baths: The ultimate piece of recovery equipment, the Carbon Fitness Ice Bath is also surprisingly compact.
GymQuip: hotel gym fit-out specialists
If you’re searching for the best, most compact equipment for your small hotel gym, and if you want expert advice on how to fit your hotel gym out, from equipment, to layout, to ongoing maintenance, our expert team is here to help.
Home to Australia’s largest fitness showroom, at GymQuip we boast over three decades of experience in fitting out hotel and commercial gyms.
Our complete commercial gym fit out service begins with a consulting session. Once we understand your needs and goals, we design your floor plan, identify and deliver equipment (five days a week), professionally install it, and provide ongoing service and support to ensure it stays safe and ready for your guests to use (additional charges may apply).
We also deliver Australia-wide, and ship all orders within 24 hours. Our online range is even more extensive than our in-store range, and with our price match guarantee you can feel safe in the knowledge that you’re getting Australia’s best value equipment for your small hotel gym.
And no matter where your hotel might be located, we can come to you to conduct an on-site consultation! Get in touch with our friendly team today.