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It was darn cold that morning I was Guest of the Day at the Fairfield Inn Chicago Gurnee, and I was loathe to go the off-site fitness center. When I arrived at the incredible, mega-size FitNation that is open to hotel guests I was ready to move to Gurnee.
So many hotels, even those at high price points and without space constraints, do a half-ass job on fitness centers.
The next day I was at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Minneapolis Bloomington and with their typical budget hotel tiny gym I was missing that cold trek to FitNation.
Or the classic dumbbells in the closet at the Crowne Plaza San Jose-Silicon Valley.
I like that off-site hotel gyms get me out of the hotel into the local community. Similarly, I almost never eat at hotel restaurants.
Readers, what’s your take? On-site gym if its going to be half-ass or off-site and have to make the hike?
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I appreciate it when hotels are honest when they assess their own fitness center. I would like to work out in the hotel but, if the property isn’t able or willing to invest in good quality equipment and a nice workout room, they should offer guests an offsite alternative. I have not seen many hotels that put restrictive hours on fitness centers unless they are connected to a swimming pool – maybe there is some insurance liability that prohibits them from remaining open late at night.
I very much agree with DaninSTL.
I prefer onsite as well even if it is half ass. When i travel i normally just do the basics of pushups/crunches and not heavy duty workout sessions so the half ass gym is fine.
By the way, i chuckled when i saw the dumbell in the closet pic. Whose leg is that?!! 😉
@Joey – just a poor guy trying to work out. When you have a Silicon Valley business hotel with a constant stream of guests from the East Coast waking up at 5 or 6, and only a modest exercise room, the exercise rooms can be filled to bursting. In my case, after having loaded up on braised pork belly and other Shanghainese delights at the mall opposite, I have to beat myself up each morning when I get out there.
Needs to be onsite and 24 hours. It’s a pain to go off site in my opinion. Usually I’m in a hurry to “fit in” a work out. I guess if you have plenty of time it’s not a problem to go off site. Obviously the off site gyms are going to be better. It’s like working out at home. I have a bunch of equipment in my basement (that I do use) but it’s not as good as the gym 4 miles up the road. My biggest problem with hotel (or motel on many of my business trips) is… Read more »
I wish hotels would show more pictures of the gyms online. On any typical website you’ll see 20+ pictures with at least 5 of their banquet facilities, but only an odd angle photo of the gym.
I’m fine with an offsite gym as older properties might have problems putting a decent one in. As long as it is closely and is free or has a reasonable fee ($5-$10) then that is fine.
@Rob – great point that I have overlooked in their ommission. Reminds me of when I was applying for college, some showed lavish pictures of everything, some tellingly only showed close-ups and detail.
@DaninSTL – limited hours is a pain, I encounter that sometimes overseas as well, when fitness centers often linked to spas and may have separate management, often selling membership to locals.