SANTA MONICA, CA—Gym designers FitnessDesignGroup and hospitality group Accor began collaborating on the future of fitness well before the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic. Responding to the current environment, and taking cues from leading boutique studios worldwide, a new hotel gym experience has emerged that exudes energy, inclusiveness and enjoyment for wellness-minded business and leisure travelers alike, according to the fitness company.
According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness tourism is travel associated with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one’s personal wellbeing. Pre-pandemic research indicated the global wellness tourism industry would reach $919 billion by 2022. With health top of mind more than ever before, travelers focused on wellness spend an estimated 178% more per trip than the average tourist. Over the last decade, hotels throughout the Accor network have placed greater emphasis on meeting the demands of increasingly wellness-focused guests, and fitness centers remain an important focal point of that effort.
To help Accor create increased continuity between its vast portfolio of fitness amenities, FitnessDesignGroup has set forth to modernize participating properties to feature increased movement spaces, digitally guided exercise content and a rebalanced fitness equipment selection for leading brands in the Accor portfolio including Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel, So/ and Pullman.
The outcome is a design-driven approach built around the growing demand for functional training-based modalities including high-intensity interval training, power yoga, boxing and other popular genres intended to refresh over time. The initiative will extend its reach beyond North America making its European debut at one of Accor’s flagship properties in France, Pullman Paris Montparnasse, in 2021.
Further details include flooring transitions visibly designed to delineate training zones from higher intensity workouts to active recovery sessions. Enhanced spacing considerations and hygiene integration complement a balance of leading fitness equipment brands including Aktiv Solutions, Gym Rax, Core Health & Fitness, Technogym, Hyperice, and Les Mills.
“At Accor, our well-being initiatives are designed to permeate into every aspect of the guest experience. Staying fit is an increasingly substantial focus for travelers today and our approach is to elevate the offering beyond what our guests might otherwise enjoy in their gym or fitness routine at home,” said Emlyn Brown, global VP, Wellbeing, Luxury & Premium Brands, Accor.
“The best fitness facilities around the world provide a combination of instruction and energy that you can feel instantly upon entry. Stylization of space and a more thoughtful balance of equipment and apparatus is often overlooked in hotel-based gym amenities.”
“For many, the health club or boutique fitness studio experience has become a key part of their daily lifestyles. Despite the current interruption to so many aspects of our daily lives, humans are eager to return to the best of communal environments outside the confines of their homes. Accor has been steadfast in maintaining a focus on reconnection to their spaces, and health and wellness remains top of the list in terms of what guests expect as they head back out into the world,” said Lauren Holle, director of design for FitnessDesignGroup.
With the introduction of Pullman Power Fitness, future Pullman properties will feature a signature functional training environment that includes digital guided programming, tailored equipment and rigging and floor coverings that together foster guidance, socialization and safety. The space is designed to deliver a higher touch, results driven workout experience that is unrivaled in the hospitality space.
“We’ve set out to create gym spaces that will make it not just easy, but exciting for our guests to stay on track with their health and well-being plan. We want our guests to look forward to future stays at our hotels and are happy to be raising the bar in terms of the hotel gym experience in partnership with FitnessDesignGroup,” said Brown.
