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Is a Surprise Hotel Fitness Fee Worse Than a Steep WiFi Charge?
Just when we thought paying for WiFi to be the worst of hotel extra evils, a reader has reminded us of yet another devil in the details: additional charges for using the hotel's gym. Calling out Chicago's Palmer House Hilton in particular, our tipster uncovers more than just the fee, but also the lack of signage regarding it:
Just discovered -- the Palmer House charges $18 (!!) for guests to use their fitness center. I'm sure it's lovely, but at the news of $18 I turned around and left. Outrageous on several levels: the price (although I wouldn't pay anything) and the fact that there was absolutely no clue until I walked and found a front desk that there were any fees involved. Even then, nothing's posted.
Tags: Kimpton Hotels / Hotel Gyms / Chicago Hotels / → All Tags
Chicago's Hotel Burnham Gets a Fitness Center
Gone are the days when boutique hotels were all velvet ropes and martini bars. Indeed, Chicago's elegant Hotel Burnham just opened a new fitness center for Kimpton hotel guests looking for a little treadmill action with their happy hour.
Following a six-month renovation of a former office space on the hotel's third floor, the work-out center is open 24 hours a day and features treadmills and an elliptical machine (equipped with luxe LCD TV screens), a stationary bike, adjustable incline bench, free weights, medicine balls, and an abs machine. The space apparently "allows for natural light with a glass door and glass wall," though frankly we're personally never thrilled about the combo of glass walls and fitness centers (all those leering eyes!).
Now, with just a few machines, it's hardly a Gold's Gym, but the extra amenity is certainly nice. Plus, the Hotel Burnham is a classic historical Chicago hotel, and we always appreciate an upgrade. Now if we could just find the motivation to work out while we're not traveling, we're sure we'd totally hit up a hotel gym like this one.
Tags: Hotel Openings / Marriott Hotels / Hotel Gyms / Renaissance Hotels / Renaissance ClubSport / Fitness Hotels / → All Tags
First Renaissance Clubsport Opens and Travel is No Longer an Excuse to Skip Workouts
Calling all health-nuts, meatheads and normal people who enjoy working out: the first two Renaissance ClubSport properties have opened in Cali -- the first in Walnut Creek and the second more recently in Aliso Viejo corporate park.
Marriott and NorCal health club development firm Leisure Sports, Inc. have teamed up to create the new concept, which essentially boasts the same higher-end features of most Renaissance properties with monster fitness offerings.
Tags: Miami Hotel Mambo / Hotel Delays / Hotel Gyms / → All Tags
David Barton Gym at Gansevoort South Won't Open Until May
We heard whispers last week that the David Barton Gym at the Gansevoort South wouldn't open on time this month and today we have confirmation--an email to all Miami members about the delay from DB himself.
Hammers are swinging, dust is flying and equipment is being polished and readied for delivery. Because of a backlog at the Building Department, construction is now scheduled for an April completion and official opening in mid-May. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience this delay may cause and I promise that in May you'll be pumping away in the best gym you've ever been to.
For current DBG members, they can workout inside the Flamingo South Beach which houses a much smaller facility. The club is also offering outdoor workout programs on the beach at the hotel until the gym opens.
As for the hotel, reservations are still being taken for select rooms on March 24th. But we don't expect much to be open aside from that. Let's hope the building dept. backlog was just for the gym and not for the hotel as well.
Tags: Hotel Gyms / Hotel Fitness / Hilton Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / → All Tags
Hilton New York Reopens Its Fitness Center
The Hilton New York has just completed a renovation of its 8,000-square foot glass-domed fitness facility that features floor-to-ceiling windows offering you killer views as you break a sweat.
The renovation added cushion flooring, Precor cardiovascular machines with personal entertainment on each machine and some new strength-training equipment. But have no fear if you fear working out in public. The hotel also offers private in-room yoga and Pilates workouts.
And for you Movie Set Hotel junkies the fitness center was used in a scene of Michael Clayton starring George Clooney.
Tags: Hotel Gyms / Hotel Fitness / David Barton Gym / Hotel News / Miami Hotel Mambo / → All Tags
Gansevoort South Not Open Yet But David Barton Gym Memberships are For Sale
The Gansevoort South Beach is aiming for a mid-February opening but we don't know for sure if that will really happen. However, if you want to snag a membership to the exclusive David Barton Gym before it opens on March 1, now is the time.
The gym which was once a part of the Delano Hotel, is offering a special pre-sale rate of $75 per month along with a $75 fee to reserve membership. The gym and membership will include:
unlimited kickboxing, spinning, krav maga (an Israeli fighting art), yoga and pilates. There will be 5 designated studios for these special trainings.
There is a 10,000 square foot spa with aromatherapy steam rooms and sauna. There are 2 Gourmet 5 Star restaurants and three beachfront swimming pools.
This all sounds incredibly impressive. Gym rats in Miami never had it so good! However, we still don't know if hotel guests will be able to use the gym for free or for a fee. A hotel rep said they are working out the details.
We hope it's free of course because we all want to, in the words of the David Barton gym motto, "look better naked." And FYI: That's David Barton in the picture above.
Related Stories:
· David Barton Gym [Official Site]
· Delano Hotel Replaces Barton with Butter [HotelChatter]
· Miami Hotel Mambo: Hotel Gansevoort Delayed Until March? [HotelChatter]
Tags: Turkey Hotel Reviews / Hotel Gyms / Hotel Sick / → All Tags
Bikini Aerobics at Hotel Melas
We found this funny/disturbing video on YouTube of a step aerobics class at the Hotel Melas. We're not quite sure which Hotel Melas it is but we have a feeling it's the one in Turkey.
However, if people doing step aerobics in bikinis and banana hammocks makes you ill, the TripAdvisor reviews on this place report several guests getting ill with diarrhea and dehydration. Yuck. Btw if you can bare it (heh, heh), this same YouTube user has a video of people doing the macarena...yup again in their bathing suits.
Related Stories:
· aerobic in hotel Melas [MisterMelas]
Tags: Wyndham Hotels / Hotel Gyms / Hotel Spas / Hotel Restaurants / → All Tags
Wyndham Kicks Up Amenities for '07
When Wyndham Hotels recently announced plans to kick up their amenities and rework their spa concept to "appeal to Gen X and Boomer travelers," we were not so excited.
In most hotels, this generally means having some sort of iPod docking station and introducing weird packages for divorcees.
But then we heard burgers and wine were involved in this Wyndham stuff, so we investigated.
Tags: Sydney Hotel Reviews / Hotel Gyms / Hilton Hotels / → All Tags
Sydney Hilton Now Has A Famous Gym
Central and friendly, but a bit on the expensive side for what you get, has been the general opinion on the Sydney Hilton of late. But now it's got something extra going for it: as well as having Australia's largest hotel gym, it's now been awarded the prize as the 2007 Health Club Facilities of the Year by the Australian Hotels Association.
It's no ordinary hotel gym, having already the quite big name of the LivingWell Premier Health Club, and a big bunch of facilities to match:
Spanning the entire footprint of the Hilton building, LivingWell includes a 25m indoor pool, cardiovascular gymnasium equipped with a free weights area and the latest interactive equipment ... There are also four saunas, steam rooms, a large spa pool and pampering treatments from The Sensory, LivingWell's beauty concept.
And use of the gym, unlike at some money hungry hotels, is a free service for any Hilton guests. Some might say pounding the beaches of Sydney or climbing the Harbour Bridge is enough exercise, but if you're a gym junkie, it's the place to stay.
[Photo: reitweld]
Related Stories:
· Hilton Sydney reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Touching Rivets in Sydney Harbour [Jaunted]
Tags: Hotel Gyms / Lists / Hotel Fitness / → All Tags
Best Hotel Gyms for Those Who Can't Miss One Set or One Rep
Rock Climbing at the Venetian's Canyon Ranch Spa.
This one's for the road warrior who can't bear to miss a day of working out while traveling.
The Athletic Minded Traveler has put together their eleven Best Hotel Gyms for 2006. Looking over the 3,000 hotel gyms in the U.S. (but we assume, not actually testing them) the ranking is based on gyms that have the best facility size, equipment options, mult-sport options (like a pool) and overall ambience/atmosphere.
Or as they describe it:
On very rare occasions we stumble upon a hotel gym that rattles our sweat-craving souls and excites our aerobically fit tickers the moment we walk in. Finding one of these treasures is our "kid in the candy store" moment. And the only action that delights us more than uncovering one of these exercise utopias is relaying the discovery to our fellow athletic-minded travelers.
See which hotels made the AMT people practically orgasm during their workout after the jump.
Tags: Hotel Gyms / Fairmont Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
Fairmont Gets Fit with Adidas
Fairmont Hotels has gotten in on the fitness game by announcing their Fairmont Fit program which will deliver adidas workout apparel and exercise equipment to your hotel room door.
Guests can order adidas shorts, t-shirts and athletic shoes as well as yoga mats and other fitness equipment, all delivered to room, for use during their stay. Travelers can use complimentary items or choose to purchase the fitness gear through the hotel or resort's guest services desk.
The Fairmont Fit program begins in January 2007 at the Fairmont DC, the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver and the Fairmont Winnipeg. The rest of the hotels should get the fitness program by April 2007. However unlike other hotel fitness programs, Fairmont Fit is only available to Fairmont President's Club members, but that is free to join.
Let's just hope you get to keep the spandex you order instead of renting it.
[Photo: Global Glenn]
Related Stories:
· Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Makes Staying Fit On The Road As Easy As A Walk In The Park [Hospitality Net]
Tags: Bad Rate / Houston Hotels / Hilton Hotels / Hotel Gyms / → All Tags
Bad Rate: Fitness Fanatic Package at Hilton Houston Americas
[Ed. Note: This is the Bad Rate in our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature. This rate was valid on October 24, 2006 and is subject to change. Enjoy.]
What do you get with the $309 "Fitness Fanatic" package at the Hilton Houston Americas? We hope you're sitting down; it includes a standard room and free access to the gym!
You see, there once was a time when entrance to the gym was always included at every hotel that had one. Then some bean counters came up with the brilliant idea to rent out space in the hotel, outsource the gym to this new tenant, and then charge guests to use what is now a "private fitness club" open to local residents. Who cares if it annoys guests--it's a new profit center!
We suggest you spend your Houston weekend at the St. Regis instead--this week's Good Rate--where for $69 less than the standard room here at the Hilton, you'll get a junior suite and far more pampering.
Related Stories:
· Hilton Houston Americas reviews [TripAdvisor]
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