Hilton has unveiled a new in-room wellness concept, Five Feet to Fitness, which brings more than 11 different fitness equipment and accessory options into the hotel room.
Ryan Crabbe, senior director of global wellness for Hilton, described the room as an “industry first.”
“The room is really a personal wellbeing stage, but we like to describe it as a guestroom dedicated to movement and mindfulness,” he told Spa Opportunities. “It really is the first of its kind hybrid room.”
The new room type features an indoor bike from British cycling innovator Wattbike that can be used for either longer indoor-cycling type exercise sessions or focused interval-training workouts, and dynamic Gym Rax functional training stations, to deliver strength, core, suspension and High Intensity Interval Training.
At the heart of the concept is the Fitness Kiosk, a touch-screen display embedded within the Gym Rax system, where guests receive equipment tutorials and follow guided workout routines.
The fitness space, around 100sq ft of space near the window, also features sports-performance flooring. “People need to run, they need to move, they need to sweat – and you can’t do that on carpet,” said Crabbe.
In partnership with Aktiv Solutions, Hilton has created more than 200 bespoke fitness videos in categories including cardio, cycling, endurance, strength, HIIT, yoga, stretch and recovery.
Also included in the room is a meditation chair, blackout shades for restorative sleep and Biofreeze products to ease muscle tension.
“We really wanted to reimagine the space in its entirety and make wellness, mindfulness and fitness more accessible,” said Crabbe.
Crabbe said the concept was inspired by a Cornell study last year that found 46 per cent of travellers say they want to work out while they’re at a hotel, but only 20-22 per cent actually do. This study inspired Crabbe to do his own guest research, and he found that a quarter of Hilton guests expressed interest in a dedicated in-room fitness concept.
This, combined with a growth in popularity for functional training, led to the development of the concept.
The Five for Fitness concept, which debuts at the Parc 55 San Francisco and the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner in Virginia, will be an upgrade for a standard room, but customers paying around $45 extra for the specialised room.
Owners that are interested in implementing the concept must commit to at least three Five Feet to Fitness rooms; additional Hilton hotels in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York and San Diego have already signed up.
The programme will launch initially in the US, but Crabbe said there’s been there’s “real potential for this to go global,” and that he intentionally partnered with companies that have international distribution.
“We know that no matter how determined people are about making healthy decisions while at home, the ability to replicate those choices are not often as accessible as they should be while travelling,” said Crabbe. “We’re creating choices and control for guests to drive their own fitness experience.”
