Work it out: Hotels offer new ways to stay fit

Let’s get physical: The Sheraton Seattle is among the hotels with new fitness offerings.

By Mark Chesnut

Staying in shape while traveling isn’t always easy. But several hotels are offering new options for busy globetrotters to keep the blood flowing.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is updating the fitness centers at its Westin and Sheraton hotels. At Westin, new gyms will feature blue light therapy, using Philips ActiViva Active lamps that are designed to create a more conducive ambiance for exercise. The chain also now offers a fitness lending program, with New Balance gear including shoes with disposable insoles, pants and accessories — making it easier for business travelers to exercise even if they don’t have the appropriate clothing.

Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, meanwhile, has introduced “Sheraton Fitness Programmed by Core Performance,” a program of 20- to 30-minute themedworkouts designed to complement busy travel schedules. Sheraton also offers Guest Room Workouts, using 30-minute Video on Demand programming, and guests can order nutrition and wellness tips through Starwood’s internal channel and order a free “workout in a bag” that includes an exercise mat, foam rolls, resistance band and massage stick.

Hilton Worldwide — which operates multiple hotel brands on a global scale —  is outfitting more than 1,000 of its hotel fitness centers around the world with new tech-savvy, customizable equipment options. Guests will be able to use the latest equipment from brands including Precor, Life Fitness, StarTrac and TechnoGym — all loaded with goodies like touch-screen consoles, iPod compatibility, ePub readers and Internet connectivity. The first 300 hotel properties began receiving the new equipment in January, and more hotel fitness centers will be upgraded throughout the year. Hilton Worldwide’s portfolio of hotels include Waldorf Astoria, Conrad , Hilton, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton.

Related resources

• New York hotels
• Seattle hotels
• Toronto hotels

Mark Chesnut is a travel writer, editor and publisher of LatinFlyer.com, which focuses on travel to Latin America. He honestly believes that he’s going to exercise more on his next trip.

Tagged: Hotels, New York