I love the non-sexy and easily unforgettable parts of traveling. I love airports, I love taking trams & shuttle buses, I love taking the stairs whenever I can, I love the coordination of it all, and I love the actual time that I spend traveling even more than I love getting there.
In the past while traveling I’ve stayed in some pretty interesting places and now that I’m back working in the States I’ve ended up in a few Airbnbs, but mostly find myself staying in hotels. One of the main reasons I choose to stay in a hotel is simple: I love hotel gyms.
I love hotel gyms so much that while some might search for nearby restaurants, want a nice view, or a room that has all kinds of amenities, I just want one thing – a gym. It seems like an easy box to check, but not all hotel gyms are the same so it pays to do a little bit of research.
Stretching in the basement of an NYC hotel gym.
During check-in while most might ask about a free continental breakfast, wifi code, or hours for the hot tub I’m just interested in one question – where’s the gym?
Each gym has it’s own vibe, but one thing is pretty standard across the board – no one really goes to the gym while staying in a hotel. No matter how the gym looks and the quality of the space and equipment, I rarely see other people in there whatever is inside of most gyms doesn’t seem to get much use.
I’m a simple man these days when it comes to working out, so I’m not looking for much in a hotel gym – just some weights and a cardio machine that doesn’t fall apart when I use it (yep, that’s happened before). Most offer more than I or any guest would need, but as you start getting into the cheaper hotels as you might find yourself in a “Fitness Center” instead of a gym. This usually means it’ll have just the basics, which usually includes a few old yoga mats, an “As seen on TV” cable machine, and water cooler with those cone-shaped paper cups. With a little research ahead of time I can usually weed these guys out, but sometimes it still happens.
A gym on LSU campus was more of a “fitness center”, but still got the job done.
Of course, on the other hand there are the super-fancy gyms that have all kinds of things that no one really needs like free headphones, baskets of fruit, endless number of televisions, and little fridges full of cold bottles of water. I guess having these things is a nice touch, but for me I just need a spot to get my sweat in and call it a day. The one good thing about going super-fancy is that usually the nicer the hotel gym, the less it’s used, which works out better for me.
Keeping a regular habit of working out is what keeps me full of energy and moving along while traveling and finding a gym is key to making sure that happens. The feeling I get the first time I step into a hotel gym I’ve never been in before is something that I always look forward to after making it to a new city. It’s a space to do my thing, it’s my time to get energized no matter how I’m feeling from the day before, and it hasn’t let me down yet. Yep, I love me some hotel gyms.
My Love For Hotel Gyms
I love the non-sexy and easily unforgettable parts of traveling. I love airports, I love taking trams & shuttle buses, I love taking the stairs whenever I can, I love the coordination of it all, and I love the actual time that I spend traveling even more than I love getting there.
In the past while traveling I’ve stayed in some pretty interesting places and now that I’m back working in the States I’ve ended up in a few Airbnbs, but mostly find myself staying in hotels. One of the main reasons I choose to stay in a hotel is simple: I love hotel gyms.
I love hotel gyms so much that while some might search for nearby restaurants, want a nice view, or a room that has all kinds of amenities, I just want one thing – a gym. It seems like an easy box to check, but not all hotel gyms are the same so it pays to do a little bit of research.
Stretching in the basement of an NYC hotel gym.
During check-in while most might ask about a free continental breakfast, wifi code, or hours for the hot tub I’m just interested in one question – where’s the gym?
Each gym has it’s own vibe, but one thing is pretty standard across the board – no one really goes to the gym while staying in a hotel. No matter how the gym looks and the quality of the space and equipment, I rarely see other people in there whatever is inside of most gyms doesn’t seem to get much use.
I’m a simple man these days when it comes to working out, so I’m not looking for much in a hotel gym – just some weights and a cardio machine that doesn’t fall apart when I use it (yep, that’s happened before). Most offer more than I or any guest would need, but as you start getting into the cheaper hotels as you might find yourself in a “Fitness Center” instead of a gym. This usually means it’ll have just the basics, which usually includes a few old yoga mats, an “As seen on TV” cable machine, and water cooler with those cone-shaped paper cups. With a little research ahead of time I can usually weed these guys out, but sometimes it still happens.
A gym on LSU campus was more of a “fitness center”, but still got the job done.
Of course, on the other hand there are the super-fancy gyms that have all kinds of things that no one really needs like free headphones, baskets of fruit, endless number of televisions, and little fridges full of cold bottles of water. I guess having these things is a nice touch, but for me I just need a spot to get my sweat in and call it a day. The one good thing about going super-fancy is that usually the nicer the hotel gym, the less it’s used, which works out better for me.
Keeping a regular habit of working out is what keeps me full of energy and moving along while traveling and finding a gym is key to making sure that happens. The feeling I get the first time I step into a hotel gym I’ve never been in before is something that I always look forward to after making it to a new city. It’s a space to do my thing, it’s my time to get energized no matter how I’m feeling from the day before, and it hasn’t let me down yet. Yep, I love me some hotel gyms.
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