The hotel industry is experiencing a boom in its fitness and wellness offerings. All over the world, travelers are paying increasing attention to their health and fitness - and the hotel industry is responding with new, innovative offers.
What potential do hotel chains and the "Global Wellness Summit" see?
According to Michael Altewischer, Managing Partner of Wellness-Hotels & Resorts GmbH, modern technologies such as diagnostic tools and AI in guest communication are in demand by almost half of hotel guests today. These offer customized fitness, relaxation or nutrition plans. This enables hotels to continue to support guests after their stay and thus strengthen loyalty.
In its "Future of Wellness - 2024 Trends" report, the "Global Wellness Summit" makes it clear that sport now plays a central role in the hotel industry. While this aspect was often overlooked in the past, hotels now offer professional trainers and state-of-the-art facilities. The global market for "sports hospitality" is estimated at 4.75 billion US dollars and continues to promise enormous growth.
Sporting events are driving the fitness trend in hotels
Major sporting events such as the 2024 Olympic Games or the Tour de France are also contributing to the boom. More and more destinations are offering activities that turn visitors from spectators into active participants. For example, tourists could take part in cycling races on new routes close to the official tour. And at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, there was a marathon for Olympic fans in the run-up to the Games. Some hotels are also expanding their offerings and even organizing their own competitions to enable their guests to "train like an athlete".
Fitness in business hotels: a growing demand
Business hotels are also seeing a growing demand for fitness facilities. For many people, sport is now part of a health-conscious lifestyle that they don't want to miss out on when traveling. Hotels are responding to this with a wide range of offers, from personal trainers to brain-stimulating technologies and cryo chambers that optimize the sporting experience.
Modernized fitness areas in hotels
The hotel industry has taken its fitness rooms to a new level in recent years. In the past, these were often only equipped with basic cardio machines and light dumbbells, which only offered limited training options. Today, guests can find state-of-the-art strength equipment and functional training equipment in many hotels, which appeals to both amateur athletes and professionals.
Increased awareness of fitness and health
Travelers such as Claudia Darius, who travels internationally, report a significant improvement in hotel fitness facilities. She emphasizes that both the quality and the general awareness of hotel staff and guests have developed enormously in recent years. Larger and better equipped fitness rooms as well as well thought-out concepts contribute to an improved overall experience.
Future trend: building expertise in the fitness sector
More and more hotels are also investing in the training of their staff in order to offer a first-class service in the areas of fitness and health. The "Resort Engel Obertal", for example, sends its trainees through a three-year fitness training course to ensure that the high expectations of its guests are met.
The increasing professionalization of fitness offers in the hotel industry is also reflected in the increased demand for qualified personnel, as numerous job offers on platforms such as hotelcareer.de show. As the professionalization of fitness offerings in the hotel industry also reaches HR departments, the relevance of this market segment for the fitness industry as a whole will continue to grow. A development that will also be clearly noticeable at FIBO 2025.
Editorial team fitnessmarkt.de
Source: FIBO Global Fitness
Image source: #786505167 Tor Gilje / stock.adobe.com
Published on: 16 September 2024