TECHNOGYM
Hoteliers need to focus on offering a gym that meets the needs of their carefully profiled guests and potential users rather than designing it around a list of desired equipment, says Technogym regional sales director Middle East, Africa & India Michele Moro.
“First of all, define the aspiration and needs of the guest, then dedicate a proper space to cardio, stretching and functional training, then define the equipment needed to complete the workout experience in terms of strength, focusing on the major muscle groups that require more guided equipment,” says Moro.
“We need to know what makes the guests move — their motivation and aspirations — and then design a proper environment for them along with a client-oriented service,” he adds.
In terms of designing and managing the gym for maximum success, Moro says managers must recognise the gym as an “essential part of the hotel experience and business unit” and focus on the following aspects:
- Budgets: In many cases, budgets are misleading, because they are driven more by an idea of filling up a space on paper rather than to provide a consistent experience to the guest and support a business model linked to the operation of the hotel itself. Our suggestion in this regards is to start with 75% -80% of the equipment that the space may accommodate, saving money without compromising on quality. After six months to one year of operation, add the remaining 20-25% of the equipment and budget. In this way, the hotel will have a much better gym, investing in the correct equipment and also the cash flow and the hotel’s ROI should benefit.
- Supplier partnerships: See your equipment supplier as a partner, don’t consider equipment as commodities and be careful if someone gives or offers services for free, because this means the products are not valuable for them, therefore, of doubtful quality,
- Evaluate the financial investment over a period of five to seven years, considering also the residual value, the impact of the brand selected on the guest perception and brand value.
- Wellness packages: Offer wellness packages which include personal training or a workout experience, massage (sport massage) and healthy food, and use the gym, spa and F&B to promote the concept and work in synergy with each other, making the gym much more guest need and lifestyle-oriented. Provide equipment or a wellness corner in a certain number of suites to offer guests the choice of a personalised in-room experience.
- Secondary spend: Be creative, listen to your clients and ask them a lot of questions to proactively propose packages that may attract guests to try new services and experiences, like personal training, small group training, or programmes like stretching and back pain prevention that travellers specifically may enjoy.
- Maintenance: Insist your supplier’s technical team give training to hotel maintenance staff to perform basic checks. Most service calls come from a total lack of attention and understanding from the gym staff and cleaners that with a bit of attention could be prevented.
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Technogym
Tel: +971 4 337 5337
Email: infouae@technogym.com
Web: www.technogym.com
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