Free Wi-Fi? (check) Breakfast bar included in room rate? (check) Ample supply of double/double rooms? (check)
Luxury fitness facility? (crickets)
Time to re-evaluate that property, especially if the sports event you’re booking is hoping for well-heeled families.
According to an article in Travel Weekly, travelers with larger disposable incomes are looking for specific things in a property, and connectivity, restaurants, privacy and fitness centers are key components.
Even though fitness centers aren't at the top of the list, they still are twice as important to travelers in the top one percent of household income and net worth than the general traveling public, with 40 percent of the wealthiest ranking them in the top five of a list of 28 amenities, compared with 20 percent of all travelers, according to the 2106 Luxury Travel Report from Vancouver-based Resonance Consultancy.
In other words, even if the kids are going to be out at the lacrosse field, the tennis courts or the horse show grounds all day, parents still need their me-time.
According to an article in SGB Today, luxury gyms, which offer multiple amenities, are big draws. Updated machines with tons of media abilities rule this domain. The challenge is keeping users entertained. Some luxury/boutique gyms have gone the route of virtual reality cardio, like a new intergalactic spin class that recently premiered in the United Kingdom, or the iFit NordicTrack Escape Treadmill that premiered at CES 2016, which banks on a 60-inch curved OLED TV screen that creates the illusion of running outdoor routes.
For other hotels, having VR machines (which are, after all, expensive) isn’t as important as having a space that looks clean and modern, with updated machines.
About the Author
