Maintaining a healthy lifestyle has become increasingly important, especially for those people who travel regularly.
When frequently traveling for business, you want to keep up the fitness routine even on the road. Therefore, providing fitness facilities is increasingly important for hotels to adapt to this trend. However, fitness has lots of different flavors and personal preferences. While some prefer cardio, others enjoy free weights, and others like the workout machines. This article explains how HotelGyms.com will help you demystify the gym in your next hotel. So let us have a look at what this means.
How can active People plan their Travel?
If you have ever stayed in a hotel with the idea of performing a workout, you surely have experienced that the gym equipment often leaves up to be desired. Some of you may think of vacation as a time to take time off from exercise. While others are committed to their health and want to squeeze in a workout whenever possible, the fitness equipment varies in every hotel. And there is no guarantee that an expensive or high-class hotel will provide you with the fitness equipment you might expect.
That is where HotelGyms.com becomes very handy; we reveal the secrets of the hotel gyms. And our platform takes an entirely different approach from the classic online booking platforms. To simplify your research, we have created the GymFactor Label. Every reviewed hotel gets a GymFactor Score, which indicates the quality of the gym experience. Let us go through the concept, as this is probably new to most.
The Problem with Hotel Gyms
Most people rely on user reviews on sites like Tripadvisor or Google to decide where to stay and what to do on a vacation or business trip. However, user reviews are problematic:
- The high percentage of fake reviews
- Fitness insights are difficult to find
- Promotional content vs. information
- Reviews often cover only the extremes
And there is no benchmark. Most people have no idea how one fitness facility compares to another as they often stay at one hotel in each place they visit. Additionally, every person has different expectations of what a gym offers for a good workout.
GymFactor as the Solution
Our approach cuts through the noise of user reviews using the GymFactor. The GymFactor is a label based on an algorithm developed by HotelGyms.com to benchmark the different types of hotel gyms. Like hotel stars, the GymFactor Label will make it easy for you to distinguish a good option from a bad one.
We use machine learning capabilities to analyze images and reviews to reveal the best-kept secrets regarding hotel gyms. In addition, we use Artificial Intelligence to improve low-quality images and have the option of integrating 360° photos to help you get the best insight into what to expect.
The initial GymFactor Score is calculated using an algorithm benchmarking the fitness equipment such as machine types, weights, equipment upkeep, cleanliness, etc. We designed the GymFactor to help fitness enthusiasts like you find their preferred fitness environment on their next hotel visit. Our solution includes:
- GymFactor Score. Our in-house developed algorithm calculates a score for each hotel gym, taking into account over 50 ranking factors.
- GymFactor Experiences. Comments, pictures, and feedback from the fitness community sharing their experiences.
In a nutshell, GymFactor is an add-on to an existing hotel review to show you in one second if this hotel has the gym infrastructure you need to keep your workout routine.
The mathematics behind the GymFactor
Multiple criteria are part of a hotel gym review. Each has a different impact on the overall GymFactor Score. The list below indicates a few critical parameters we use to create our initial scoring. Of course, there are a lot of things to consider further:
- Variety of fitness equipment
- Type of machines
- Space to exercise
- Maintenance of equipment
- Cleanliness
The GymFactor is resistant to review bombing, as seen on other platforms. Only validated reviews have a direct impact on the GymFactor Score. Validated reviews are coming from:
- Personal Trainers
- Gym Operators
- and HotelGyms.com Staff
The highest GymFactor is only given to those hotel gyms with plenty of space to exercise, frequently maintained equipment and various available machines.
The Community Factor
Another aspect of the GymFactor is the community. While not directly influencing the GymFactor Score, these so-called GymFactor Experiences allow frequent travelers to voice their opinion on how good their experience in this hotel gym was.
Every feedback and comment helps us review the GymFactor label and ensure it remains accurate.
The GymFactor Scores
The highest possible is a GymFactor Score of 4. This GymFactor represents a real gym that is just perfect, and it provides everything any fitness enthusiast could need. Not that we know Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in person (yet), but we believe that even "The Rock" could perform his full workout at this place. This hotel provides a perfect fitness center atmosphere.
GymFactor Score of 3 on the rating scale indicates that the gym is still amazing and has nearly everything one could want. Perfect for most of us, and there are not really "issues" that those who rated the gym found. This gym may not be as fancy or spacious, or it is missing some (very) unique equipment that some could desire, or the personal supervision leaves room for improvement. Otherwise, these hotel gyms are generally considered quality and excellent.
Halfway through with a GymFactor Score of 2, these gyms are great for classic workouts but are missing multiple features or have a less pleasant workout experience. They tend to be smaller in size and deliver more basic workouts. There are typically lighter dumbbells, standard cardio equipment, and some multi-purpose exercise machines, but not an extensive list of options. Nevertheless, these gyms are still good for most customers, especially on shorter trips.
This leaves us with the ned on the scale, the GymFactor Score of 1. It does not mean that these gyms are terrible, not all at least, but they are not quality gyms. They tend to be extremely small and have little gym equipment available. One would struggle to get a full-body workout in these gyms. It is better than nothing, but you will not spend much time there.
To conclude
The French Hospitality Company, Accor, has noticed this healthy lifestyle trend and created a fascinating infographic considering the factors that motivate guests when choosing a hotel. The study from Accor is based on 2.572 respondents, business and recreational travelers.
It is not a big surprise that the treadmill is the most frequently used machine at the hotel gym. However, considering even a hotel with a GymFactor 1 offers this cardio machine, it is the least common nominator.
To avoid the situation where you only have a treadmill or need to work out in your hotel room, always check-out HotelGyms.com to find a hotel with a good fitness facility. Our GymFactor is your gym advisor for your next trip.
