Since the COVID-19 shut down, people have missed their regular workouts at the local gyms. Even those who travel around and workout at the gyms provided by hotels have missed getting a way to get the blood pumping and sweat flowing. However, with many gyms re-opening across the country, people are starting to come back and work out in them — we talked about this in a recent blog post. But what are the safety precautions that these hotels and gyms are (and should be) taking to make sure that everyone keeps well at the gym?

Let me share our advice to hotels we work with to provide a good workout experience.

Scan The Staff Regularly For COVID-19

This should be a given, shouldn’t it... Regularly check-in with staff and have anyone who has symptoms of sickness stay home and get a COVID-19 test. Related to this, make sure that the staff all wear masks when on duty so that they are at minimal risk of spreading anything or have less risk of catching it.

Physical Distancing Should Be Enforced

Machines in the gym or hotel gym should be distanced according to CDC guidelines (or other government official standards). Machines or weights may need to be removed, or blocked, to make room for this distance between spaces to be accomplished.

Also, the number of people in the strength section should be reduced to make sure that these social distancing guidelines can be followed. It is also advised to mark the floor with spots people can perform their weight exercises.

Btw. we call it physical distancing, where it is referenced as social distancing in most publications. However, it is about the physical distance between people — not about being social, or not…

Washing Down The Equipment

While this was already important in making sure that gyms stayed clean and free of disease, it becomes significantly more crucial now. It should be mandatory for all those who use any machines or free weights in the gym to pre-wipe and wipe down the gear afterward. They should do this thoroughly, while the equipment should also be regularly wiped down by the staff that is on hand. Personally, I also like to use training gloves which also limits the exposure a bit.

In hotel gyms, mopping the floor and removing dirty towels is also a good way of making sure the contact is limited.

Hotel Gym Towels Should Be Washed Separately

This is specifically about hotels, where there are many towels washed daily, regardless of where they came from. With the gym reopening, those towels that come from there should be washed separately. Again, this is so that the contact is limited to the wider population who might not be using the hotel gym.

Close Locker Rooms

For those who have locker rooms in the gym or changing rooms, it should be reviewed of those need to get closed, except for access to any bathroom. Having people show up and workout is okay. Having them linger around and socialize is not, at least in the current circumstances. And maybe these rooms shouldn’t be used for socializing anyway, huh?

Ventilate The Gyms

Good ventilation can be another tool that is used in the fight against COVID-19 in these gyms. Regardless of a hotel or regular gym, this is another strategy that can assist in limiting the spread of the airborne COVID-19 virus.

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These are just some of the main steps that gyms should be taking to ensure that they can provide a safe and enjoyable exercise to anyone that comes in. 

On the contrary, hotel gyms tend to be less crowded, so if you happen to need to find such gyms to get a good workout in on your travels. And HotelGyms.com is the perfect place to get that workout in without a larger risk of a crowded public gym. There is also an opportunity to use new digital tools to make everyones life even easier (and safer). Read our blog about the new Hotel Gym guest registration tool.