When planning an event, it’s important to avoid disrupting the everyday routines of your attendees. While it’s tempting to fill every minute of the day, keeping attendees’ health and fitness in mind is necessary. If you don’t do so, you risk burnout and restlessness, which no meeting planner wants during an event.
So, when choosing your destination, consider a hotel with space for attendees’ daily workouts. Do one better by including a little something extra. At Smart Meetings, we’ve compiled a list of nine venues that feature standout exercise facilities.
1. Hilton Anatole Hotel, Dallas
Hilton Anatole Hotel’s Verandah Club provides 80,000 sq. ft. of exercise space, which includes a full basketball court, racquetball and squash courts and LCD viewing screens guiding you through various cardio workouts that best fit your needs. Run laps around the indoor jogging track or take a dip in their standout feature—a 25-meter lap pool.
2. Hotel Bellevue, Washington
Rain or shine, you’ll be able to fit in exercise at Hotel Bellevue. Cold outside? Swim in two of the indoor swimming pools, do some spinning or get some TRX and kinesis exercise to incorporate strength training with core stability and flexibility. You’ll feel the burn in the best way. And when the sun’s out, take a few laps in the outside pool or play tennis with fellow attendees.
3. Marriott Hotel Al Forsan, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Marriott Hotel Al Forsan has your standard fitness equipment, including an Olympic-sized swimming pool and personal training—perfect for getting in your usual regimen. What makes it stand out is the sports club next door. Featuring activities such as outdoor wakeboarding, paintballing and horseback-riding, the club ensures a new type of thrill each day.
4. 1 Hotel South Beach, Miami Beach
At 1 Hotel South Beach, the gym is your playroom, a far cry from the usual fitness rooms for travelers. Some 14,000 sq. ft. are available to give you a break from your usual workout, or, for the more ambitious, to help you prepare for the annual Spartan Race obstacle course. Swing on the monkey bars or climb a rope wall to keep in shape within the facility—it’s better than any other cardio.
5. Whitney Peak Hotel, Reno, Nevada
The fitness facility can certainly accommodate your regular workout, but consider joining in on the climbing fun at Whitney Peak Hotel. Home to the World’s Tallest Climbing Wall (verified by Guinness World Records) at 164 feet, you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world. Scared of heights? The hotel also features a 7,000-square-foot bouldering park.
6. The Berkeley, London
The Berkeley features a rooftop pool and panoramic views—gorgeous and exciting to view as you get your sweat on. Every hotel offers classes, but very few host unconventional classes. That’s where The Berkeley adds a fun twist—an intensive hula-hooping master class, where you can burn more than 600 calories per session.
7. The Peninsula Chicago
Throughout the year, you can overlook the city while you run on the treadmill—the gym is located on the 20th floor, giving you a view of The Windy City through floor-to-ceiling windows as you burn calories. During the winter, the rooftop ice-skating rink opens, giving you a unique and fun break from your usual routine.
8. The Los Angeles Athletic Club
What originally started out as a world-class athletic facility now also functions as a boutique hotel. You will find every type of workout you want in the 80,000-square-foot circuit-training gym. Gather a group to play volleyball, take group classes in water polo or shoot some hoops at the basketball court. It’s impossible to run out of space or things to do when you’re surrounded by options. It’s no wonder Arnold Schwarzenegger trained here—it has everything.
9. Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Kailua Kona, Hawaii Island, Hawaii
Beachfront sights make any workout better, but Four Seasons Resort Hualalai relies on more than its exquisite views. The resort’s 15,000-square-foot fitness center contains everything your heart desires, from weights to cardio equipment. To make the most of your regimen, play volleyball or basketball, or rent some paddle boats for the day. Why admire them from inside when you can dip your toes in the water—and get your fitness routine in at the same time?
