Equinox Holdings, the company that runs upscale Equinox fitness clubs around the world, last year announced that it will launch a full-service, luxury lifestyle hotel brand. The first Equinox Hotels property is scheduled to open in early 2019 at 35 Hudson Yards in New York City, a mixed-use residential, retail and commercial development overseen by New York’s Related Companies. The hotel will include a 60,000-square-foot (18,288-square-meter) club with indoor and outdoor space, pools and a spa.
According to David Gutstadt, managing director and chief investment officer of Equinox Hotels, target guests include “results-oriented people who strive to be the best versions of themselves.”
“They certainly don’t want to compromise their health, fitness or diet just because they are traveling,” Gutstadt says. “Although the hotel gym is not a new concept, people are putting an increasing amount of importance on it. The notion of the gym being an afterthought is not cutting it anymore, and we see a big opportunity to cater to the demanding modern traveler.”
Other hotel companies have created brands to cater to fitness-focused travelers. In 2012, IHG created Even Hotels designed to help travelers “eat well, rest easy, keep active and accomplish more.” Hotels include in-room “training zones” with an Even Hotels trainer, a mounted fitness wall, yoga mat, yoga block and a core exercise ball, while public areas include an athletic studio that offers fitness classes and health-focused F&B options. The brand also developed 19 fitness videos and training guides.
The Even Hotels brand concept was first announced in 2012 and properties are open in Norwalk, Connecticut; Rockville, Maryland; and in New York City, with additional properties in the pipeline.
“As the only holistic wellness brand in the hotel industry, we are dedicated to helping wellness-minded guests traveling to New York City find their balance while on the road,” says Jason Moskal, vice president of lifestyle brands for The Americas at IHG, of the Manhattan property that opened last November.
“This new hotel also demonstrates the continued momentum behind our newest hotel brand and our commitment to providing the Even Hotels brand experience wherever our target guest both lives and travels to.”