Hotel Giant Redefines Room Service

May 2005 (Newstream) -- Swimsuit season is here which means - more than ever - people are looking to incorporate some form of exercise into their daily routine. This can prove especially tricky for those traveling on business. But hotels are tapping into the travel trend of fitness on the go by delivering a workout via room service.

Bringing the gym to the guest makes it more work to avoid the gym. Now lacing up simply means rolling out of bed. Studies show two-thirds of travelers want to make it to the gym even on the road but unfamiliar workout equipment and gearing up for a hotel gym is often a roadblock.

Westin Hotels are going as far as offering guests their own personal workout space. For $20 extra, you can get your own personal treadmill or stationary bike right in your room. A Reebok Workout also comes complete with yoga mats, pilates DVDs, stability balls and dumbbells. Specially designed running maps by Runners World completes the program so that unfamiliar terrain becomes a cardio excursion. At Westin, they've even trained running concierges that lead group runs for guests. And when a hotel stay is not for business but pleasure, you can still make your workout happen with hotels offering rentable jogging strollers.

And for those committed to a state of the art gym, hotels still offer the latest in fitness features, like personal flat screen TVs, digital music and pre-planned workouts. For couch potatoes looking for the easy road out of an exercise routine, traveling is no longer the scapegoat. Hotels these days are putting a whole new spin on effectively stretching time.
Produced for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide