Can Your Hotel Make You Healthier? Budget-friendly hotels are now offering extras aimed at promoting health, from vitamin-infused showers to rent-able workout gear.
This story appears in the March 2016 issue of BIZ Experiences. Subscribe »
High-end lodgings have flaunted wellness programs for years -- health food on speed dial at the Trump Chicago, say, and power naps stimulated by wave technology at Miami Edition. "But for those of us who pay our own bills, I'd like to see health not so much an afterthought," says Jayne McAllister, author of Mile High & Healthy. We're in luck: Budget-friendly hotels are catching up.
Even Hotels
Location: Norwalk, Conn.; Rockville, Md.; two in New York. Seattle, Miami and Omaha are coming soon.
Rates: Starting at $199
Health boost: It's the first major hotel brand built around wellness. Each room has a "fitness zone" -- with cork flooring and exercise equipment -- for in-room workouts, and the beds are covered in breathable eucalyptus linens. Order room service: The menu is a kale-fest.
Biz extras: Free wi-fi, ample electrical outlets and ergonomic room desks.
Guilty pleasure: Cocktails and parfaits at the lobby restaurant.
MGM Grand's Stay Well Rooms
Location: Las Vegas
Rates: Starting at $185
Health boost: The 14th floor of the MGM Grand features extra soundproofing, purified and humidified air, filtered tap water, blue lighting (said to counter jet lag), an alarm clock that simulates dawn with nature sounds and increasing light and a vitamin-C-infused shower that filters out chlorine.
Biz extras: The Stay Well Lounge offers a similarly freshened meeting space on the floor.
Guilty pleasure: The casino below, plus 29 restaurants and bars.
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants
Location: 63 locations across the U.S.
Rates: Starting at $237
Health boost: Varies per location. Seattle's Alexis Hotel has a new CrossFit gym with a rock-climbing wall, monkey bars and more. Hotel Vintage Portland in Oregon holds weekly pickup games with its bellman, a former semi-pro player. At the Hotel Marlowe in Cambridge, Mass., kayaks come comp.
Biz extras: Need a workout buddy in D.C.? Call the GM! The Monaco's manager bikes with guests; the Carlyle's prefers running.
Guilty pleasure: Complimentary wine hour daily.
Westin Hotels & Resorts
Location: More than 250 locations globally.
Rates: Starting at $179
Health boost: Its new Sleep Well Menu provides herbal tea, plus snacks with vitamins and minerals said to aid rest and recovery. Coming in June: lavender sleep balm, to be applied to pulse points for calming aromatherapy.
Biz extras: No room in your roll-aboard for sneakers or workout clothing? Rent New Balance gear for $5 (and keep the socks).
Guilty pleasure: Follow the bacon aroma to the breakfast buffet.
