shisochou

My main problem is that most hotel workout rooms lack any weight training facilities, just cardio stuff.

broccoli

The nicest one in my experience is at the Harbour Court in SF. They are next door to the YMCA. So close that the Y extends over to be the 2nd and 3rd floors of the hotel's structure and has an access door into the hotel lobby. They give guests a pass, towel, and water on request. The Y as a serious fitness institution has a great fitness room, lots of cardio machines looking over the bay, and a great pool with lap lanes.
Next best was the Intercontinental in Montreal. Nice, clean, big pool overlooking the city.

DivaC

I'm a professional opera singer and spend a lot of time in hotel rooms (or in private homes). Sometimes I get lucky and the opera company gets visiting singers a free pass to a local gym --- usually a swanky one (hurrah, Opera Santa Barbara! Hurrah, Fort Worth Opera!). Or I'm in a beautiful location where I can walk. But sometimes that's not enough.

I recently found a website (PushTV) where you can order a series of customized DVDs, each of which feature two forty-minute core training sessions and a thirty-minute cardio session. You fill out a questionnaire during registration and then choose from a variety of trainers and music. You can designate areas of special interest or concern, and state what equipment you have available. They send you a customized DVD each month, and each month it gets more challenging. Because the workouts change, you don't get bored. Plus, at the end of the year (shorter terms are available) you have a nice library of workouts.

This is a great thing to take on the road with you. I travel with a laptop, but I also put the DVD on my Ipod so I can do it anywhere. It's reasonably priced and the workouts are quite good. You can easily do them in a hotel room. I only have two complaints:

1. The music SUCKS horribly (being a musician, I am especially sensitive to musical suckage). I asked for classic rock and roll and got something along the lines of Yanni trying to do big band. Plus, it changes randomly, and in the cardio tape, the beat doesn't match the steps, which drives me CRAZY.

2. Although I designated my knees as an area of concern (hurt them a few years back working out with a personal trainer --- go figure), the sessions they sent me feature a large number of exercises which require me to put all my weight on my knees for extended periods of time. Luckily for me, I've done enough yoga to know how to modify positions and still get a benefit from the exercise, but I have to admit this is irritating.

Otherwise, the workouts are challenging and I enjoy them as a temporary substitute and/or supplement to the gym.

lili

That is one super hotel fitness room! ^ ^ My son lives in SFO and that's his gym, so it's a real encouragement for us to choose the Harbor Court. (Previous cheap Priceline rates and a very liberal wine hour don't hurt.)

ian001

Indeed. Also, I would prefer hotels to have a room with a few benches and a large set of dumb-bells which gives you plenty to work with, rather than an odd assortment of resistance machines.

There are some exceptions, but the fitness facilities at most chain hotels are mediocre. If you're serious about working out, it's much better to find a good local facility that offers day passes. I guess the main reason why facilities are so small is that hotels can make more money using the space for meeting/conference rooms etc.