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Hotels now offering in-room gyms, yoga, bikes

Rachel Nania | rnania@wtop.com

June 21, 2017, 2:19 AM

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Hotels change the way you work out on the road (WTOP's Rachel Nania)

WASHINGTON — This summer, travelers will discover hotel amenities that surpass individually packaged hand soaps and high-speed internet.

A growing number of U.S. hotels are broadening their wellness programs beyond the traditional four-walled fitness center, offering guests everything from rooftop yoga classes to running coaches, loaner bikes and crossfit equipment.

“People are not working out the same way that they did even five years ago — certainly not 10 years ago,” said Ryan Crabbe, senior director of Global Wellness for Hilton Worldwide.

Nowadays, travelers prize outdoor adventures over indoor treadmills and convenience over confined workout centers.

Here are nine trends that are redefining what it means to work out while on the road. 

At Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, there's no need to rush down to the gym to squeeze in your morning workout. A handful of rooms in the Northern Virginia hotel come equipped with their own personal gyms — complete with a stationary bike, a meditation chair, a yoga mat and a dynamic GymRax training station for core, strength and high-intensity interval training workouts. (Courtesy Hilton Hotels & Resorts)
A room with a view — and a gym At Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, there’s no need to rush down to the gym to squeeze in your morning workout. A handful of rooms in the Northern Virginia hotel come equipped with their own personal gyms — complete with a stationary bike, a meditation chair, a yoga mat and a dynamic GymRax training station for core, strength and high-intensity interval training workouts. “A lot of our customers have very busy, very predictable travel schedules, and they all end up in the fitness center at roughly the same time,” said Ryan Crabbe, senior director of Global Wellness for Hilton Worldwide.  With the in-room gyms, there’s no competition over the hotel’s equipment. Guests can expect to pay about $45 more per night for a “Five Feet to Fitness Room,” and the concept will soon expand to other Hilton hotels in cities such as San Diego, Austin, Chicago and New York. “Wellness is continuing to gain, not as a trend, but as a lifestyle,” Crabbe added.   (Photo Courtesy Hilton Hotels & Resorts)
Photo Courtesy Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Held each July in Atlanta, the Peachtree Road Race is the largest 10K race in the world. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Running routes, clubs and coaches  Runners are no longer confined to the treadmill when they travel. A number of hotels now offer customized running maps of nearby roads and trails for their guests. Westin Hotels and Resorts even has a run concierge, who organizes group hotel runs and has been known to keep a stock of spare shoes, should you forget your own. The James Hotels in New York offers guests the opportunity to book a 4.28-mile guided running tour of New York’s Soho neighborhood and its nearby cultural attractions. (AP/David Goldman)
AP/David Goldman
Squires said there are estimates that nearly 2.5 million people in the U.S. and about 250-million people worldwide are actively practicing Tai Chi. And health experts are starting to notice health benefits. (Thinkstock)
Yoga in the sun, not the studio  At D.C.’s Embassy Row Hotel, guests don’t have to travel too far to get in a yoga workout — they just need to get to the roof. On Saturdays and Sundays, the hotel hosts rooftop yoga from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. The classes are free for hotel guests and $19 for locals. (Thinkstock)
Thinkstock
Bike the city  Guests at The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown have access to the hotel’s complimentary fleet of custom bikes between the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Kimpton offers guests complimentary loaner bikes at all of its boutique hotels. (Photo courtesy The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown)
Photo courtesy The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown
The gut microbiome is an active area of research, but it's too early to know what effect these bacteria could have on the development of colorectal cancer. (Thinkstock)
Learning in luxury  Those who want to learn about healthy living from the experts can do so in style at the Mandarin Oriental in D.C. Every few months, the hotel teams up with professionals at the Mayo Clinic for daylong seminars that feature physician-led sessions, small group activities, healthy cuisine and a personalized wellness plan — plus overnight accommodations. (Thinkstock)
Thinkstock
AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 16: General atmosphere at the kick-off of SoulCycle at the Spotify House during SXSW 2015 on March 16, 2015 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Alli Harvey/Getty Images for Spotify)
SoulCycle where you sleep  Whether you’re talking about SoulCycle, Orange Theory or Solidcore, one thing is for sure: Boutique fitness studios are all the rage, and even hotels want in on the action. Inside 1 Hotel South Beach in Miami, guests will find a new 2,600-square-foot, 54-bike SoulCycle studio. The hotel is also home to a Spartan Gym, a crossfit-type of training gym that is free to hotel guests and members-only for the public.   (Getty Images)
Getty Images
Beautiful young women with perfect bodies in sportswear exercising with barre while standing in front of window at gym
Classes in the community At the Charlotte Marriott City Center, guests have access to a 24-hour fitness center, local running and bike routes, and more than 600 on-demand workouts and virtual classes. The hotel also offers discounts to barre, yoga and boot camp classes at partnering studios in the community. (Courtesy Marriott)
Courtesy Marriott
This July 20, 2015 photo shows chili cucumber bread salad in Concord, NH. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)
Building a brand on wellness  At Even Hotels, wellness is incorporated into every aspect of the experience. Rooms have built-in training zones, fitness centers host group classes, and dining options include healthy, organic dishes that can be tailored to specific diets. The hotel has locations in Times Square; Brooklyn; Norwalk, Connecticut; and Rockville, Maryland.   (AP/Matthew Mead)
AP/Matthew Mead
In this Friday, Jan. 27, 2012 photo, travelers Maria Poole, right, and Lindsey Shepard, practice yoga at San Francisco International Airport's new Yoga Room, in San Francisco. The quiet, dimly lit studio officially opened last week in a former storage room just past the security checkpoint at SFO's Terminal 2. Airport officials believe the 150-square-foot room with mirrored walls is the world's first airport yoga studio, said spokesman Mike McCarron. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
Stay fit when you fly  Now, you can grab a quick workout before you even get to your destination, thanks to the addition of yoga rooms and workout facilities in airports across the world. In the U.S., Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has a free yoga studio and a walking path for travelers, and the San Francisco International Airport has a 24-hour free yoga studio.   (AP/Paul Sakuma)
AP/Paul Sakuma
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At Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, there's no need to rush down to the gym to squeeze in your morning workout. A handful of rooms in the Northern Virginia hotel come equipped with their own personal gyms — complete with a stationary bike, a meditation chair, a yoga mat and a dynamic GymRax training station for core, strength and high-intensity interval training workouts. (Courtesy Hilton Hotels & Resorts)
Held each July in Atlanta, the Peachtree Road Race is the largest 10K race in the world. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Squires said there are estimates that nearly 2.5 million people in the U.S. and about 250-million people worldwide are actively practicing Tai Chi. And health experts are starting to notice health benefits. (Thinkstock)
The gut microbiome is an active area of research, but it's too early to know what effect these bacteria could have on the development of colorectal cancer. (Thinkstock)
AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 16: General atmosphere at the kick-off of SoulCycle at the Spotify House during SXSW 2015 on March 16, 2015 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Alli Harvey/Getty Images for Spotify)
Beautiful young women with perfect bodies in sportswear exercising with barre while standing in front of window at gym
This July 20, 2015 photo shows chili cucumber bread salad in Concord, NH. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)
In this Friday, Jan. 27, 2012 photo, travelers Maria Poole, right, and Lindsey Shepard, practice yoga at San Francisco International Airport's new Yoga Room, in San Francisco. The quiet, dimly lit studio officially opened last week in a former storage room just past the security checkpoint at SFO's Terminal 2. Airport officials believe the 150-square-foot room with mirrored walls is the world's first airport yoga studio, said spokesman Mike McCarron. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

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