Even a Small Gym Can Pay Off
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Few motels would be able to compete with the expensive equipment that most hotels can afford, but setting up a small gymnasium does not need to overly stretch the bank account.
Even a home fitness style gym would satisfy the needs of most guests, enabling them to gain the benefits of a good workout without resorting to highly complex, expensive machines. The best home gyms on the market are durable, reliable, constructed with quality parts and materials, and most importantly, meet the average guest's specific fitness and workout needs.
There are three basic types of home gym:
1. Machine
2. Free weight
3. Plate loaded machine.
Each type of home gym comes with its own advantages and disadvantages, and each is suited to different workout needs and styles. Having a workout area in a motel does not have to be overwhelming. With a little bit of planning and budgeting, most owners or managers should easily transform a small, unused area into a personal fitness centre. When getting started, here are a few helpful hints to keep in mind:
• Determine the average guest's personal fitness goals
• Find a suitable location
• Tone up your technology
• Add your own personal design touch to the space
• Put accessories to work
When shopping for a home-sized gym, make sure the items you consider will help you meet your guests' fitness goals. Simply ask a few of them what they would like. Do they want a series of elastic bands to provide resistance or do they prefer a system of cables and pulleys to lift a stack of weights?
If you decide on a gym with a weight stack, does it include enough weight? If you want to provide for guests to do some major strength training, does the gym include free weights? Does the gym have add-ons for leg lifts and other lower body exercises or will you just concentrate on the upper body?
Before you purchase gym equipment, decide where you want to keep it. Sellers will list a gym's height, length and width in item listings. Measure your space and check to make sure the home gyms you look at will fit in it. Also, decide how many stations you want right off the bat. If only one person is likely to use the gym at a time, a single-station setup should be all you need.
For a larger motel or holiday park, where more than one person is likely to want to work out on the gym at once, consider a multi-station setup.
Will it get used much? Admittedly, most home gym equipment ends up being sold in garage sales in an only slightly used condition, but at home, people usually have other distractions or things they can do. Time can hang heavy for business travellers in particular in a motel room, especially if they are staying on their own. A proportion of these will definitely choose to stay where they can let off a little steam with a set of dumb bells and other light equipment. Your investment may be no more than a few hundred dollars and that can quickly pay off and turn into profit.
But like most other things, it pays to buy quality. Well made home gym equipment will usually outlast less expensive counterparts and actually save you money in the long run. It will function more smoothly, which reduces the risk of injury. It should also require less maintenance. It will have a more natural feel to it, and is far more likely to still be in use a year from now.
