Equinox Holdings Inc., the brand behind the posh Equinox fitness clubs, has just announced that they are becoming the latest entrant into the hotel world, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The first property will open in 2018 at Hudson Yards on Manhattan’s west side, featuring a Yabu Pushelberg design (the same name who did our fave Four Seasons Toronto) and feature indoor and outdoor pools and a 60,000 square foot gym, the largest ever for the Equinox brand. A second hotel will open in Los Angeles in 2019. Up to 75 hotels are anticipated worldwide.
“We are appealing to the discriminating consumer who lives an active lifestyle and wants to have that as a hotel experience,” said Harvey Spevak, chief executive of Equinox, which has 75 locations in the U.S., London and Toronto.
This is the first time we’ve seen a luxury fitness brand get into the hotel game. While we aren’t sure yet of amenities and perks, we know guests will be able to access Equinox clubs, which will be located either within hotels or nearby, and predict that guests will enjoy wellness-oriented menus and services. Spevak told Wall Street Journal he envisions a menu with chocolate cake that is “organic and the ingredients will be sourced locally.”
That said, the trend of wellness and the hotel industry is a growing one. Many properties are now offering fitness or wellness retreats, and not just destination spas like Canyon Ranch, either. InterContinental Hotels Group launched EVEN Hotels, its first wellness oriented brand, last year, and Wyndham has TRYP by Wyndham. Kimpton offers in-room fitness equipment and yoga videos, and Westin, part of Starwood, also highly pushes fitness.
Spevak told the Wall Street Journal that the idea for an Equinox hotel brand goes back a decade but was delayed by the recession. An Equinox poll of its members found that 95% said they would be interested in staying at an Equinox hotel, he said.