SANTA MONICA, CA—October 26, 2020—Leading U.S. based gym designers FitnessDesignGroup and world leading hospitality group Accor began collaborating on the future of fitness well before the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.

Responding to the current environment, and taking cues from leading boutique studios worldwide, a new hotel gym experience has emerged that exudes energy, inclusiveness, and enjoyment for wellness minded business and leisure travelers alike.

According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness tourism is travel associated with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one’s personal well-being. Pre-pandemic, research indicated the global wellness tourism industry would reach $919B by 2022.

With health top of mind more than ever before, travelers focused on wellness spend an estimated 178% more per trip than the average tourist. Over the last decade, hotels throughout the Accor network have placed greater emphasis on meeting the demands of increasingly wellness focused guests, and fitness centers remain an important focal point of that effort.

The intention: to create exercise spaces to rival the best fitness facilities around the globe.

To help Accor create increased continuity between its vast portfolio of fitness amenities, FitnessDesignGroup has set forth to modernize participating properties to feature increased movement spaces, digitally guided exercise content, and a rebalanced fitness equipment selection for leading brands in the Accor portfolio including Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel, SO/, and Pullman.

The outcome: a design driven approach built around the growing demand for functional training-based modalities including Hiit Training, Power Yoga, Boxing, and other popular genres intended to refresh over time. The initiative will extend its reach beyond North America making its European debut at one of Accor’s flagship properties in France, Pullman Paris Montparnasse, in 2021.

Further details include flooring transitions visibly designed to delineate training zones from higher intensity workouts to active recovery sessions. Enhanced spacing considerations and hygiene integration complement a balance of leading fitness equipment brands including Aktiv Solutions, Gym Rax, Core Health & Fitness, Technogym, Hyperice, and Les Mills.

“At Accor our well-being initiatives are designed to permeate into every aspect of the guest experience. Staying fit is an increasingly substantial focus for travelers today and our approach is to elevate the offering beyond what our guests might otherwise enjoy in their gym or fitness routine at home” says Emlyn Brown, Global Vice President, Wellbeing, Luxury & Premium Brands, Accor.

Said Brown, “The best fitness facilities around the world provide a combination of instruction and energy that you can feel instantly upon entry. Stylization of space and a more thoughtful balance of equipment and apparatus is often overlooked in hotel-based gym amenities.”

“For many, the health club or boutique fitness studio experience has become a key part of their daily lifestyles. Despite the current interruption to so many aspects of our daily lives, humans are eager to return to the best of communal environments outside the confines of their homes. Accor has been steadfast in maintaining a focus on reconnection to their spaces, and health and wellness remains top of the list in terms of what guests expect as they head back out into the world,” said Lauren Holle, Director of Design for FitnessDesignGroup.

With the introduction of Pullman Power Fitness, future Pullman properties will feature a signature functional training environment that includes digital guided programming, tailored equipment, and rigging and floor coverings that together foster guidance, socialization, and safety. The space is designed to deliver a higher touch, results driven workout experience that is unrivaled in the hospitality space.

“We’ve set out to create gym spaces that will make it not just easy, but exciting for our guests to stay on track with their health and wellbeing plan. We want our guests to look forward to future stays at our hotels and are happy to be raising the bar in terms of the hotel gym experience in partnership with FitnessDesignGroup.” said Brown.

About FitnessDesignGroup

FitnessDesignGroup is a specialized gym design and wellness consultancy for residential and commercial facilities worldwide. FDG Functional Design Specialists provide unique perspective and deep expertise in project feasibility, execution, procurement, market research and technology integrations. For more information, please visit FitnessDesignGroup's website, info@fitnesdesigngroup.com, or call 888-895-0547.

About Accor

Accor is a world leading hospitality group consisting of more than 5,000 properties and 10,000 food and beverage venues throughout 110 countries. The group has one of the industry’s most diverse and fully-integrated hospitality ecosystems encompassing luxury and premium brands, midscale and economy offerings, unique lifestyle concepts, entertainment and nightlife venues, restaurants and bars, branded private residences, shared accommodation properties, concierge services, co-working spaces and more. Accor also boasts an unrivalled portfolio of distinctive brands and approximately 300,000 team members worldwide. Over 65 million members benefit from the company’s comprehensive loyalty program ALL - Accor Live Limitless - a daily lifestyle companion that provides access to a wide variety of rewards, services and experiences. Through its Planet 21 – Acting Here, Accor Solidarity, RiiSE and ALL Heartist Fund initiatives, the group is focused on driving positive action through business ethics, responsible tourism, environmental sustainability, community engagement, diversity and inclusivity. Founded in 1967, Accor SA is headquartered in France and publicly listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (ISIN code: FR0000120404) and on the OTC Market (Ticker: ACRFY) in the United States. For more information, visit the Accor website or follow Accor on Twitter and Facebook.

Contacts

Kim Kisner
313-333-2163
Kkisner@fitnessventuresintl.com