Hotel Gyms That Raise the Bar

They say going to the gym is the new happy hour. And hoteliers are keen to keep up. Those uninspiring, windowless rooms with milk crates full of rubbery turquoise dumbbells and cheap plastic ab rollers remind us of a time when Cindy Crawford did Pepsi ads, and “Eye of the Tiger” was not only a great song to do push-ups to, but also on the Billboard Top 10 list. Yep, we’ve come a long way.

Today, business travelers and leisure goers looking to take their routine on the road find world-class climbing walls, private pilates studios, and penthouse-level fitness centers overlooking coastal Californian seascapes.

Here, a few Stash Partner Hotels that take fitness to the next level.

Whitney Peak Hotel, Reno, NV

Welcome to BaseCamp, a larger-than-life rock climbing park with the world’s tallest artificial climbing wall, 164 staggering feet.

Scale the side of the hotel on your choice of color-coded foothold tracks. When you reach the top (ummm, good luck), you’ll enjoy views of the snow-topped Sierra Nevada Mountains.

For those too fearful, or perhaps just new to the sport, a 7,000-square-foot indoor bouldering park awaits inside.

Cooper Hotel and Conference Center, Dallas, TX

The Shangri La of all things health and wellness. Not to mention the top-class spa, the world-renowned Cooper Clinic and The Cooper Institute, and the 5-day health and wellness retreat, here’s the litany of fitness options available to guests:

Outdoor one-mile, lighted rubberized track, with quarter-mile and half-mile turnoffs
Three-lane banked-curve indoor track
Two heated 25-yard, six-lane pools (5 feet deep)
Treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bicycles (upright and recumbent)
TechnoGym® and Cybex® strength training equipment
Rowers
Basketball court
Mind/Body Studio for Yoga and mat Pilates classes
Private Pilates Studio
Boxing Studio
Martial arts
Indoor cycling
Four lighted tennis courts with Plexi-Pave surface
Locker rooms with free day-lockers, towels and toiletries, private showers, sauna, steam room and whirlpool

Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa, Monterey CA

Some people listen to music while working out on the elliptical. Others watch TV. At Monterey Plaza, you can certainly do both of those things. But consider sliding open that door in front of you to take in the cool sea air and scan for dolphins while you sweat. A workout at Monterey is miles away from that dungeon-y hotel weight room we’ve all seen and said, “I think I’ll pass on my workout today.”

The Commons Hotel, Minneapolis, MN

The onsite fitness room is fully stocked with enough exercise equipment to keep you busy, but the real boon is in taking advantage of the free guest passes to the University of Minnesota’s recreation center. It has an Olympic-size pool, basketball courts, steam rooms, and everything else you’d expect from a D-1 university.