NEW YORK—After three years in the hospitality space, Peloton is making it even easier for guests to access their fitness routines on the road. With Hotel Finder, guests can locate which properties have Peloton bikes, and even book rooms directly from the new tool.
Peloton bikes are currently available in more than 300 properties in major cities across the U.S.
“Our incredibly passionate members were really the impetus for the creation of Hotel Finder,” said Ryan Crabbe, senior director for commercial experience, Peloton. “They want to keep up with their progress when they’re out on the road, and with Hotel Finder, we’re providing them with a really easy way to find and book hotels so that they can keep working toward their goals.”
The feature is simple. Guests can select pinpoints on an interactive map, or type in a specific address to locate properties with the bikes. Additionally, guests can see the number of guestrooms with the bikes, how many are in a hotel’s fitness center and even look up specifications about bike weight and pedal types, an important factor in deciding which type of shoes a guest will need in order to ride.
Existing members can log into a hotel bike with their username and password, while first-time riders can experience Peloton’s workouts with full access to classes via the commercial rider account on any Peloton hotel partner bike.
“Hotels also really influenced the creation of Hotel Finder. They appreciate that our community of more than 1.25 million members wants to stay where they can access the full Peloton experience; connecting with that community of fitness-minded travelers, for them, is of growing importance and really one of the reasons why we even added a booking link to Hotel Finder,” Crabbe said.
According to Crabbe, guests specifically seek out hotels that have Peloton bikes while they travel so they don’t have to compromise their previously scheduled routines. A lot of this information came from online forums where guests vocalized their desire for these specific pieces of equipment.
“There’s a pretty common theme: the desire for some level of consistency when it comes to fitness routine—and it has to be convenient,” Crabbe said. “We’ve heard from our members that the hardest part of traveling, whether for a family vacation or business meeting, is that they can’t travel with their Peloton bike; that’s obviously a huge reason we’ve made such a concerted effort in the hospitality space.”
Traveling—especially business travel—is stressful and busy enough; the idea is to make fitness one less thing a guest needs to worry about while on the road.
“It gives travelers the unique peace of mind they need out of a trip to know they can accomplish their fitness goals while they’re away from home,” Crabbe said.
Crabbe said that he sees a pretty equal interest in the bikes from business and leisure travelers, but that business travelers set the bar a bit higher in terms of expectations.
“Business travelers, in my mind, seek higher degrees of convenience and efficiency because their schedules just aren’t their own. They want a really great workout that’s highly motivating so that they can hit their performance targets quickly and jump to the next scheduled activity. Without question, there really isn’t a more inspiring, efficient and predictable fitness experience at hotels today,” he said.
In addition to serving existing Peloton members, Crabbe noted that through offering these bikes and through the Hotel Finder tool, the relationship allows Peloton to target an entirely new audience: an audience that, today, expects much more out of their hotel fitness experience.
“What hotels understand now is that we aren’t working out the same way that we used to 10, 20, 30 years ago; there are more and more varieties or modalities of fitness at play,” Crabbe said. “Hotels have no choice but to design an environment and select equipment that both cater to new guest preferences.”
Crabbe said that guests are now seeking features like larger fitness centers; less stationary equipment that only serves one purpose; and more functional training equipment that provides variety and can be used in different parts of the fitness center. He also recommends that hotels place equipment in areas that offer nice views, as many guests share “rider view” images on social media.
“I think you’ll find that fitness centers will continue to find ways to inspire their guests,” he said.
Crabbe predicts that the fitness space will incorporate more connected equipment like the Peloton bikes. Additionally, hotels will look to open up spaces with redesigned and enlarged fitness centers.
“At the end of the day, only 15-20% of hotel guests end up using the fitness center, so the challenge that many hotels face is finding partners, equipment and design that inspires more utilization,” Crabbe said.
Crabbe also noted that other hotel fitness obstacles include incorporating both quality and convenience into equipment, while also offering an affordable price point.
“In general, people are generally less likely to exercise while traveling, but it’s something that the hospitality industry has really started to recognize and solve,” Crabbe said.
He continued, “Our relationship with the industry has become a win just as much for hotels as it has for our members. I think you would be challenged to find any other piece of fitness equipment that drives room nights like a Peloton bike does.” HB