Luxury hotels are adding reformer Pilates studios to their properties to keep up with the booming wellness trend.
Ritz Carlton
Photographer and art director Bukunmi Grace was between work trips when she booked a stay at Soho Warehouse in Downtown LA. That's when she realized she could take Pilates classes at the hotel. Grace — who jokingly refers to herself as a "fake workout girlie" — says having access to Pilates (even better that it was complimentary) was the cherry on top of the hotel's amenities."Even when I have a place in LA, sometimes I'll still stay at Warehouse just because it's a nice staycation with a pool, gym, sauna, spa… and they do your laundry for you," she told Business Insider. "Pilates classes are not cheap," Grace continued. "It's super helpful to be able to experience something without having to shell out a few hundred bucks."Grace is just one of many travelers experiencing the latest shift in how hotels are trying to get and keep guests. Today, luxury properties are betting that reformer Pilates on-site will appeal to Gen Z and millennial travelers, who are often prioritizing wellness and planning vacations around health routines. Hotels see on-site studios as both a coveted amenity and a new revenue stream."We were looking for unique hooks," Bill Doak, managing director for The Aster in Hollywood, told Business Insider.The hotelier, who has been doing reformer Pilates himself for the past 15 years, pushed his team to build a studio. It started off slow, testing a mini version with three reformers, available only to the hotel's corresponding members club.
