{"id":905573,"date":"2026-05-13T08:26:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T13:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/13\/secondary-no-more-why-hotel-pools-and-fitness-centers-demand-operational-priority\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T08:26:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T13:26:12","slug":"secondary-no-more-why-hotel-pools-and-fitness-centers-demand-operational-priority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/13\/secondary-no-more-why-hotel-pools-and-fitness-centers-demand-operational-priority\/","title":{"rendered":"Secondary No More: Why Hotel Pools and Fitness Centers Demand Operational Priority"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"fitness<\/p>\n

Pools and fitness centers<\/a> are both key amenities at hotels;\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0often viewed as must-have aspects of the\u00a0guest\u00a0experience. They\u00a0can make or break the quality of a guest\u2019s stay\u2014when properly run, they can\u00a0set\u00a0a property apart from the competition, lead to repeat business, and generate more revenue through positive reviews that capture\u00a0additional\u00a0guests. The inverse is true as well\u2014poorly\u00a0run pools and fitness centers can prompt guests to leave, take their business elsewhere, and write negative reviews that damage the\u00a0property\u2019s\u00a0reputation and\u00a0cost the property money in the future.\u00a0Moreover,\u00a0unclear oversight and operational misses\u00a0at these facilities can\u00a0lead to\u00a0safety\u00a0risks for guests.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Amenity Collective, a group of companies that\u00a0run aquatics and fitness\u00a0centers for\u00a0hospitality and residential portfolios,\u00a0works\u00a0with properties\u00a0on staffing, operations, construction, equipment, and design. From this perspective, Kevin Mac,\u00a0executive vice president of new business development for The Amenity Collective, recently discussed with\u00a0LODGING\u00a0<\/em>why fitness centers and pools are high-risk spaces that can become liabilities and the sources of extra costs. He also\u00a0detailed how\u00a0hotel operators\u00a0can reduce\u00a0risk\u00a0and improve\u00a0safety\u00a0at\u00a0these venues,\u00a0as well as control costs. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oversight With Secondary Amenities<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Drawing\u00a0from\u00a0more than two decades of experience, Mac described how fitness centers\u00a0are\u00a0social spaces\u00a0that are\u00a0frequently\u00a0used by\u00a0numerous\u00a0guests, typically in the mornings and\u00a0evenings. Likewise,\u00a0\u201ceverybody wants to be on a pool deck\u201d when the weather is right.\u00a0Over time,\u00a0this demand can lead to wear and tear, and the spaces are often overlooked\u00a0by operators. Mac explained that they are treated as \u201csecondary amenities,\u201d\u00a0as guestrooms\u00a0and food &\u00a0beverage\u00a0take precedence. <\/p>\n

This hierarchy can lead to\u00a0heightened\u00a0risk, as fitness centers and pools are often unmanned. \u201cWhen you have an unmanned facility\u2026they\u2019re\u00a0not walking around like a trainer in a fitness space. You can walk in, and the untrained eyes go, \u2018OK, everything looks good because\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0clean.\u00a0Everything is running. But a lot of times,\u00a0people were cutting corners on preventative maintenance when it comes to equipment.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

With a lack of proper oversight and preventive maintenance, Mac said, the equipment may look correct, but internal damage can lead to accidents, such as a guest falling off a faulty treadmill\u00a0or a cable snapping when someone is using a piece of equipment.\u00a0Mac highlighted how, in many cases, the owner\/operator may not know what to check for when examining these spaces.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Early Warning Signs<\/strong><\/h5>\n

There are often early warning signs that suggest pools or fitness centers are heading toward\u00a0liability and\/or operational issues. One key factor, Mac noted,\u00a0is staff uncertainty and whether properties have the correct protocols and safety procedures in place. With pools, ensuring that the maintenance staff is\u00a0properly trained, especially\u00a0regarding\u00a0water testing and pool surfaces, is\u00a0crucial. Mac also pointed to maintenance\u00a0logs\u00a0as a mandatory part of the process\u00a0in order to\u00a0prevent bacteria.\u00a0Though the specifics differ, the approach is consistent with fitness centers. Beyond doing the minimum and\u00a0wiping down\u00a0equipment, Mac\u00a0stated\u00a0that hotel staff needed to\u00a0properly\u00a0evaluate\u00a0it. \u201cYou need to walk in a belt. You need to test the cables. If you get out there and you do preventative maintenance, those are the best things that a hotel operator can do to keep liability issues down.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In both cases, small misses and\u00a0seemingly minor\u00a0oversights can be costly.\u00a0Mac reiterated that failing to properly\u00a0maintain\u00a0and care for equipment\u00a0can lead to major problems. He\u00a0provided\u00a0an\u00a0example of a row of numbered treadmills at a fitness center and\u00a0stated\u00a0that those on the ends were used the most heavily. With that in mind, Mac said that these treadmills would need to be moved\u00a0around\u00a0in order to\u00a0distribute the usage. Otherwise, this hotel would risk having to replace part of the treadmill, which can be costly. This was a microcosm of the issue many operators regularly face. \u201cThose little\u00a0[steps], like moving the treadmill, can save you $5,000 on a treadmill.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Advice for Owners\/Operators<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Mac shared advice for owners and operators, encouraging them to \u201cshift from reactive fixes to proactive [solutions].\u201d\u00a0He encouraged owners to get in front of issues and treat pools and fitness centers as \u201coperational priorities.\u201d Rather than doing a cursory check on a fitness center, he urged staff to ensure that equipment was properly cared for and\u00a0maintained.\u00a0\u201cIf owners treat them as operational priorities,\u201d Mac said,\u00a0\u201cI\u00a0think that is the best way to reduce risk.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Overall,\u00a0Mac named\u00a0several\u00a0ways\u00a0that owners and\u00a0operators\u00a0can minimize risk and liability at their pools and fitness centers while still delivering a high-quality experience. He emphasized the importance\u00a0of partnering with companies\u00a0that\u00a0can properly help property teams care for\u00a0these\u00a0spaces, and he suggested that\u00a0hotels should employ someone from the health\/fitness industry to ensure that the equipment is up to date. He reiterated the importance of proper maintenance, cleanliness, and training across pools and fitness centers. \u201cHaving up-to-date equipment\u00a0is\u00a0number one,\u201d\u00a0Mac said.\u00a0\u201cTwo,\u00a0keep\u00a0a clean pool deck.\u00a0I would say training is\u00a0probably the\u00a0biggest thing, making sure that your staff can answer the questions\u00a0in\u00a0a fitness center. I hate to be redundant, but\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0that simple.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Colin Tessier
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pools and fitness centers are both key amenities at hotels;\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0often viewed as must-have aspects of the\u00a0guest\u00a0experience. They\u00a0can make or break the quality of a guest\u2019s stay\u2014when properly run, they can\u00a0set\u00a0a property apart from the competition, lead to repeat business, and generate more revenue through positive reviews that capture\u00a0additional\u00a0guests. The inverse is true as well\u2014poorly\u00a0run pools<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":905574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2121,3275],"tags":[8224,8030],"class_list":["post-905573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hotel","category-secondary","tag-hotel","tag-secondary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=905573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905573\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/905574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=905573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=905573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=905573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}