Hotel Leisure Clubs: One of the Biggest Missed Opportunities in Fitness

 

Hotel Leisure Clubs: One of the Biggest Missed Opportunities in Fitness

Hotel leisure clubs sit in a unique position in the fitness industry.

They have strong locations.
High service standards.
Built-in footfall.
Premium facilities.
And access to audiences most gyms would love to attract.

Yet despite all of that, many hotel leisure clubs consistently underperform compared to their potential.

Not because the opportunity isn’t there.
But because of how leisure is positioned, prioritised and managed within the wider hotel business.

Why hotel leisure clubs should be winning

On paper, hotel leisure clubs have advantages most independent gyms can only dream of.

They are designed to high standards.
They operate within hospitality environments where service is already embedded.
They attract a non-intimidating mix of users: guests, members, spa users, corporate clients and local residents.
They are often seen as calm, welcoming and premium rather than aggressive or intimidating.

In many cases, hotel leisure clubs are not just gyms. They are mini health clubs. Pools, spas, studios, thermal areas, treatment rooms and social spaces all under one roof.

That should put them in an incredibly strong position.

So why do so many fail to truly capitalise on it?

Leisure is still viewed as a service, not a commercial asset

One of the biggest challenges is not operational. It’s cultural.

In many hotels, leisure is still treated as a guest amenity rather than a commercial driver. Something that supports room sales, rather than something that deserves its own performance focus.

Rooms, food and beverage, events and conferences are rightly measured relentlessly.
Leisure often isn’t.

When leisure is positioned as a service rather than a profit centre, a few things usually follow:

• Limited commercial accountability

• Conservative pricing decisions

• Underdeveloped membership strategies

• Little focus on conversion, yield or retention

• Minimal investment in systems and sales capability

The result is a department that is busy, well-intentioned and liked by guests, but underperforming financially.

And the irony is, when leisure performs well, it lifts everything else around it.

Service-led environments can struggle with performance focus

Hospitality breeds excellent service standards. That is a huge strength.

But it can also create a reluctance to sell.

Many leisure teams are fantastic at welcoming, supporting and helping guests. They are less confident when it comes to conversations about membership, upgrades, PT, spa packages or long-term commitment.

Sales is often seen as something that might compromise service.

In reality, done properly, it enhances it.

Helping a guest or local member commit to a programme, routine or membership is not selling for the sake of revenue. It’s supporting outcomes, consistency and experience.

Without structure, leisure teams default to passive service. Friendly, helpful, but reactive.

And passive service rarely drives commercial performance.

Decision-making is often slow by design

Hotels are complex businesses. Layers of approval, brand standards, ownership structures and reporting lines all exist for good reason.

But they can slow innovation.

Pricing changes take time.
New programmes take time.
Marketing initiatives take time.
Local partnerships take time.

While independent gyms can test, adjust and move quickly, hotel leisure clubs often operate cautiously. That caution protects the brand, but it also means opportunities are missed.

Especially in local markets where agility matters.

Leisure often lacks its own clear strategy

Another common issue is the absence of a clear leisure-specific strategy.

Not a hotel strategy that includes leisure.
A leisure strategy in its own right.

That means clarity on:

• Who the club is for locally

• What success looks like commercially

• How members, guests and spa users flow through the business

• What the core revenue drivers actually are

• How teams are measured and developed

Without this, leisure drifts. It reacts to demand instead of shaping it.

The opportunity hotels are sitting on

When leisure is positioned correctly, it becomes far more than a gym.

It becomes:

• A driver of repeat stays

• A differentiator for corporate contracts

• A gateway to spa and wellness spend

• A local community hub

• A stable, recurring revenue stream

• A brand amplifier rather than a cost centre

The best hotel leisure clubs prove this is possible. They combine hospitality-level service with fitness-industry performance thinking.

They don’t choose between service and sales. They align them.

What needs to change

Hotel leisure clubs don’t need radical reinvention. They need focus.

They need:

• Clear commercial ownership of leisure performance

• Confidence that selling well is part of great service

• Simple, consistent systems for enquiries, onboarding and retention

• Teams trained to support outcomes, not just access

• Leadership that sees leisure as a strategic asset, not a support function

When that shift happens, the results can be transformational.

Not just for leisure.
For the entire hotel business.

Final thought

Hotel leisure clubs are not underperforming because they lack facilities, people or opportunity.

They underperform because they are often treated as something they are not.

They are not just a guest service.
They are not just an amenity.

They are one of the most underutilised commercial assets in hospitality.

And the hotels that recognise that will be the ones that lead the next phase of fitness and wellness growth.