Travelers Offered Health Facilities on the Road

Only a decade ago, traveling provided some of the best excuses for not exercising. Between jet lag and a hectic itinerary, who had the energy or time to scout out a fitness facility in a strange city? Traveling, for most people, meant taking a vacation from fitness.

The good news, or perhaps the bad news for those who looked forward to guiltless lethargy, is that working out on the road is getting easier. In the last few years, the travel industry has figured out that fitness centers are more than a courtesy. They’re a necessity.

Health clubs--complete with weight-training and cardiovascular-fitness equipment--have become the amenity that air conditioners and color TV once were. This means that now, even the busiest travelers may be able to fit in a workout.

Here are four noteworthy fitness opportunities located at domestic hotels and airports:

After, or before, a fun day at Disney World or the Epcot Center, guests at the Radisson Inn and Justus Aquatic Center in Orlando can take swimming lessons, train with a personal trainer or get a complete fitness assessment.

This 70,000-square-foot aquatic center and athletic club features two indoor, Olympic-sized pools, an outdoor heated pool, 23 Nautilus machines, a free-weight room, aerobics and aquacize classes, racquetball, tennis courts, a gymnastics room and a human-performance lab.

The 300-room hotel attracts both families and business travelers, according to Alan Hordyk, a director of sales, because of its proximity to Disney World (only 10 miles away) and other tourist spots (Sea World, the Epcot Center) and the athletic facility, which draws swim teams from around the world.

Eight 20-minute swimming lessons cost $50, as does an hour with a personal trainer. At the human-performance lab, guests can get a full fitness evaluation, including blood work and a stress test executed by a sports doctor for $185; a basic evaluation of flexibility and strength costs $135. Nutritional counseling is also available.

Guests get a workout with a view at the San Diego Marriott in Marina (333 West Harbor Drive). The 8-month-old club opens onto a terrace, which affords a grand view of the bay, particularly grand from the terrace Jacuzzi, recreation supervisor Frank Riddle said.

Hotel guests have free access to the weight-training and cardiovascular-fitness equipment (bicycles, ski and rowing machines), aerobics classes, an outdoor pool and four tennis courts. If the view doesn’t inspire you to work out, perhaps the stereo headphones and the selection of upbeat tapes will get you going.

Rather than suffer a boring delay at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, travelers can take the free shuttle to the Westin Hotel in Rosemont and treat themselves to an invigorating workout or a relaxing massage.

“We have a beautiful health club, and we have a shuttle service that runs every 10 minutes to and from the airport,” hotel marketing coordinator Beth Rosenberg said. “It made sense to open our facilities to travelers.”

For $7, travelers gain access to the racquetball courts, an indoor pool, weight-training and cardiovascular-fitness equipment and aerobics classes. A comprehensive fitness evaluation by an exercise physiologist costs $45.

Since starting the service last year, the Westin’s fitness facility has attracted 10 to 15 traveling exercisers daily. Travelers have said they appreciate the convenience of the hotel fitness club and the fact that they don’t have to hang around the airport.

Travelers stuck at the DFW Airport in Dallas need only walk to Air Vita, the airport health club located in the Hyatt Regency West Tower. The 4-year-old facility features weight-training and cardiovascular-fitness equipment (bikes, rowing machines, treadmills), a heated swimming pool, sauna and steam room, a business room (with credit card telephones and typewriters) and private nap rooms. Facility usage costs $15 a day; rental clothes cost $3.

For those who don’t feel like getting physical, Air Vita offers a variety of spa services, including manicures ($15), pedicures ($30) and massage therapy ($35 to $62).

“Travelers come and take a shower, relax a bit, get a massage and they’re on their way,” said Oscar Davila, the assistant manager.

“They love it.”

Who wouldn’t?