In keeping with its mission of providing signature wellness programs, Westin Hotels & Resorts has revamped its WestinWorkout Gear Lending Program to meet the changing needs of it guests.
The brand first launched the program in 2012. “We really tapped into that consumer trend around our guests sometimes having a barrier as it relates to luggage,” said Catherine Flint, senior director, global brand management, Westin Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott. “They don’t have enough space, whether it’s to pack their shoes or their clothing—and for Westin, we really want to make sure that our guests continue to move well on the road. In doing so, we launched this program.”
Guests can use the equipment in the comfort of their guestrooms.
Since the launch of the original program, the way guests work out has changed, and with it came the need to revamp the gear-lending program. “We’re in 2023,” she said. “We really wanted to address additional consumer insights that we were finding. In order to stay relevant, you need to continue to innovate.”
She added, “The new program taps into similar trends [as the original], not only around guests not having room in their luggage, but the idea of limited time, as well as motivation. We really needed to evolve the program into this space. If you were to ask me what wellness was a couple of years ago, I would say only a couple of consumers truly had their own vision of wellness. Wellness now is in everyone’s vernacular. Everyone is talking about their own wellness and really prioritizing that.”
The revamped program will encompass a library of kits allowing guests to borrow the equipment they need for a nominal fee. The brand partnered with fitness brands Hyperice and Bala to curate them.
The Recover & Recharge Kit by Hyperice includes the company’s massage and compression recovery products designed for post-workout recovery, as well as soothing stiffness and tension from long travel.
The Sculpt & Flow Kit by Bala includes full body workout essentials such as bangle weights, resistance bands, balance blocks and a Westin-branded yoga mat.
Since guests are always on the go when traveling for leisure or business, Flint said that the recovery kit can help them recover quickly after a workout. “They can use the Hyperice recovery tools,” she said. “They can use the massage ball or the Normatec Go massage gun while they are talking or lounging. You don’t necessarily need to be working out to tap into that.”
With the huge spike in demand among consumers to work out how they want and when they want in the comfort of their homes, according to Flint, Westin needed to have the traditional total strength equipment such as balance blocks, stretching bands and light weights. “[It allows] guests to work out in the comfort of their room or elsewhere around the resort, and use those pieces of equipment the way they want,” she said.
Since COVID, Flint said there has been a change in the ways people are working out. “That is why we love the partnership with Bala,” she said. “Based off their equipment that we are utilizing, you can do a bunch of different workouts. It is versatile in terms of if you want something that is high intensity or something that is slow, more yoga-like and stretching. It really provides variety.”
The program has been rolling out to Westin’s 230-plus properties since January, and Flint said the guest reaction has been great, especially around the recovery products. “Hyperice might be a product that they don’t have in their home,” she said. “It is interesting to see people lean more into that once they have tried it.”
Guests who like the kits can request an exclusive promotional code to shop the products on the Bala and Hyperice websites.
Westin plans to continue expanding its gear-lending program with more kits added to the roster as well as custom videos cocreated with Hyperice and Bala that will be available later this year.
