Retreats · Travel
Hotel gyms worth booking: the chains and properties where the gym is not a cupboard
For anyone who travels for work and trains four times a week, the hotel gym decides the trip. Which hotel brands consistently build proper gyms, the standout properties in the UK and European business cities, and the alternatives when the hotel fails.
Updated September 2026 · Prices and facilities are illustrative and need verification
Brands and standouts
| Brand / property | Gym standard | Free weights | Pool / spa | Standouts | Our read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equinox Hotels | Full Equinox club | Full | Yes | New York; London planned (verify) | The gym is the hotel |
| 1 Hotels | Boutique-grade | Good | Yes | Mayfair | Design-led and serious |
| Four Seasons | Consistently good | Usually | Yes | Park Lane, Ten Trinity Square, Milan | Reliable at the top end |
| Mandarin Oriental | Excellent | Yes | Yes, spa is the draw | Hyde Park, Munich | Spa and gym both first-rate |
| Corinthia London | ESPA Life; full gym | Yes | Yes | London | Best hotel spa in London |
| Nobu Hotel London Portman Square | Full gym | Yes | No pool | London | Rare: a proper free-weights room |
| Hyatt Regency / Andaz | Good | Often | Sometimes | Andaz Liverpool Street | Business-hotel benchmark |
| Marriott, Hilton, IHG premium tiers | Variable | Sometimes | Sometimes | Check photos; JW Marriott and Conrad are best | Read reviews for the gym specifically |
| citizenM, Motel One, Premier Inn | Minimal or none | No | No | n/a | Plan an alternative |
| Soho House (members) | Full gym at larger houses | Yes | Pools at some | Shoreditch, Berlin, Barcelona | If you are a member |
Facilities from hotel and press sources, September 2026, and they vary by property. Verify before booking.
How to check before booking
Search the hotel name and “gym” on Google Images and Instagram; the hotel’s own photos show the good angle. Look for a squat rack or free weights over 20kg, more than two cardio machines, and opening hours (24-hour access is the mark of a hotel that expects guests to train). If the photos show one treadmill and a rack of pink dumbbells, plan an alternative.
When the hotel fails
Day passes at premium clubs in most European cities run €25 to €60; see day passes in Europe. UK chains with reciprocal access (David Lloyd’s European clubs, Third Space’s partner arrangements) are covered in using your UK membership abroad. A run and a bodyweight session in the room covers a two-night trip.
Spa versus gym
Luxury hotels increasingly build the spa and neglect the gym. If recovery is the trip’s purpose, the Corinthia, Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons spas are worth booking around. If training is, the Equinox and 1 Hotels model, or a business hotel with an unusually serious gym, wins. See thermal towns and destination spas for trips built around water.
FAQs
Common questions
Which hotel chains have the best gyms?
Equinox Hotels, 1 Hotels, Four Seasons and Mandarin Oriental are consistently strong. Among business chains, JW Marriott, Conrad and Hyatt Regency are the safest bets; always check photos.
Can I use a gym in a hotel I am not staying at?
Some sell day passes or spa memberships; most restrict to guests. A premium club day pass is usually the better alternative.