It’s not uncommon these days to find a hotel offering yoga mats, medicine balls and random small pieces for in-room use. Gear Lending has become increasingly popular since health and wellness during travel are becoming more of a hot topic, and not everyone wants to pack the appropriate gear to take their active time to the hotel gym. Westin’s gear Lending program acknowledges those struggles but takes things a step further. The company has been in the game for over a decade and recently brought a new level of ingenuity to the program.
Westin Takes Wellness to the Next Level
“Westin first launched its game-changing Gear Lending program in 2012,” Jennifer Connell, Global Brand Leader, Westin Hotels & Resorts, and Vice President of Distinctive Premium Brands, Marriott International, explained. “The initiative focused on helping our guests maintain their workout routines wherever they traveled without the added burden of packing fitness equipment. Over the past decade, the travel industry landscape and the definition of wellness have evolved. Based on these trends and feedback from our operators and guests, we’ve updated and enhanced the program to support our wellness-driven guests.”
Westin has teamed up with two of the best in the wellness sector—Hyperice, known for their recovery tools and offering a high-quality selection of recharging aids with the Recover & Recharge Kit (includes Normatec Go, Hypervolt Go 2, and Hypersphere Mini), and Bala, offering full-body fitness workouts with their Sculpt & Flow Kit (with 2lb bangle weights, three resistance bands, a yoga mat, and two balance blocks). During a recent hosted stay at The Westin Monache, Mammoth, I personally took advantage of the Recover & Recharge Kit after a long road trip drive and a day on the slopes. After about an hour, my whole body felt like I’d just visited a fantastic spa—but without the price tag. Each gear kit is priced at $15 a day for rental. Perfect for unwinding sore muscles or getting in a real workout without the scheduling and costs associated with doing so out of town.
Westin has recognized these types of dilemmas with travelers and adjusted its programming to fit a variety of needs. “Today, the reimagined WestinWORKOUT® Gear Lending program is more versatile, providing guests with the opportunity to borrow from a library of kits featuring the latest in high-tech recovery and total body strength training equipment from Hyperice and Bala to optimize their stay and feel their best,” Connell told us. “Since travel returned after the pandemic, Westin unveiled a global study that showed the impact of fitness and recovery during the pandemic as a means for self-care. With 45% of respondents sharing that a focus on their well-being has given them a new lease on life, we evolved our industry-leading Gear Lending program to bring world-class recovery solutions to guests’ fingertips as travel started to resume.”
Even if you’re just looking for some muscle relief after a long hike, a day on the slopes or just a lengthy flight, a kit rental can greatly increase your comfort, leaving you better prepared to take on the day. On a recent ski trip hosted at The Westin Monache Resort, Mammoth, I rented a kit to try out myself after a day on the slopes, and a seven-hour drive up the day before. After 45 minutes, I felt like I’d spent the afternoon getting a full massage for just a $15 gear rental price.
“The WestinWORKOUT® Gear Lending program is for everyone, whether or not they have a regular fitness routine,” Connell said of the system. “The incredibly versatile offering supports guests of all ilks – whether an avid runner that needs recovery tools or cross-training, a yogi that wants to maintain their daily routine or a guest that wants to relieve tension from a long day of travel and/or meetings. Even more exciting, the program is available at all 230 Westin properties across the globe, providing guests with the opportunity to borrow from a library of fitness kits to optimize their stay and feel their best. Whether it be our current gear offerings or the updated kits we will introduce over time, there will be something for everyone whenever and wherever they travel.”
