Urban Sports Resorts Are Closing the Gap Between Fitness and Hospitality
Skift Take
Some of the country's highest-end fitness clubs are taking a gander at the hospitality space. But one athletic club in Chicago has already laid claim to opening the country's first "urban sports resort."
As Equinox remains mum about the planned opening dates for hotels in New York and Chicago, and while Hyatt is still working out how to integrate its recently acquired Exhale Spa with the brand, separately, a couple of properties have made strides in developing high-end urban sports resorts.
The models could serve as interesting case studies for other companies looking to bridge fitness and hospitality, while acting as a "third space" for the local community.
Perched atop the newly renovated 100,000 square foot Midtown Athletic Club in Chicago sits the even newer Hotel at Midtown. Opened in November, the 55-room hotel caters to an upscale crowd, as does the club below.
Steven Schwartz is president and chief executive officer of Midtown Athletic Clubs, a company consisting of eight fitness facilities in the United States and Canada.
Schwartz’s father founded the company in 1970. When it started, it was primarily a tennis club (called the best tennis facility in the country by one Billie Jean King). Ho
