What a 'work-in'

No two guests are alike. This is why an in-room fitness option, instead of a trip to a workout center, may be the perfect option for some guests.

"Quite honestly, in this hotel, it was a wise investment," said Thomas Foti, GM of the Renaissance New York Hotel Times Square. "We get a tremendous amount of usage and repeat requests."

At the Renaissance New York, guests receive an e-mail prior to arrival and choose the items they want in their room—free of charge.

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"[The equipment] is ideal for guestroom size. Nothing takes up too much room; you can still function in the space," Foti said.

Omni Hotels offers two in-room options: Either a complimentary Get Fit Kit can be checked out from the concierge desk, or a specific Get Fit Guestroom can be reserved for $15 extra that includes the kit, a treadmill and a minibar with healthier options.

"It's a surprisingly modest cost [to implement the service]," said Caryn Kboudi, VP of corporate communications for Omni Hotels. "We traditionally partner with a company and split some of the cost [of the guestroom treadmill]."

Niki Leondakis, COO of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, said its Mind.Body.Spa. program offers guests complimentary workout equipment in tote bags that supplement the yoga and core-strengthening workouts guests can access on the TV.

"The fitness instruction is featured on either the Mind.Body.Spa. channel or the hotel channel that has yoga instruction," Leondakis said. Kimpton also has added an in-room spa package that includes massages, pedicures, organic scrubs and body wraps.

In-room fitness profile: Who uses this stuff?

Take stock of the typical guest, and maybe an in-room exercise service would benefit your hotel.

Caryn Kboudi, VP of corporate communications for Omni Hotels, said the typical in-room fitness guests are business travelers with nontraditional work days.

"We see those with really long work hours, like lawyers working on a trial or consultants, who still want to jog but don't get out until very late," Kboudi said. "It's more convenient to take a 10-foot walk as opposed to going to a fitness center." In general, Kboudi finds that women enjoy the opportunity to work out in private more than men.

Top options for in-room fitness service

Niki Leondakis, COO for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, has heard from guests that in-room fitness services allow them to feel "healthy and centered, despite hectic travel schedules."

"We've heard from guests traveling between time zones that exercising helps them reset their body clock to the new time," Leondakis said.

And, of course, there are those guests who just like to keep to themselves. "Because you have the privacy of an in-room practice, you can go at your own pace and spend as long or as little time as you like," Leondakis said.

Thomas Foti, GM of the Renaissance New York Hotel Times Square, noted in-room services could help travelers at urban properties, especially those with no nearby running trails. In his experience, many travelers find a use for in-room services; they just have to know about it.

"Make sure the desk knows it exists," Foti said. "You'll find a number of people delighted to use it."