TRX Training's Brett Grossman on the evolving world of hotel fitness

Brett Grossman, director of strategic partnerships at fitness equipment company TRX Training, cares deeply about fitness. Grossman joined TRX Training four years ago, bringing his background in fitness training and education to the company. In his own words, fitness and functional training are topics of interest to him, and TRX’s position as an educator in the hospitality space appealed to him. 

For this reason, in advance of this year’s HOTEC North America Operations event taking place June 10-13 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., Hotel Management spoke with Grossman about fitness trends in 2018 and how hotel guests are working out these days.

TRX Training founder Randy Hetrick
developed the first prototype Travelfit
product in 1997 while on deployment as
a Navy SEAL using a jiu jitsu belt and
parachute webbing. Photo credit: TRX Training

TRX’s goals for 2018, Grossman said, are entrenched in growing the company as a global leader in functional training while providing products that allow hotels to engage with travelers in a way they haven’t been doing thus far.

One way to do this, Grossman said, is to educate hotels on the evolving fitness needs of hotel guests, particularly millennial travelers.

“In previous decades, the fitness center has been neglected as a premium amenity, and the design catered to a much older clientele," Grossman said. "With the rise of millennials and a culture that is continuing to make healthy living more of a priority, hotel fitness is going to quickly have to shift and emulate some of the more progressive fitness trends and partner with brands that help them reach that audience.”

This culture shift, Grossman said, is leading to fewer large machines and pieces  of cardio equipment, and more free-form and versatile options. This is the exact niche TRX Training is looking to fill, thanks to the company’s focus on suspension training. In fact, TRX Training’s hospitality roots run deep. When Randy Hetrick launched the company in 2004, it went by the name Travelfit because its equipment was designed for use on the road.

Because suspension training equipment doesn’t require a great deal of space for use, it can be offered anywhere from fitness centers to hotel guestrooms. This, Grossman said, is exciting for the future.

“[It] goes without saying, functional training continues being one of the fastest-growing trends,” Grossman said. "In-room fitness trends are also slowly emerging as something that will be really big in the hotel space."

Grossman also said technology that interfaces with guest devices, such as smartphones, is also a major trend for 2018 because it helps guests stay consistent while on the road, and even between stays. The key, he said, is to remember who will be using your hotel’s fitness center and prioritize those guests during the design process.

“Hotels have known for a long time that their fitness center only gets utilized by a small percentage of guests. To combat that and make fitness more accessible, room friendly functional equipment is being made available in rooms,” he said.

Heading into this year’s HOTEC North America Operations event, Grossman said TRX Training’s goals are to build relationships with hospitality partners and continue to educate the industry on the evolution of fitness—as well as the company’s offerings.

“As we move from being a one-product company into a global educational functional training company, we really want to connect with brands and shed light on how we’ve transformed,” Grossman said.