Every hotel gym we inspect is evaluated against the same framework — 9 categories, 54 checkpoints, a score out of 100. No exceptions for brand loyalty, star ratings, or how we got in the door.
Each category carries a fixed point value. Our inspectors evaluate every item on arrival — without advance notice to the property in most cases. Here's what we look at.
The first thing a guest experiences — how easy is it to find the gym, get in, and get oriented? A world-class facility hidden behind a service elevator and a confusing keycard process loses points before a single rep is completed.
Quantity, variety, condition, and connectivity. A hotel gym with ten treadmills but nothing else scores differently than one with two treadmills, two rowers, a SkiErg, and two bikes. We evaluate the full cardio picture.
The single highest-weighted category — because free weights are where hotel gyms most commonly disappoint. Dumbbell range, barbell availability, plate selection, and rack quality all factor in. A 40-lb dumbbell ceiling in a five-star hotel is scored accordingly.
Cable machines, selectorized units, and functional trainers. We assess whether the machine selection covers the major movement patterns — push, pull, hinge, and single-joint — and whether they're properly calibrated and operational.
Stretching areas, mobility tools, sauna, steam room, cold plunge, and pool access. Recovery infrastructure is increasingly central to serious training — and it's a clear differentiator between hotels that treat fitness as an amenity versus those that take it seriously.
The details that separate a gym you want to return to from one you endure. Towel service, water availability, ventilation, natural light, locker room quality, and the overall environment during a session.
Not just whether the gym looks clean — whether it's being actively maintained during operating hours. Sanitizing dispensers, equipment wipe-down frequency, locker room hygiene, and air quality all factor in. We have given perfect scores. We have also given 4 out of 12.
Our physical therapy background means safety deficiencies carry weight beyond the point values shown. AED placement and accessibility, equipment anchoring, flooring condition, injury-risk layout issues, and emergency procedures are all evaluated. A gym with a perfect score elsewhere can still drop a tier for serious safety concerns.
A single point reserved for the inspector's overall professional judgment — factoring in anything the checklist doesn't capture. A gym that scores 87 on the objective checklist but has a layout so poorly conceived it creates genuine frustration may receive a deduction here. Conversely, a gym that scores 73 but has clearly invested in recent improvements may receive it. This point is used sparingly and always noted in the published review.
Most inspections happen as staying guests or via paid day pass — the hotel has no knowledge of the review. When press access is requested, it's clearly disclosed in the published review. Either way, the checklist is the same.
We work through all 54 checklist items during the visit. Equipment is tested, not observed. Treadmills are run. Cable stacks are loaded. Sauna temperatures are measured. We don't check boxes from across the room.
Each checklist item carries a predetermined point value. Scores aren't adjusted after the fact for any reason — not because a hotel reached out, not because of a commercial relationship, not because the inspector had a good or bad day. The checklist total is the score.