I’m fresh from my
morning Spinning class
(hopefully not ripe, for
my classmates’ sake)
and heading for the
weight room to stretch
when I’m accosted by
a woman who seems
to be the head of gym
hospitality. For the third
time in the last hour, she
hands me a bottle of
water and offers me a
towel, possibly because
she’s afraid I’ll foul the pristine Cybex equipment with my
sweaty self. Earlier, she’d appeared
with refreshments, just as my fellow
cyclists and I were nearing the
top of a faux hill.
This is better service than I get
in most white-tablecloth restaurants—
certainly not the kind of thing I expect
in a gym, especially a hotel gym,
especially a hotel gym in Las Vegas,
of all places.
Such scenarios aren’t as rare as they
used to be, though. Innovations in the
hotel industry, particularly in the last
couple of years, have made it easier
than ever for health-minded travelers
like me to fit in workouts, enjoy healthier
meals, and get a good night’s sleep
in a serene setting. There’s so much
happening on the hotel front, in fact,
that we teamed up with AOL City-
Guide (at aolcityguide.com) to find
America’s Top 11 Healthiest Hotels.
We searched nationwide and, with
the help of AOL CityGuide editors in
the field, researched and ranked
hundreds of properties. We based our
search on three main priorities:
- delicious, nutritious dining
options;
- comfortable rooms (beds and
bedding were key); and
- high-quality . tness offerings.
Hotels scored extra points for spa
facilities, ecological initiatives, and
creative stress-reducing touches (like
the mini Zen garden you can have
delivered to your room at our Seattle
winner, the Watertown).
Our final list, as you’ll see here and
on the following pages, is a mix of boutique hotels, major chains, and highend
luxury properties.
Why the sudden boom in amenities
for health-conscious travelers? Peter
Greenberg, chief correspondent for
the Travel Channel, says it re. ects a
growing industry recognition that
we “don’t really change our lifestyle
when we change our location.” Greenberg,
who’s working on a book called
The Traveler’s Diet, says we want
all the options we have at home—a
great gym, healthy food, a comfy bed.
Take the Venetian, one of the Vegas
strip’s largest hotels, for instance.
Its Canyon Ranch SpaClub, an outpost
of the mother of all spas, is enough
to make you forget the din and tobacco polluted
air of the hotel’s massive
ground-floor casino.
I’m hardly the Vegas type (my idea
of a winning streak is hitting 8 out
of 10 green lights on the way to work),
but I end up here on business a few
times a year. Now that I’ve discovered
the SpaClub, I don’t mind the trip
so much. I can get in a great workout,
grab an omelette with organic chicken
sausage at the spa’s cafe, and sneak
in a massage before my flight home.
But wait—I didn’t get to try the
Remarkable Renewal facial. And I
heard the chicken quesadillas are
great. Maybe I’ll catch a later plane...
Las Vegas
The Venetian
So there is such a thing as a sure thing in
Sin City—at least if you’re looking for a
healthy experience. This all-suite property
features sunken living rooms, cavernous
marble bathrooms, and king-size beds perfect
for sleeping off the night before (just
in case). Stay on the fourth floor so you
can slip in and out of the Canyon Ranch
SpaClub with ease (no elevator rides with rowdy gamers to spoil your post-massage
mood). Despite the six-page menu of
treatments and the cool, spare surroundings,
the spa is a bit more bustling here
than the norm—this is Vegas, after all. The
$35 daily-access fee ($80 for 3 days) is
in line with charges for lesser facilities at
other Strip hotels. 877-883-6423, www
.thevenetian.com, from $199 per night.
Boston
Four Seasons
You might expect the Four Seasons to be a
bit snobbish. But this five-star hotel is
so welcoming that it’s downright homey.
The sta. goes out of its way to accommodate
guests, from fitness-minded folks
to families. Runners fresh from the
trail around the nearby Charles River are
greeted with bottled water and towels.
Along with a well-equipped health club,personal training and yoga are available
(for a fee). Kids’ amenities include free use
of toys and free diapers. And the spa features
an extensive menu of massages. Pampers
for the kids, pampering for you—what
more could you want? Oh yeah, the restaurant
and room-service menus offer lowfat
and vegetarian options. 617-338-4400,
www.fourseasons.com, from $575 per night.
Seattle
Watertown Seattle
Innovative is the word for this a. ordable
option near the University of Washington.
Guests can have goodie-filled carts delivered
to their sleek, clean, Scandinavianstyle
rooms at night as part of the “A la
Cart” service. Ask for the Goodnight Cart,
and you get herbal tea, an eye mask, a
small Zen garden, and an aromatherapy
diffuser; the Spa Cart boasts a handheld massager, a foot spa, and a relaxation CD.
Hop on a loaner bike and explore the city
via the nearby Arboretum or Burke-Gilman
Trail. There’s no room service or minibar,
but a breakfast buffet in the lobby features
fruit, yogurt, and eggs; for dinner, dishes
from a limited menu are available from a
nearby eatery. 866-944-4242, www.water
townseattle.com, from $135 per night.
Madison
Madison Marriott West
This Wisconsin Marriott is an early participant
in “Fit for You,” the hotel chain’s
new healthy-lifestyle program. The gym
may be unremarkable, but guests can
have fitness equipment delivered to their
rooms. One offering, the Body Wedge,
an incline-bench-like piece of foam that
comes with instructions for 21 di. erent
exercises, had our tester “feeling the burn” after a particularly tough ab move. On
the food front, Fit for You choices (all flagged
on the menu) break down into three
categories: low-fat, carb-conscious, and
low-cholesterol. While there’s no nutritional
info listed on the menus, the wait
staff can fill you in on calorie counts and
fat content. 608-831-2000, www.marriott
.com, from $129 per night.
Washington, D.C.
Topaz Hotel
This funky mind-body oasis off Dupont
Circle is perfect for de-stressing and rebooting
after a day of sightseeing or dealmaking.
Guests at the Topaz, part of the
women-centric Kimpton Hotel chain, can
take advantage of the “Om Away from
Home” program, which features an in-room
Yoga Channel and free props at check-in.
Also available (at a price) are Yoga Room
suites with nooks for posing, and Energy
Rooms with your pick of exercise equipment.
Mornings start with Power Hour in
the lobby, featuring free ginkgo- or ginseng spiked
drinks; evening turn-down service
leaves a small bag of river rocks for good
luck. We kinda miss the chocolate, but
there’s always the minibar. 800-424-2950,
www.topazhotel.com, from $189 per night.
Chicago
The Peninsula Chicago
The Peninsula takes a mind-body-spirit approach
to healthy living. Guests indulge in
Asian-inspired cuisine, tone up with Pilates,
and relax with Thai massage (think gentle
stretching, not heavy pounding). Be prepared
to pay, though—the cheapest rooms
are $490. Still, we can’t think of a better
way to end a day of marathon shopping on
the Magni. cent Mile. The 14,000-squarefoot, on-site fitness center and spa boasts
a lap pool with a sundeck overlooking
the city, and plenty of free weights. Vegan
options for afternoon tea and all-organic
dishes are available; the creamless tomato
soup is a guest favorite (go to Health.com
and click on “Web Exclusives” for the recipe).
866-288-8889, www.chicago.peninsula
.com, from $490 per night.
Miami
Mandarin Oriental
The little touches—like incense burning
in the lobby and “beach butlers” with
custom-programmed iPods for poolside
loungers—make the di. erence at this
seaside hotel. Bose Wave Sound Systems
in the spacious rooms will lull you to
sleep (as if you’ll need the help). With
state-of-the-art equipment and classes
like Tai Chi and belly dancing at the fitness center overlooking Biscayne Bay,
there’s no excuse to slack on your workout.
The spa’s Ayurvedic Holistic Body Treatment
(nearly 2 hours of bliss) will leave you
feeling utterly relaxed. Nosh on lobster rolls
at the open-air sushi bar, or choose from
healthy room-service dishes like Teriyaki-
Seared Salmon. 866-888-6780, www
.mandarin-oriental.com, from $399 per night.
Atlanta
W Atlanta
A hip escape for business travelers seeking
refuge from the big bad corporate world—
that’s what the W Atlanta’s all about. But
we think it makes a pretty good vacation
spot, too. With tea lights lighting the lobby
(or “living room” in W-speak), goosedown
comforters on the beds, and Bliss
Spa goodies in the bathroom, it’s hard
to hold a grudge here, even against the impossible Atlanta traffic. Squeeze in a workout
in the cozy fitness room, take a sauna,
sip a juice from the W Cafe, and splurge on
the Jet Lag eye mask in the munchie box
(er, minibar). Add the inviting outdoor pool
and a Nordstrom across the street, and
even the most dedicated types might find
it tough to get any work done. 888-625-
5144, www.whotels.com, from $177 per night.
New York
Westin Times Square
We knew Westins had healthy perks out
the wazoo, with their Heavenly Beds (highthread-
count sheets, pillowy mattresses)
and WestinWorkout program featuring the
latest equipment and workouts designed
by Reebok trainers. But smack dab in the
middle of Times Square? This adordable but-
luxurious high-rise boasts rooms bigger
than most third-floor walk-ups. And leave those earplugs at home: It’s actually
quiet enough to sleep. Even if you don’t
spring for one of the Spa Inspired Guest
Rooms (with electric massage chairs and
other amenities), you can order dishes
like Sautéed Sea Bass with Fingerling Potatoes
and Edamame from a special roomservice
menu. 888-627-7149, www.westinny
.com, from $299 per night.
Houston
Houstonian Hotel Club and Spa
It’s hard to imagine that the Houstonian’s
18-acre wooded estate exists among
the hubbub of the city’s Galleria area. But
it’s there all right—287 lush hotel rooms,
two restaurants, the new Trellis Spa with
its impressive menu of services—amid
the pines and azaleas. And then there’s the
mammoth Houstonian Club. The vital
stats on this first-class fitness facility: 125,000 square feet; more than 120 exercise
classes; 300-plus pieces of cardio and
weight equipment; 30 trainers; 8 tennis
courts; and 1 rock-climbing wall. It’s like an
amusement park for the fitness-minded—
all free for hotel guests. That’s quite a deal,
given that members pay up to $25,000
a year to sweat there. 800-231-2759, www
.houstonian.com, from $200 per night.
San Francisco
Hotel Vitale
This luxurious-yet-boho hot spot truly lives
up to its name, the Italian word for vitality.
Energize your day with a complimentary
yoga class in the penthouse studio, then
meander through the waterfront aromatherapy
garden, lush with lavender, thyme,
and rosemary. The herbs also appear in
dishes at Americano, the hotel restaurant,
which makes good use of both local and
organic ingredients. (House-made granola
and organic yogurt drizzled with Marin
County honey, anyone?) Soothe weary
muscles in a private soaking tub, and when
you’re ready to rest your head, snuggle up
with a down comforter, 440-thread-count
sheets, and your pick from the hotel’s
pillow collection. 888-890-8688, www
.hotelvitale.com, from $269 per night.
