From vitamin drips to ‘lifestyle management programmes’, the Equinox hotel is leading the way with health-centric urban stays. Tom Parry, senior report for TTG and TTG Luxury, shares his experience

A spin-off of luxury gym chain Equinox, the hotel originally opened in New York last summer, and is located in Hudson Yards, the largest private real-estate development in US history and the largest development in the city since Rockefeller Centre.

With rooms costing from US$700 a night, it’s not cheap, but with “health the new wealth” (especially in the age of contagion) many people will be more than happy to pay for a hotel that genuinely enhances their wellbeing. After closing during the pandemic, it will be reopening its doors in late July.Equinox Hotel New York

HOTEL REVIEW: EQUINOX NEW YORK

“It’s not fitness. It’s life.” Start spouting lines like this down your local leisure centre and brace for an eye-roll. But to a fast-growing social sect, the mantra, as it suggests, is absolutely a phrase to live by.

It’s also the strapline of high-end fitness brand Equinox that, since opening its first Fitness Club in New York in 1991, has amassed a century of outlets across North America and London. Famed for its “high-performance living”, Equinox fuses the active with the alchemic, but perhaps its boldest innovation yet came last summer with the opening of its debut hotel property – Equinox Hotel Hudson Yards.

The 212-room temple to toning is part of the west Manhattan neighbourhood, which much like Equinox guests, is also all about remodelling – through US$25 billion worth of skyscraper steel; this area represents pumping iron of both varieties.

While some city breakers may quibble over dedicating precious suitcase space to their trainers for a less-than-likely gym visit, the crown jewel here is of course the Fitness Club; in fact it’s Equinox’s largest-ever premises at 5,574 sqm – almost the size of a UK professional football pitch – and is a destination in itself.

Offering every element of personal training and group classes you could think of, there’s also the brand’s most exclusive E by Equinox “gym within a gym” sanctum, with membership worth a cool US$500 a month plus a US$1,500 initiation fee.

Having completed my first London marathon in 2019 and (at the time of my stay earlier this year) ramping up training for this year’s event, I was eager to experience a slice of the Equinox lifestyle. Equinox Hotel New YorkDespite feeling a tad bleary eyed from a 6am call and encroaching jet lag from the day my arrival the day before, I soon felt enthused by the benevolent Duracell Bunny-air of my allotted trainer, Jenna.

If I thought I was approaching a big fitness task, Jenna’s was a step beyond; her latest triathlon, organised by the US Marines. The session she set for us was about core strength, with Jenna saying she also wanted to help me avoid the niggling knee pain that had persisted during my last 26-miler.

All personal trainers are given a science-backed education through Equinox’s Fitness Training Institute, overseen by the company’s Health Advisory Board comprising doctors, nutritionists, scientists and top-level coaches. And even for our short session, the results-driven Equinox mindset seemed clear.Equinox hotel poolAs we stretched out on foam rollers, Jenna explained the process, usually including an hour-long pre-session assessment to build a personal programme and set tailored goals. “There are so many fads and bad trends when it comes to exercise. That’s what makes us different here – it’s all about results,” she told me.

The highest level of personal training at Equinox Hudson Yards is Tier X, which claims to offer “a lifestyle management programme” with a unique holistic approach and features the use of Halo Neuroscience headsets to stimulate brain function and boost performance.

As Jenna and I moved across the club floor to get into the workout, the scale of the place became clearer too. The Fitness Club and spa are designed by Joyce Wang, and high-end equipment meets sleek urban architecture brilliantly, with prime views of Hudson Yards’ centrepiece, Vessel, the huge explorable sculpture by British designer Thomas Heatherwick.The Vessel, Hudson YardsBeyond the gym, there’s a 1,393 sqm outdoor pool and sundeck and an indoor saltwater pool with a reflective ceiling for swimmers to perfect their stroke technique from above; health-conscious Broken Coconut adds a dining option on the terrace.

Even a trip to the spa comes with added science – from the cryotherapy chamber and infrared sauna to on-demand vitamin IV drips, which can also be administered in guests’ rooms.Equinox Hotel New YorkDesigned by Rockwell Group, the hotel’s overall design is just as impressive. Whisked up on arrival to an effortlessly cool reception area of black stone floors and Zaha Hadid-designed sofas, hip staff in white suits were warm and helpful.

My premier river-view room offered understated luxury with clean lines, neutral colours and soothing views of the Hudson.

Aside from fitness, Equinox also prides itself on the science of sleep, and my spring-free, handmade, Coco-Mat mattress – designed to keep you cool at night and mechanically support your spine as well as providing a natural elasticity to encourage rest and recovery – gave me the most peaceful night’s sleep in a hotel bed I’ve ever had.Equinox Hotel New YorkAll guest rooms also have medical-grade filtered air, filtered water, acoustically isolated sound-cancelling walls, Lutron temperature control system and total blackout window system.

Clever touch-free initiatives for the reopening of the Equinox hotel will include a mobile app allowing guests to limit human interaction and touchpoints via the use of a digital key, concierge texting and virtual check-out features.

Equinox Hotel New YorkAs you might expect from its core audience, in-room treats are like something out of a Goop catalogue, with a trove of tonics available, and now a collection of more than 80 products are available, ranging from nutrient-packed snacks to vitamins and supplements, and essentials like masks and gloves.Equinox Hotel New YorkEquinox also boasts Electric Lemon, a sleek dining spot from US restaurateur Stephen Starr. With its zest-shaped yellow lighting hanging above cosy seating, the place oozes a fun, relaxed vibe – handy after a day of gym graft – and through its “Mid-Atlantic” menu, offers guests a chance to recharge with “clean, conscious cuisine”.

While my one-night stay here felt pretty packed, from exploring the jaw-dropping design, to perspiring through the fitness session and soaking up the dining vibe, I felt like I’d barely scratched the surface of Equinox Hudson Yards’ potential. One thing’s for sure. It’s definitely not just fitness.

And as the world emerges from the Covid-19 nightmare, hotels focused on wellbeing can only be a good thing.

Equinox is also planning to open hotels in Houston, LA and Chicago. The company has also branched out into health and fitness trips packaged as Equinox Explore, although bookings (except for surfing in Costa Rica in November 2020) are postponed for the time being due to the pandemic.

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