Fabulous Condo Fitness Centers Along The Gulf Coast
By Joni Williams, Condo Owner Magazine, Volume 18, Issue 2 (Spring 2014)
Long gone are the days when a condominium’s “fitness center” – if you were lucky enough to find a complex with one, that is – consisted of a few treadmills, bikes and steppers crammed into a stark space, often behind locked doors with limited access hours.
But just as the design of gulf coast condos have evolved in the past 25 or so years from boxy efficiency to comfortable, well-equipped luxury, so have the many ways to get a workout without ever leaving the property. And these days, it’s considered less of a perk and more of an expected amenity than all those years ago.
“Five years ago it might have been at the bottom of the list, but now it’s in the top five,” said Brett Robinson Real Estate’s marketing director, Marc Matoza, while ranking fitness centers on a typical condo dweller’s priority list.
“They like to know it’s available,” said Joe Porter, a condo sales specialist with ResortQuest, adding that many people seek to use at least part of their vacation down time to get in shape. “Some of them like to come down and hire the personal trainers,” he said.
Portofino’s longtime fitness director, Jessica Mulligan Carn, who holds at least five fitness certifications as well as a Master’s degree in Exercise Science, said experience has taught her that an onsite fitness program and well-equipped gym can often be the deciding factor when vacationers are selecting a destination resort.
“There are people who choose here because of the facility,” she said of Portofino’s fitness center, located in Pensacola Beach. “Maybe they were thinking about staying somewhere else but they’ll choose to stay here instead because of everything we have to offer.”
What Portofino has to offer is state-of-the-art workout equipment that includes five sophisticated, electronic rowing machines and a revolving staircase that provides the cardio intensity of running stairs without the physical distance; a variety of classes that include yoga, Pilates and aerobics as well as stand-up paddleboard, water aerobics complemented with weigh training and boot camp on the beach; and personal trainers that offer customized exercise coaching and nutritional guidance.
As the trend toward fitness continues, some savvy condo developers are upping the ante by offering even more in their fitness centers.
For example, the spa and fitness center at the new Phoenix West II in Orange Beach spans two stories, with stairs conveniently connecting the two. Said to be one of the largest on the gulf coast, the fitness center is on the 15th floor featuring a workout space brimming with a number of treadmills and other cardio equipment, free weights and a variety of muscle building machines. Just below, the spa boasts not one but two Jacuzzi tubs, as well as dual saunas, as testament to the demand and popularity of such features.
“There are people who pay attention to these kinds of things,” Matoza said while discussing the rising appeal of top-of-the line fitness and related amenities. “There is a propensity for seeking out these kinds of things.”
This helps explain why many of the newer developments offer fitness centers that rival the quality of elite health clubs found in major metropolitan areas. And it’s not just newer developments heeding the trend, older condos are meeting the growing demand by investing in renovations and expansions, equipment upgrades and trained staff that often includes spa attendants, fitness or specialty sport directors, massage therapists and personal trainers.
Tops’l, just east of Destin, has made physical upgrades as well as additions to the resort’s class schedules to accommodate the physical capabilities of guests. Offerings now include a “chair yoga” in the winter months and a number of “gentle yoga” classes year round, due to their popularity with many sectors of the population.
To ensure that a wide range of patrons can be accommodated at its fitness center, Club Manager Row Moran said, “a lot of work has been done over the years to make it handicapped accessible.”
In keeping with the current trends, Moran said improvements are continuing at the resort’s fitness center that already includes steam and sauna rooms and lockers, in addition to a line up of fitness equipment. Besides architectural and equipment upgrades, thoughtful touches have been added that include a supply of combs, razors, shampoo and hair conditioner.
The idea, Moran said, is to keep the comforts of home at the ready for busy guests, particularly working ones, so they can shower and dress before going directly to work, without missing a beat.
Renovations and expansion are also underway at Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort in Panama City Beach, where a design to enlarge the space will allow for more classes and equipment. The resort currently offers a bevy of classes such as water aerobics, Pilates and yoga in addition to Swedish, hot stone and other types of massage. But, as a member of the Resort Collection, owners and guests can access the facilities of other member properties such as those at the newer – and larger – Majestic Beach Resort.
Estimated to be nearly double in size of Edgewater’s offerings, the fitness center at Majestic Beach Resort hones its reputation for spaciousness, and is filled with an array of weight and cardio machines, many equipped with onboard televisions. In addition to classes and massage, Majestic Beach hosts shuffleboard, which the staff said has proven to be extremely popular with winter visitors.
Although guests at Majestic Beach and Edgewater are free to access either fitness center — or that of any other property in the Resort Collection — by merely presenting their room card, not all condos offer similar arrangements. In fact, memberships vary from resort to resort, ranging from private centers that allow only owners and their guests to use the facilities, to special programs accommodating guests from other resorts and sometimes locals who live in the surrounding communities.
As might be expected, the latter comes at a price that can be affordable. At the Emerald Grande, for example, locals can join a class for five dollars per session. Portofino sells packages under the guise of its “Club Portofino” to local residents and guests of other resorts that allow full use of the fitness center, pools and other amenities.
Tops’l also sells memberships that aren’t exclusive to owners, including a plan that allows permanent residents who live within 50 miles to pay by the month after making a down payment. Short-termed guests who stay onsite are automatically entitled to use the facility without extra charge if they rent through certain management companies such as Wyndham, while some individual owners offer complimentary access as a perk, knowing it’s an enticement for many potential renters.
Although it may appear clear that workout centers have become a popular ticket when competing for renters and owners, which in itself may be reason enough to justify their existence as part of real estate, Mutoza said there’s another pressing reason why buyers should look for the amenity when purchasing, even if they’re not sold on the idea for their own use.
“[I]t’s absolutely necessary to consider for the resale value of the unit,” Matoza said, explaining that fitness centers are not only attractive to renters but buyers as well.
When assessing these centers, however, there’s more to consider than the indoor workout spaces. While not routine, jogging trails, basketball and tennis courts – Tops’l has a dozen clay courts – have become part of the norm at gulf coast condos.
And while pools have historically been a staple at most condo developments, they are now seen as much more than a place to splash around or ride lazily on a float. “One option is to work out, and another is to swim,” Matoza said, alluding to the rise in popularity of water aerobics classes and lap swimming. “Some people like to just swim as their workout,” he said.
It’s no wonder then that heated pools are on the rise, as are indoor pools such as those found at Phoenix West, Phoenix West II, Portofino, Majestic Beach and Tops’l, that work well in tandem with other fitness options. Phoenix West and Phoenix West II even offer lazy rivers, an incentive to get kids – as well as adults – outdoors and engaged in physical activity that’s truly fun.
Still, as popular as fitness centers and other amenities have become along the gulf coast, they remain trumped by a feature only Mother Nature can supply – one that has drawn visitors and residents to the area since before the advent of condos, when the coast was dotted with sleepy beach towns and little development.
“The beach is still No. 1,” said Porter. “That’s what has always brought people to these places – they come for the beach.”
Bookmark the permalink.
Print Version
Leave a Reply