Increase Attraction
Hotel Mercure in Roeselare, part of the Accor group, recently opened its newly created 100 sq m fitness space, fully equipped by Precor.
When the hotel site first opened five years ago, fitness facilities were not a top priority during the initial phase. But, for general manager CĂ©dric Decaestecker, it soon became clear the site needed a state-of-the-art gym space.
“We are a four-star hotel and I believe fitness is an essential facility for a hotel of our calibre,” he explains. “We are a corporate hotel located in a busy business district; we are fully booked with business travellers on most weekdays. Very soon after opening I realised that people in the corporate world like to take care of their fitness. In this sector there is a big awareness of general health and an understanding that there’s a fit body behind a fit mind. We had huge numbers of guests asking if we had a gym, so for me, it was essential we invest in fitness facilities.”
The hotel’s fitness space opened at the end of 2018, initially only for hotel guests. Decaestecker says: “Mercure Roeselare is part of the larger Accor group, which has an alternative preferred supplier. But having met with the local distributor and seen Precor’s fitness equipment in action, I felt a good connection and decided to make my own choice. Precor clearly understood my business, my guests and their needs; that’s why I chose them as our supplier. I am still very happy with my decision.”
The decision only to open to hotel guests was to enable Decaestecker and his team to assess how busy the fitness space was going to be and when peak periods were. They found the gym was most busy with hotel guests in the early morning and again around 6-8pm in the evening. “Our hotel is on a business park so once we’d established peak times for guest usage, we knew there would be very little crossover if we opened up the gym to members, as they would be mostly employees who visited during the working day. It felt like a good balance,” explains Decaestecker.
The gym has recently been rebranded and given its own separate identity – Viqtus – and opened up to non-guests wishing to take out membership. Decaestecker was keen to make Mercure Roeselare’s fitness space look as good as a standalone gym site. “We began selling membership subscriptions to non-hotel guests in January 2020,” says Decaestecker. “We do this in collaboration with a personal trainer, who trains his customers at Viqtus and also helps sell memberships. It’s a system that works very well for a hotel fitness facility.”
For Decaestecker and his team, having Precor kit ensures Mercure Roeselare offers an extra layer of service to its guests and Viqtus members. “We wanted fitness equipment that was excellent quality and technically advanced, so it would appeal to our hotel guests. This was priority number one. Next it had to be at a good price point, so we’d get a quick return on investment,” he says. “And finally, we wanted gym equipment that would compete in the local market and create a high-end atmosphere so that, when we opened our doors, we could attract outside memberships to make it profitable.
“In almost every hotel, the gym is a significant investment that is offered free to hotel guests, so it’s not profitable. I wanted to make Viqtus a small, profitable enterprise, to ensure we can continually invest in new kit and up-to-date tech as time goes on.”
Viqtus has Precor’s 700 Line Cardio with P62 Networked Fitness, Discovery line benches and racks, as well as SpinningTM bikes.
“I felt Precor offered a good variety of equipment combined with new technologies that makes it even more attractive to future members and hotel guests. Precor’s technology platform Preva is a great tool for me to help sell memberships – people like that they can come to the gym, connect to Netflix and watch their favourite series. It’s a great selling point for us.
“It’s good, solid equipment that’s very easy to use and the Preva system is intuitive, too. Members can use their own smart devices with the system, which our users seem to love. I’m still very happy with the decision I have made.”
Going forwards, Decaestecker says: “My dream is to turn Viqtus into a solid, marketable concept aimed primarily at business people – small, quiet gyms with high quality Precor gym equipment – and then roll it out to other hotels in the neighbourhood. It’s a strong concept and we have proven it can be profitable.”
