City hotels are coming up with special health classes and programmes designed for business travellers to help them destress and learn easy exercises. Divya Kaushik reports
life is not as fancy as is reflected by the clinking heels, branded leather bags, unruffled business suits, the number of international financial journals in hand and the frequency of flights being taken. The high-fliers or the business travellers that most of us envy at the airports are forced to take power naps and sacrifice their ‘specially-planned’ fitness programmes to keep up with their meetings. That is why most, who care even a wee bit about their health, look forward to a quick-fix training programme that can relieve them of stress.
For some, even a good workout after working almost 18-hours of the day is a big relief. Not many would know Bipasha Basu belongs to this category. The only request that she has while staying at any hotel is to use the gym at her convenience. But the actress rued that many hotels have fixed hours for the use of their gymnasiums. She also confessed that one needs strong willpower to hit the treadmill even after having a long, rough day. It seems the hotels in the city have been getting such complains often and therefore they now care a little extra about the health of their guests, especially business travellers. Crowne Plaza has recently announced the launch of Business Energiser, a holistic programme of activities to help business travellers stay motivated, focussed and on the ball while they are on the road for work. Shangri la’s-Eros Hotel has special yoga sessions on the weekends and others like ITC Maurya have special arrangements too.
“One third of business travellers in the region are frequent travellers who, on average, spend around a month and a half (48 nights) away from home a year. For this group of frequent business travellers, their hotel is like a second home so maintaining a healthy routine is essential. Packed itineraries of business lunches and networking dinners leave little time for exercise, so we have devised a morning schedule of Morning Warrior exercise classes to energise and invigorate these committed business travellers,” said Nupur Chandra, senior manager marketing and public relations at Crowne Plaza Today Gurgaon. The programme consists of three key elements-Morning Energiser in-room wake-up guides; Morning Warrior wake-up exercise classes; and Meet Aerobics seated chair exercises to help business travellers be fit while travelling. “Our in-room guide is a quick tip on how to prepare for a perfect wake up and morning exercises to manage the working day. Our Meet Aerobics are some seated exercise and tips that one can follow in their regular routine to increase their productivity and creativity,” shared Chandra. Weekly yoga sessions at Shangri la’s-Eros Hotel are already a hit among foreigners.
“One-hour programme has over 50 minutes dedicated to asanas and other 10 minutes to meditation. It introduces the guests to the basics of yoga and they are so easy that one can easily make them a part of their schedule. We have a specialised trainer who also informs the guests about how meditation helps in better concentration and the asanas can be helpful in reducing problems that might occur because of continuous travelling and long working hours,” informed Joseph Skaria, director of spa at Shangri la.
Most of the business travellers are upbeat about the concept. “After having back to back meetings and late dinners I thought it was impossible to hit the gym in the morning in the hotel. But I was introduced to the concept in a New York hotel where you are encouraged to be a part of the group,” said Shraddha Garg, a 31-year-old marketing professional from a multinational.