Ryan Denehy travels enough to have been disappointed by a range of high-end hotel gyms. Still, back home in New York, the 38-year-old entrepreneur has occasionally used the intimate wellness club at Tribeca’s tony Greenwich Hotel. “You can actually get a stand-alone membership for just that, and no one really knows about it,” the avid cyclist says. “It’s pretty much always empty.”
But fitness centers at properties around the globe are starting to fill up—because they’ve recently gotten really good. Take Surrenne at the Emory in London, a 25,000-square-foot space opened in April 2024, which offers a hyperbaric chamber, a great signature facial, and the first Tracy Anderson studio outside the United States. The Sporting Club at Philadelphia’s Bellevue Hotel has an N.B.A.-size basketball court, three golf simulators, and an on-site physical-therapy clinic.
As attractive as these services are to guests, the target audience is the locals who might become full-fledged members. “Where I get really excited, to be honest, is where we really help people with their lifestyle,” says Andrea Lomas-Gong, Mandarin Oriental’s vice president of spa and wellness operations. She calls this growing crop of facilities the best-kept secret in the hotel industry. Here, six clubs you might want to join.
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Aman Club, New York
Image Credit: Robert Rieger The Vibe: Transportive design, exclusive access
The Deal: You’d expect the Big Apple’s most expensive private club, with a reported initiation fee of $200,000, to deliver spectacular amenities. But it also offers one of the city’s largest wellness facilities, measuring a whopping 25,000 square feet. “The space was deliberately designed to evoke the expansive calm of Aman’s horizontal resorts through a vertical reinterpretation” that plays out over three floors, according to Olivier Lordonnois, the group’s managing director in the Americas.
The Standout Perk: It’s invitation only, so just getting in the door is a coup. $20,000 annually
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Bodyspace at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London
Image Credit: George Apostolidis The Vibe: Selective, personalized, holistic
The Deal: With a tightly limited number of memberships, this might be the hardest club to join in London—but there’s a reason for that. “As a team of 20, we can only commit to 50 people in order for them to get life-changing outcomes,” says cofounder Stephen Price. The staff of trainers, dietitians, physiotherapists, and medical professionals develops a customized plan for your long-term well-being and devises ways for you to stick to it. “Every single person wants to impact your health when you’re not with them.”
The Standout Perk: Unrestricted access to the hotel’s 82-foot heated pool. From about $8,200 annually
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Surrenne at the Emory, London
Image Credit: Courtesy of The Emory The Vibe: Calming, elegant, advanced
The Deal: The lighting in this four-story space changes with the position of the sun so as not to throw off your circadian rhythm—one of many details that set this club apart. To wit: Each new member receives a full medical diagnostic. “We get their blood profiles done, and then they’ll come see a member of the fitness team for a VO2-max test or various kinesiology tests,” says fitness director Simon Inman. “And then we can curate their journey in Surrenne accordingly.”
The Standout Perk: Four facials, massages, or other body treatments every year. From about $13,740 annually
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Four Seasons Hotel Ritz, Lisbon
Image Credit: Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts The Vibe: Fitness with a view
The Deal: Perched atop one of the best properties in Portugal’s capital city, this club will store your training shoes, launder your workout clothes, and lend you shirts or shorts if necessary. “We make it really easy,” says Ana Ferreira, the hotel’s director of rooms. The goal is that members “don’t have any obstacles to prevent them from training.”
The Standout Perk: The U-shaped rooftop running track. From about $8,200 annually
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Siro One Za’abeel Dubai
Image Credit: Natelee Cocks The Vibe: Heaven for biohackers
The Deal: SIRO’s soundproofed guest rooms are mini gyms unto themselves, each with its own exercise, stretching, and recovery area. And the roughly 22,000-square-foot wellness center puts a bevy of treatments within reach, including light and sound-wave therapy. “What we’re finding is people just want more,” says Jamie Moore, the property’s fitness and recovery director. “They want to learn how they can perform better. And what we have tried to do is essentially put all of this under one roof.”
The Standout Perk: Platinum members get three weekly cryotherapy sessions. From about $3,300 annually
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The Sporting Club at the Bellevue, Philadelphia
Image Credit: Courtesy of The Bellevue Hotel The Vibe: Variety, and lots of it
The Deal: This 105,000-square-foot facility reopened in November 2023 after a three-year renovation. Before the overhaul, “We probably had 125 group fitness classes [a week],” says Fran Cassidy, the club’s president and C.E.O. “Now we have 220, because we have eight studios instead of four.” There really is something for everyone here, from vinyasa yoga and TRX to kickboxing and balance training.
The Standout Perk: Pilates reformer classes are included. From $2,460 annually
