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Hotel Gym Review: Towne Place Suites Orlando at SeaWorld

Hotel Fitness Facility Review

Hotel: Towne Place Suites Orlando at SeaWorld

Location: 10731 International Drive Orlando Florida 32821

I had the pleasure of visiting Orlando for a meeting and was able to stay in the Sea World area. I have never visited Sea World so it was a new area of Orlando for me. The meeting was great! Even better, I was able to sneak in a few good workouts.

Overall Assessment: Total Score: 21 out of 30

Accessibility: 4
Facility Size: 4
Cleanliness: 4
Equipment: 3
Environment: 4
Nutrition: 2

Grading System (my own): 1 = Unacceptable, 2 = Marginal, 3 = Acceptable, 4 = Good, 5 = Excellent. This is the first review where I have added Facility Size. This may make it harder to benchmark against prior reviews where the maximum score was 25.

Summary

Overall, I was able to get in three great workouts at the Towne Place Suites at SeaWorld. The score above is reflective of my generally high expectations. I want to stay healthy when I am on the road. Many hotels are making this possible and I appreciate the investment Marriott has made in their facilities. Nonetheless, there remains room for improvement.

Accessibility: 4

The Fitness Center is on the first floor and overlooks the pool area. It is easily accessible by all and is open 24 x 7. Access is via your hotel room key. The Fitness Center is next to the laundry area which is a good excuse to wander next door while your clothes are in the washer or dryer. For those who may have any special access needs I am not certain that the Fitness Center at this hotel will be able to accommodate.

Facility Size: 4

As you can see from the photos, the fitness center at this hotel is reasonably sized. I was impressed by the spaciousness. There was plenty of room for me and others (but I never saw anyone else using it L). The equipment was well placed. There is a public restroom across the hall which could also serve as a changing room.

Cleanliness: 4

My first criteria in any assessment are the availability of gym wipes. There were gym wipes in the container all three days that I trained in the facility. The equipment was “ok” clean. It wasn’t nasty dirty as I have encountered in some hotels. I don’t know if the cleanliness was also secondary to lack of use (I never saw anyone else using the facility) or attention to detail. The machines have been wiped down. The floor was reasonably clean. I did not user the restrooms so I cannot assess. There were clean towels available for use which is always very nice.

Equipment: 3

The photos below are a testament to the fact that the facility provided very nice equipment. One of the treadmills was not working but otherwise all was in order. The spin bike was a huge value add. I would put on my wish list being able to access Peloton workouts, but unless the subscription is pay per class I am not certain based on what I saw of facility utilization that it would be a good investment for this specific hotel. There were some knobs and buttons on the treadmill that were broken but otherwise the cardio equipment was in pretty good shape.

Free Weights: there was a reasonable range of free weights for a hotel gym. The bench was comfortable and easily adjusted.

Functional Trainer: I love having these pieces of equipment in hotel gyms. I can guarantee a good workout because I can work every body part. My only complaint was that one of the cables was in need of maintenance…or maybe just some WD40. After my first workout I limited myself to using only one side of the equipment.

Swiss balls, Mats, etc.: There was one Swiss ball and two mats available. More than adequate and they were all in good condition.

Environment: 4

This fitness center was nice and warm! I loved it. Many times hotel fitness centers are excessively cooled (imo). There was a large window that spanned the entirety of one wall overlooking the pool. It made the fitness center light, bright and welcoming. The lighting was great too; during my 4:30 am workouts I did not notice the darkness outside.

Nutrition: 2

There was a water dispenser and cups in the fitness center (thank you!). I think most places no longer put fresh fruit or other healthy items in the gym. I won’t comment on the food selection at breakfast; that might be an entirely new blog series I should start.