Westin Hotels Pilots In-Room Treadmill Desks

Big news from Westin Hotels and iMovR today. As industry watchers we’re thrilled to report to our readers about this first hotel to offer a treadmill desk right in the guest room. We may be biased given our advocacy for office fitness, but we applaud Westin’s foresight in offering such a practical amenity to their guests. It is sure to become very popular with business travelers, in particular.

According to iMovR’s press release, the six month pilot program has begun with the Westin Chicago River North property, which recently finished a complete renovation of all 429 of its guest rooms. As part of promoting Westin’s “Work Well” pillar, this hotel became the first test location for measuring the appeal of a sit-stand-walk workstation in their newly launched “Work While Walking” branded room, as a new and differentiated amenity to help guests stay fit while they’re on the road. The new room is being promoted on an iPad right at the check-in desk, along with other innovative “health features” of the hotel.

The iMovR Omega Everest treadmill desk that is installed in the Work While Walking room allows guests to work at a state-of-the-art height-adjustable desk while seated, standing or while walking slowly – typically at a speed of 1 to 2 mph – while getting their work done. The desk features proprietary iMovR advances, such as a built-it SteadyType™ keyboard tray that optimizes ergonomics and ensures there will be no loss in typing speed and accuracy when typing while walking. While a 3rd party treadmill base is being used for the first few months, iMovR intends to swap it out with their ThermoTread GT treadmill base when the new model ships in October.

As the “health brand” hotel chain within Starwood Hotel & Resorts Worldwide’s (NYSE: HOT) coven of nine hospitality brands, this is an obvious extension of their strategy to attract travelers who want to stay fit while on the road. We can’t wait to see how the pilot program goes and how this continues to evolve. Below is the video that hotel guests are directed to for simple instructions on how to use their computer at the iMovR treadmill desk workstation. If you happen to stay in a Work While Walking room at the Chicago Westin please do let us know about how you liked the treadmill desking experience!