How Resorts Can Offer Guest Fitness Classes Without Hiring Full-Time Staff
A resort can offer guest fitness classes without full-time fitness staff by outsourcing the program to a vendor that supplies the instructors, schedule, and substitutes. The resort keeps control of the guest experience and avoids payroll, turnover, and coverage gaps for a service that often runs only a few hours a day. This guide compares in-house and outsourced models and covers the questions to ask before you choose.
Why do resorts struggle to staff fitness classes in-house?
Fitness classes are a small part of what a resort does, but they are hard to staff well. The usual problems are:
Instructor turnover: Group fitness instructors are often part-time or contract, so turnover is common. Each departure means recruiting, training, and finding cover - and classes can be cancelled while the resort does it.
Seasonal swings: Demand rises and falls with the season, but a salaried position doesn’t.
Specialized skills: Aqua, mobility and low-impact classes each call for different training.
Management time: Someone still has to recruit, schedule, supervise and handle the paperwork.
What is the difference between in-house and outsourced fitness programs?
In-house | Outsourced | |
Staffing | Resort hires and manages instructors | Vendor supplies and manages instructors |
Coverage | Resort finds replacements | Vendor provides substitutes |
Cost structure | Payroll, taxes, benefits, turnover | Predictable program fee |
Flexibility | Harder to scale up or down | Schedule adjusts with the season |
Management time | Resort team | Vendor |
Control | Full | Shared, set by the agreement |
In-house can make sense for a large resort with a full wellness department. Outsourcing usually fits resorts that want a strong class schedule without building a department to run it.
How do you handle seasonal demand?
A flexible schedule is the main advantage of an outsourced model. A vendor can run a fuller class calendar during peak weeks and scale back in the off-season, instead of the resort carrying the same staffing cost all year. When you evaluate a vendor, ask how quickly the schedule can change and whether class counts can be adjusted by season.
Which fitness classes work best for resort guests?
Guests have mixed ages and fitness levels and are often on vacation, so approachable formats work best:
Fitness experience: Fitness classes that capitalize on the resorts location and create a memorable experience - ex/ sunrise beach yoga (for beach resorts).
Aqua fitness: Low impact, popular at resort pools and a good fit for guests of different ages.
Morning stretch or mobility: A gentle start that suits nearly everyone.
Low-impact cardio: Easy to join without experience.
Strength and conditioning: For guests who keep up their routine while traveling.
Family-friendly sessions: Where the property serves families.
For more on formats that work with older guests and residents, see our guide to group fitness classes for 55+ communities.
What should you ask a fitness vendor before signing?
How are instructors screened, trained and certified?
What happens when an instructor is sick or unavailable?
How do you adjust the schedule for peak and off-peak seasons?
What insurance do you carry, and will you name the resort as additional insured?
How are classes presented to guests, and can they carry the resort’s branding?
How do you report attendance?
What is the pricing structure, and what is included?
Our vendor vetting checklist goes deeper on contract and insurance questions.
How long does it take to launch?
A typical launch takes 4 to 6 weeks. That covers reviewing the property and the guest profile, choosing class formats, scheduling and matching instructors.
FAQ
Do resorts need full-time fitness staff to offer classes? No. Many resorts use an outside vendor that supplies trained instructors and manages scheduling, so the resort doesn’t need to hire and supervise its own team.
Can an outsourced program change with the season? Yes. A vendor can run more classes during peak periods and fewer in the off-season, depending on your agreement.
What types of classes do resort guests prefer? Fitness "experiences" and approachable formats such as aqua fitness, morning stretch and low-impact cardio tend to work best, because guests vary in age and experience.
How much does a resort fitness program cost? It depends on the number of classes, the season and the property. Contact us for a quote.
Next step
Foresight Fitness has provided on-site fitness programs since 2013. To talk through what a program could look like at your property, visit our resorts page, contact us or call 888-258-2801.
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