Fitness Center Review and Safety: Hyatt House, Jersey City, New Jersey

I liked the Hyatt House in Jersey City, New Jersey so much that I recently stayed there two weekends in a row (see, Hotel Review – Hyatt House Jersey City, New Jersey).

I’ll say from the outset that, if fitness is important to you, Jersey City is a very good choice. Running, walking or cycling along the waterfront is simply wonderful, and it is very scenic – as the view of New York City is breathtaking. Additionally, Jersey City has Citibike stations.

The Hyatt House does not have a pool, but it has clean, nicely equipped and well maintained fitness center located on the second floor of the hotel. When I was there, it was not crowded; there were never more than 3 or 4 people there at any given time.

Here’s the entrance:

Inside, there are cardio machines by Life Fitness. On one side of the room there are 5 treadmills, 3 elliptical machines, 2 recumbent bicycles, and one stationary bicycle. On the other, there are free weights, balls and one of those Life Fitness big home gyms.  The room is clean – the machines are in good order.

There are also two bathrooms inside the fitness room, as well as a water cooler, headphones and towels on iron metal shelves.

PRO:

Although not fancy, the fitness center gets the job done. The machines are in good order and there is plenty of room. The space is clean and well lit, and I like the wallaper. The door has glass so you can see into the hallway, so I felt safe even when I was in the room alone.

SUGGESTION:

First, I am not a fan of those massive items of equipment which are intended to incorporate multiple machines (often called multi-home gyms). There is plenty of extra space in the room, so it would be nice to see some individual weight circuit machines and perhaps a cardio rowing machine added to the fitness center.

TRIPPING HAZARD (WHICH I LEARNED THE HARD WAY):

I had an accident and hurt myself when I tripped over an uneven surface at the entrance to the fitness center. The rubber on each side of the entry is raised, but there is no warning to that effect. I went flying and slammed into the metal shelving, which broke my fall. The impact was hard and my upper arm immediately began bruising. Within a few days, the bruise became a massive purple and black contusion spanning about 5 inches on my upper arm (I could show you photos, but I’ll spare you).

I note that I immediately reported the incident and hotel staff and the hotel weekend manager, Angel Vega, were extremely receptive, concerned and caring. I showed Mr. Vega the fitness center entrance and he agreed that it was a danger and that something needed to be done to avoid future accidents. Some of the choices we discussed were placing ramps on either side of the entryway or warning of potential danger, by, for example, painting the uneven squares with bright colors and using caution signs. (I do not know what changes if any have yet been implemented).

This is the entry. The trapezoid shapes on either side are raised and that’s what caused me to trip.

This is the shelving that I slammed into.

Hopefully, the issue has been rectified and we can all go to the gym and have wonderful, healthy workouts!

Brooks Adrenaline GTS 18 50%