Have you ever had to stay at a hotel or motel that you were less-than thrilled to stay at? We love Drury Inns (if you’re in the Southern half of the Midwest or Northern half of the South, you know Drury Inn!) It’s a super clean hotel with a great breakfast and a 5 o’clock kickback. You get two tickets to their bar and a bunch of snacks.

When we travel, we ALWAYS try to stay there. A few years ago the Drury Inn was totally sold out when we were traveling for a competition. So, we took the hotel chain’s suggestion and went with the Pear Tree Inn – Drury’s sister company. 

Never again. 

The Pear Tree Inn had olive green shag carpet, wallpaper from the late ‘70s and had the aroma of mildew and cigarette smoke. It was the first hotel I’ve ever walked in, looked around (inhaled a bit) and walked out of. I remember walking right back up to the front desk and saying, “No thank you.” 

You might be calling me a hotel snob right now. You’re right. I don’t need a five-star experience, but I also don’t need a one-star experience either. 

Let me ask you a question. If your gym were able to be rated on stars, how would people rate you? Would they say, “oh wow. This place was great. It was clean, friendly and the staff was so helpful!”? Or would they say, “This place smells like feet, I can’t see my kid on the cameras and there’s nowhere to sit for the hour they’re in classes.”

I’m not saying I stay in five-star hotels every time. In fact, the Holiday Inn Express usually is around a three-star experience and usually I’m good with that. But, would I ever stay at the Abe Link-Inn like I did in college for $15/night? Nope! So, if you’re looking around your gym right now, I want you to evaluate the following things: 

  1. How does your gym smell? 
  2. What does it look like? Are the floors clean? Are your shelves dust-free? Is your front desk organized and tidy?
  3. What does it sound like? Are there kids laughing or is it silent (maybe that’s OK too!) 
  4. Where do the parents sit and wait? Maybe your lobby is closed due to restrictions. Is there anything you’ve done to give your parents a special opportunity to view without violating capacity restrictions? If they’re in the lobby, have you provided adequate viewing room and comfortable seating? (Gym owners who say they make it the least comfortable possible so parents won’t stay scare me. This is NOT customer service. I want parents to stay and see how great we are with their kids!)

So tell me, what would you rate your gym based on the things above? Those are the things people are judging before your child even hits the floor for their first class! 

Make sure your gym is providing a five-star experience every day!

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