More business travelers are having post-sweat meetings. For as long as anyone can remember, business trips meant the same thing: hotel check-ins, handshakes over steak frites, and cocktails that turned into networking marathons. But not anymore.
In 2025, business travelers are ditching barstools for treadmills, swapping happy hours for HIIT classes, and sealing deals in saunas instead of boardrooms. And honestly? It makes sense. The rise of wellness-focused travel , paired with hybrid work flexibility, has changed the way professionals connect.
“Health is the new wealth,” says Alec Spycher, Senior Director of Club Operations at Equinox . “What used to happen over drinks is now happening in fitness spaces, lounges, and recovery areas.” You’re not imagining it — those post-workout lounges that feel more like l uxury hotel lobbies ? Totally intentional.
“We lay out locations so that you can see and engage with others easily,” Spycher explains. The goal: make it feel familiar, inviting, and just elevated enough to encourage conversation without the stiffness of an office conference room. It’s not just the spaces that are changing — it’s how people use them.
Once upon a time, business travelers squeezed in a workout between meetings and rushed off. Now? They stick around. “We’re seeing members extend their time in the club,” Spycher says.
“They’ll do a group fitness class, then hang out, talk, and sometimes continue those conversations over brunch.�.
