Swallow Hotels shapes up its fitness policy

Swallow Hotels, which used its swimming pool facilities as the theme of a recent TV advertising campaign, is spending £15,000 on research into demand for health and fitness in UK hotels.

A written brief has been sent to two specialist market research companies and an appointment will be made shortly.

The outcome of the research will influence the hotel group's future investment in fitness clubs. At present, five of its 35 properties have no leisure facilities. They are in Darlington, Doncaster, Newcastle city centre, East Kilbride and Wakefield.

Marketing director Keith Brown, who joined in November from Forte's White Hart Hotels, has responsibility for the project. It is expected to be concluded in May.

Mr Brown said research into current fitness trends was essential before making any further investment, adding that a leisure club costs an average of £1m to construct.

"We feel there are some changes in the marketplace. There is a general increase in awareness of the need for a healthy lifestyle. We have to reflect that in our health clubs, so they are less about pumping iron and more about general levels of health," he said.

Possibilities would include giving club-users specific dietary advice and recommendations on exercise, and installing more cardiovascular equipment.

"Leisure is a very important part of our business. It is so easy to go out and just add facilities. We have to be more customer driven, and the way to do that is to ask what people want."

Swallow has also briefed Da Costa, the London advertising agency behind the company's swimming pool campaign, to create a new series of TV commercials to be shown later this year.

"We will be using television in 1996, but we will be looking at revising the advert itself. It has been running for nearly two years and now is the time to look at changing it, though it may be related to the first campaign. It would be nice if we could continue the story rather than lose the momentum we have built up," Mr Brown said.

Swallow is also planning its first loyalty programme to encourage repeat business. "We are currently looking at all the other loyalty programmes on the market," said Mr Brown.

"The good ones are those that make a business traveller change his travel pattern rather than simply reward travellers who are going to return anyway. By the end of this year, we would like to have something in the market."