By Ozolua Uhakheme, Assistant Editor arts,The Nation

Copyright thenationonlineng

Of the 23 floors, the fifth floor at the highbrow hospitality outfit, Lagos Continental Hotel, on Kofo Abayomi Street, Lagos is an uncommon one. Beyond being the tallest hotel in West Africa and offering panoramic views of the city and the Atlantic Ocean, the hotel’s fifth floor houses an outdoor swimming pool and the Oriki fitness centre and spa – a one-stop floor for wellness and fitness for guests as well as members of the public.

Human traffic to the centre, according to the Director of Rooms, Lagos Continental Hotel, Curtberga Onuoha, is overwhelming, noting that guests’ experience is not complete without fitness and wellness, most of which are complementary.

She stated that apart from in-house guests, the wellness centre and spa is a major attraction to other guests to the hotel. “For the non-resident guests, it has been overwhelming because currently, the range is between 200 to 250 non-resident guests that use the gym on a monthly basis,” she added.

Driven by the ideals of work-life balance, the hotel incorporates health and wellness packages in its itinerary of guests’ experience. Combining African-inspired treatments with global wellness techniques, the spa offers therapies designed to rejuvenate both body and mind.

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But Onuoha said guests don’t have to stop their life style while at the hotel, but ‘we provide tailor-made fitness for them.’ She explained that from the check-in, the gym is introduced to guests, even non-guests are patronising the gym as it has become the number one fitness centre in the city.

She disclosed that the hotel gym is equipped with the latest machines and professional trainers including state-of-the-art facilities like stepper boards, climbing boards, treadmills, elliptical bikes, rowing machines, weight sections, and boxing class, among others.

“Our gym caters to every routine—from high-intensity cardio to strength training and yoga. All the equipment at the gym like treadmills, bikes and weight benches among others are from technogym. So, we have professionals who are out to meet the needs of guests for workouts, live classes and mindfulness sessions,” she added.

Guests can indulge in massages, aromatherapy, and hydrotherapy at the serene environment.

Onuoha stressed that wellness and fitness packages complement room patronage, enhance guest satisfaction and encourage longer stays. “Wellness is very important to our guests. It offers a new experience for guests. Everybody now feels that it is very important to take care of themselves and fitness and wellness have become very essential to every traveller,” she noted.

“Our gym is well-equipped with techno fitness equipment. They are the best providers of equipment when it comes to fitness and wellness. We also have professionals that are very knowledgeable and experienced to guide and train our guests. We also try to create tailor-made fitness goals for our guests to meet the individual needs,” Onuoha said.

According to her, the hotel has the best coaches and instructors in town, amid personal touch to their work and informed guidance to help the guests to achieve their fitness or wellness goals.

Corroborating Onuoha’s positions, the hotel’s gym and fitness instructor Mr. Joseph Akpereta, a certified professional in the fitness world, said his duties included making sure that the guests are comfortable. “I give guests basic training physical and health wise and I also try to provide tips on food intake for them, like what they should eat at different timing to enhance good health status and nutrition,’’ he said.

On the services at the gym, he said, ‘we have one of the best state-of–the–art facilities in Africa, and of world class standard.’ But to Akpereta, the serene setting of the gym is among the elements that make it a unique closet to explore wellness offerings. “There are so many things that make this gym more special, we have standards and procedures and such procedures entail you being properly dressed, use of good clothes and we ensure that every guest maintains such standards,” he added.