A lot of hotel chains offer gym and exercise equipment to the guests staying at their facilities. These are great for getting in some exercise on the treadmill or lifting some weights while you’re traveling, but these exercise facilities can also pose dangers to guests if they are not properly planned and maintained. Here are two of the biggest liability risks for hotels in this regard.
First, hotels need to make sure they select appropriately safe equipment. There are a lot of exercise machines out there, which are known to be poorly designed and very dangerous. As such, hotels should only buy equipment from reputable manufacturers. The type of equipment purchased will also depend on whether the facility is staffed with employees. Equipment with heavy free weights that might get dropped on someone, for example, would not be appropriate for an unsupervised exercise area.
Second, hotels need to consider the layout of their facilities. Gyms needs to have adequate space to walk among the equipment to avoid trips and falls. The layout should also be appropriate in terms of general government safety and fire safety requirements. For example, treadmill placement should ensure that if someone falls off the back of the machine, he or she will not be injured by something behind it.
At Dolan, Dobrinsky, Rosenblum, LLP, we represent people injured at hotels. In doing so, we have found that many hotels do not ensure the safety of their guests, and fail to provide safe exercise facilities. If you or your family member suffered injury in a hotel exercise area, we may be able to assist you in seeking financial compensation for the incident.