Top 10 Healthiest Hotels in America
Health magazine ranks the top places to stay while you're away.
May 22, 2009— -- For many of us, a vacation may prompt good behavior to fly out the window; you raid the minibar, blow off workouts, or return home more exhausted than ever. To help you return from your next vacation healthier and happier, Health magazine and a panel of experts came up with a list of the top 10 healthiest hotels in America.
The standout chains all place your wellness at the center of their missions, offering everything from super comfortable beds and top-notch fitness amenities to great-tasting, nutritious food and relaxing interiors. Whether hip, boutique-style lodgings or old-faithful chains, these picks serve up what you deserve: a truly rejuvenating stay that's worth your hard-earned money.
1. Fairmont
From $139 per night and up (rate vary based on location and season)
Modern life stressing you out? Fairmont Hotels and Resorts has innovative programs to help you recover. You can take the hotel's dog out for a walk to clear your head in some of its city properties, like the Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston. And for the crazed business traveler, Fairmont offers a massage to relieve BlackBerry Hands."Fairmont understands the needs of modern professionals," fitness expert Desi Bartlett says. She praised its approach to fitness, with on-site facilities as well as affiliations with top gyms such as the Lakeshore Athletic Club in Chicago. For a $10 fee, the chain's Fairmont Fit program will deliver Adidas training gear -- including athletic shoes, preloaded MP3 players, and running-route maps -- to your room. For sweet dreams, Fairmont offers top-quality mattresses, and (at several sites) pillow "menus" with everything from anti-allergy to buckwheat options. And the chain also earned kudos from environmental expert Mary Cordaro for its less-toxic cleaning products and natural linens.
2. Four Seasons
From $295 per night and up (rates vary based on location and season)
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts nabbed top fitness scores for state-of-the-art cardio and weight-training equipment -- plus welcome extras, such as studio classes and personal trainers. Our experts also noted that at the Miami and San Francisco Four Seasons locations, the on-site fitness facility is the stellar Sports Club/LA. Nutrition expert Maureen Callahan praised the progressive approaches to healthy eating at Four Seasons restaurants and in-room dining. "From Japanese-style breakfast and multigrain pancakes in Chicago to Texas grapefruit in Dallas, Four Seasons menus put a big emphasis on fresh, local produce," she says. Meanwhile, judge Bartlett bestowed a perfect 10 on Four Seasons for its rejuvenating spas.
Related Stories
ABC News Live