Have you ever had a membership that gives you access to different facilities or services, such as a gym or a club? If you do, I assume the moment you enroll in the membership program, you expect the same quality of experience across all of its locations.
I have an all-access Equinox membership that allows me to workout at most of its locations with a few exceptions (i.e. sports club, printing house, and etc). Since I’ve joined, many of my friends have asked me if it is worth to pay for such premier gym membership since there are plenty of alternative choices in the city. My answer has always been yes because I love being able to workout almost whenever and wherever I am — especially when I travel outside of New York.
During my recent trip to Chicago, I paid a visit to the Aqua Strength class in the Equinox Gold Coast location. Having been to almost all the aqua workout classes in New York, I am very familiar with the class materials and most teaching styles. Just when I thought nothing could make my class experience better, this particular class did. And it wasn’t just because of the teacher or the classmates, it was the holistic touch points that made it great!
The pool had this nonslip walking path installed at the bottom of the pool which made walking/running in the aqua classes so much easier. The walkway from the locker room to the pool was also quite “user friendly” as the door to the pool is right by the shower. Many pools in the New York Equinox require you to walk through the stairs or expose to cold air before getting into the pools. Last but not least, the vibe of the people in the club. I was once 5 minutes late to one of the aqua classes offered in the 63rd Street location, the club manager told me I cannot join the class because I was late. I have witnessed people being late to the aqua classes in the Greenwich and Columbus Circle locations but different clubs apparently have different standards for grace periods. One was okay with 15-minutes tardiness while the other was fine with 10. And guess what is the grace period for the Gold Coast location? Well, it was 20.
The point I’m trying to make here is when you signed up for a membership, you expect the same standards (and rules) across its locations; when it is not the case, how do you feel about it? Taking beyond the scope of gym membership here, let’s think about all of the companies that have gone globally. Very often, companies have to modify their services or products in order to tailor to local custom and needs. I’m curious to explore further on when to draw the line of having a standard and when to adjust. Anyhow, I still enjoy my Equinox membership but just wish they could have had a more unified standard across its facilities.
X Project 52 