Background

Sanctum is both the owner and five-star service department managing three luxury serviced apartment buildings in north-west London.

Offering stays of anything from two nights to six months or even a year, Sanctum prides itself on providing all the perks of a top-quality hotel, but with the added space that comes from staying in an apartment. Amenities include 24-hour security, fully furnished and equipped apartments, concierge, porter, reception and maid service.

At the newest location, which opened in Regent’s Park in July 2022, the Sanctum team also wanted to add an on-site gym; at its other two locations, clients have access to an off-site gym.

Objective

Sanctum general manager Michelle Mojzis explains: “We had 8.5 x 5m available for a gym, so not a huge space, but we wanted to create a fitness offering that was free to use for our guests, and that provided them with everything they needed for a good workout before a day in the office or a day of being a tourist in London.

“We had a good idea of what we wanted in terms of equipment, but finding our supplier started with a Google search. We ended up speaking to four different companies, but quickly settled on Physical.”

Solution

Mojzis continues: “Of course, price is always a factor and Physical’s equipment is great value, but we also really appreciated the way Paul [Farrell, Physical account manager] went about things.

“We put in an enquiry through the website and quickly received a response, already from Paul. He then came to see us in person – twice, in fact – and we really appreciated those face-to-face meetings. So many companies use video conferencing nowadays and that doesn’t work for us. It was also Paul who placed the orders and who followed through with us to the end. We didn’t have to deal with multiple departments, which made the whole process really simple and stress-free.

“As I say, we had an idea of what equipment we wanted, but it was Physical who completed the vision. Paul took us through all the options within each product type, so we could cherry-pick exactly what we wanted, and helped with design and layout ideas. With his expert guidance, we were able to confirm our order within the space of a quick meeting.”

That order included a treadmill, cross-trainer, upright bike and rower; a good selection of strength training equipment – Smith machine, DAP, dumbbells and barbells with storage racks, Olympic plates and benches; plus stretch mats and a stability ball.

“From order to installation and beyond, everything happened as Paul said it would: the whole thing has been very straightforward and we’ve found Physical easy and efficient to work with. They’re also down-to-earth and trustworthy – you get a real sense of it being a family business – which makes them great partners,” says Mojzis.

Results

“We’ve created a space that looks beautiful and that’s well-used,” Mojzis concludes. “There are always clients in the gym, but it’s never overcrowded. It’s worked really well.

“And the value of having an on-site gym is fantastic. When people search on an engine like booking.com, they’re increasingly applying filters such as ‘fitness centre’. Offering an on-site gym has added real value to our product and allowed us to stand out.

“If we do another building, we’d certainly look to include a gym and would definitely work with Physical again.”