Equinox South Beach — Local services in Miami Beach

{[Updated Jan 1st 2016] As a member I really like most things about my membership with Equinox. Except the fact that they now have now two different classes of members. Over 18 months ago Equinox released an iPhone App, one which did pretty much nothing new, but it was a step in right direction. At that time many of their members expressed a little disappointment that the Android App was not released, but they were assured by Equinox, it was under development.

Over the following 18 months the iPhone App had many new features added to it, so much so that all staff were now telling members during classes just what info they could get and how easy it was to use. I kept reminding those staff, that this was fine for iPhone users but what about Android. As all staff obviously had iPhones they didn't understand that they were blocking out at least 40% of their members.

Their website and marketing continually rants and raves about how the app makes life better and more convenient for their members. So I kept enquiring about Android App, coming soon they would say.

Your IT department and I presume your marketing department, are obviously clueless as to how this makes people who prefer Android which is probably around 40+% of your members (as Android has a slightly larger market share in USA than iPhone) and worldwide a much larger market share of installed users.

To make matters worse, they rubbed salt into our wounds and also market the Apple Watch Application. How their marketing/ IT department thought this would be a better allocation of resources than simply porting their APP to Android is beyond my comprehension, as less than 1% of your members would most likely have this.

Dont be mistaken that people who have Android are budget conscious, as my phone is more expensive than any iPhone and has arguably has more capabilities when it comes to conducting business.

Now the iPhone App allows you to easily sign in, get feedback and stats data on your workouts - which is pretty cool - if you own an iPhone, if you dont , everything is worse. Signing in is a pain as you have to wait at desk for someone to manually sign you in.

I had had enough and asked to speak to manager, who was very nice. I wanted to know a direct truth about Android App and whether it was in development and exactly when it was released. I found out that it was never in development and they do not know if it will be developed. At least the truth.

So my memberships (2 of them) were coming up for renewal on January the 1st. soon and as I am a second class member,and had been lied to I decided, even though I like the place, to not renew and I joined another gym. This is only a $3500 annual loss to them, but I am sure many more will have done this.

It may seem small, but being lied to continually and then having nonsense apps like the Apple Watch App come out - was the last straw. The difference between not having an iPhone has grown and grown and created 2 distinct classes of memberships. Memberships do not reflect this.

All in all, people are friendly, classes are good, but make sure you get any questions you have not covered in their...

South Beach Equinox is simply the best. My wife, Trisha, and I, have been Equinox addicts for a long time. We were lucky to find our first Equinox when we lived in New York in the mid-90s on the West Side. We lived in the East 50s and had to go crosstown to work out, which will tell you how good the club was :-) After Harvey Spevak came on in the late '90s, we met him, and we knew the Equinox brand could only get better. We had no idea of how much better!

Harvey told us early on that he had this idea for 'high performance lifestyles,' and that is what Equinox became, each club with its own individual character and spirit, but all seamlessly delivering that same vision.

Trisha and I travel a lot as writers, so being in a city with an Equinox helps us start our day with some energy. However, we must admit to a personal bias for our current favorite club. Equinox South Beach. We have a home not far away, but rest assured that if we did not think the club was super, it would not matter how close it was to where we lived. Equinox South Beach pulls together the Equinox brand to perfection, while at the same time giving it a different (South Beach) point of view. It has a great, eclectic and interesting roster of members. With heavy emphasis with people in the arts and technology, it reflects the international flavor of Miami as the crossroads to the rest of the world.

Those of you who are familiar with Equinox already know the equipment is super and the layout works easily. What you might not know is that this club is not that large but it has an intimacy that works so very well since the people who work there are some of the best Trish and I have come across. We have been members here, as our primary club, since it opened 10 years ago. It has been fortunate to have a very good series of managers and regional directors. Yo, the current manager, is the best of the group. It helps give the club its edge, it has energy and momentum. You might be working out at club one block from the beach and the Atlantic Ocean, but it has an urban vibe that sets it apart from other South Florida clubs. That is exactly the type of 'differentiated point of view' Harvey Spevak spoke about...

Wow what super aggressive and unpleasant staff they have at this location. I will truly never become a member of an Equinox gym after the experience I had at this location. After receiving a free one-day complimentary pass from The Balfour Hotel, I arrived for my free workout, went through the lengthy check in process. "Ok, enjoy your workout."

Then, as I'm walking to the workout area: "Oh, actually, I forgot. You have to have a meeting with a membership coordinator before you can work out. Is that okay with you?"

"It doesn't sound like I have a choice."

"It can be as long as you like. 5 seconds or 30 minutes."

So I meet the coordinator, shake his hand, say "thank you" and go to my workout. That's what they told me.

He then follows me through the gym and becomes confrontational. "Actually this is a thing we're doing with the hotel and you have to meet with me."

"Well, I'm just here for my complimentary workout, why are you wasting my time?"

"Well we want to find out whether you're a member and whether you're interested in becoming a member."

"I'm not, and I'm not currently interested. I'm here for the gym pass included with my hotel stay. So why are you wasting my time?"

"I'm sorry, that's not OK. I'm going to ask you to leave the gym now," he states aggressively. He then escorts me out.

Are you serious? What kind of impression do you think this leaves on me as a potential customer, and as a guest of the hotel? Is this the typical level or respect for my time and presence I can expect from Equinox gyms? Because if it is, I am pretty much decided right now that I will never set foot in one ever again, especially not the fancy ones typically located near the locations I stay at.

Talk about bait and switch, misleading communication, and aggressive sales tactics. No better than a timeshare. Absolutely ridiculous. A bad impression made by a business like that is difficult to ever forget. I've already paid for my hotel room including complimentary gym access. I don't expect to have to pay again with my time by being forced to sit through a membership...