work your ‘sox’ off The Mack family constantly strive to exceed visitor expectations at Germany’s largest theme park. We ask managing director Thomas Mack about Europa-Park’s foray into the world of health and fitness, with its Boston Red Sox Gym enterprise
Thomas Mack, MD of Europa-Park
Why did Europa-Park open a health club? Since the theme park opened in Rust back in 1975, it’s steadily expanded: we welcomed 5.6 million visitors in 2017, making Europa-Park the second-most visited tourist attraction in Germany. This growth has made it necessary to add accommodation in order for our guests to experience everything on offer. The first four-star hotel, El Andaluz, was built in 1995, followed by four more (Castillo Alcazar, Santa Isabel, Colosseo and Bell Rock), and we now have capacity of 4,500 beds across the park. Another hotel, Krønasår, will open soon. When we built the New England-themed Hotel Bell Rock, we had the opportunity to buy a neighbouring health club – the Boston Red Sox Gym. It was ideally positioned so we could make it part of the hotel.
128 ATTRACTIONS HANDBOOK 2018-2019
Every element of our offering contributes to the quality of our visitors’ experience and the health club is now as important as any other element. People are getting much more fitness-conscious and like to have access to this type of facility while they’re on holiday. What facilities does the Boston Red Sox health club offer? On the ground floor there is a 400sq m (4,300sq ft) gym, with Technogym and Power Plate equipment; a dance studio offering classes including Zumba and yoga; and a spin studio. Personal training and EMS (electric muscle stimulation) training sessions are also on offer. Because lots of our guests want to chill out after spending all day walking around the theme park, there are ample relaxation facilities, including a wellness www.attractionshandbook.com