Planet Fitness has opened a new location in the Sun Life Centre as the downtown mixed-use complex introduces more amenities in an effort to generate additional foot traffic and give tenants more bang for their buck. The U.S.-based fitness chain’s newest gym in Ottawa takes over bottom-floor space formerly occupied by the YMCA in the […]
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Planet Fitness has opened a new location in the Sun Life Centre as the downtown mixed-use complex introduces more amenities in an effort to generate additional foot traffic and give tenants more bang for their buck.
The U.S.-based fitness chain’s newest gym in Ottawa takes over bottom-floor space formerly occupied by the YMCA in the building at 99 Bank St. The company cited the Sun Life Centre’s proximity to the Parliament LRT station, which is connected to the building, and nearby federal government offices as reasons for choosing the site.
The new Planet Fitness will be open and staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Chrissy Hubbs, regional vice-president at Planet Fitness franchise Taymax Group, says the company, which already operates two locations in Nepean and Orléans, is excited to expand into the city's central core.
“We knew it was a great market and opportunity to come into downtown Ottawa,” Hubbs said.
As the company continues to expand across Canada, Hubbs said it is particularly interested in opening locations in downtown hubs.
“It’s just exciting to be a part of a community, especially a downtown community that’s vibrant and diverse,” she said.
Hubbs said the gym’s location in the heart of downtown Ottawa makes it more convenient for members who work in the Sun Life complex and other nearby office buildings to come in during the week and stick to their fitness goals.
“When we work with downtown locations where there’s lots of buildings, we have a lot more opportunities to work with some local businesses as well,” she said. “(Members) come in, they do their workout, they go to work … and potentially on weekends, they get a workout at a club closer to home as well.”
The 22,500-square-foot facility is the latest amenity to be added to the Sun Life Centre, which is comprised of two towers at 99 Bank and 50 O’Connor streets and is one of Ottawa’s largest office complexes at more than a million square feet.