Gyms and leisure centres attract a constant flow of traffic. Additionally, current Covid 19 restrictions have put pressure on facilities to control and monitor their number of visitors. Gyms and sports centres, in particular, have the extra challenge of dealing with visitors with different access rights. Installing an access control system comes with several benefits for businesses and visitors, such as facilitating 24-hour opening.

The benefits of having an access control system in place include:

1. Preventing Unauthorised Access

Tailgating – where paid members let friends without paid access follow them into a facility- is a common problem for 24-hour businesses with unstaffed receptions. Gyms need to restrict access to visitors with paid memberships to maintain profitability. A secure access control setup can issue alerts when more than one person passes through a turnstile with a single authorised card. When integrated with the management software, you can access data on which members permit unauthorised access into the facility.

2. Controlling Access to Premium Facilities

Leisure centres often have premium facilities that are separate from the general facilities for regular members. If your fitness club has premium areas, it is essential to restrict access to visitors with premium memberships. An access control system easily integrates with biometrics and your facility’s membership database, so your visitors can check in using cards, biometric scanners and key fobs.

3. Facilitating 24-hour Operation

Having your gym open for 24 hours has many benefits. With members able to access the facility at any time, peak times, which are stressful for your staff, can be spread out over the day. It is also a good way of attracting new members if other gyms in your area have limited opening hours. Twenty four-hour operations may ordinarily involve leaving entrance points unmanned during the night and exposing the facility to crime. A secure access control setup comes in handy to allow authorised access only. This is particularly useful at less busy times when there might only be one employee on the premises. Access control can issue alerts and trigger an alarm when a visitor without access enters the facility.

4. Improved Customer Service

In gyms with a secure access control, staff can focus their attention on assisting members. With security handled by a reliable security system, staff are freed up to complete their various duties rather than constantly policing who is entering and leaving the facility.

5. Reduced Crime

Even reception staff employed at the entrance and exit points, fitness and leisure facilities still report theft and fraud. A fool proof access control system reduces crime rates in such facilities by regulating access to visitors with known members with either a card or biometric details.

5. Regulating Number of Visitors at your Gym

For leisure centres such as swimming pools that host sporting events and competitions, monitoring footfall is of utmost importance. Competitive events attract many members and spectators, and the right access control system can allow a free flow of visitors while keeping count of the number of people entering the facility. As an event manager, you will know when the venue has reached capacity, and in case of an emergency, you have an accurate count of the number of people in the facility. Regulating the number of visitors in your facility is currently a requirement for all gym owners in Ireland due to Covid 19 restrictions.

6. Enabling Seamless and Touchless Entry and Exit

In today’s world, which encourages fewer human touchpoints, technology is racing to provide touchless solutions. An unstaffed access control system is the best for your fitness or leisure facility. An access control system integrates with the membership database to let in visitors using biometric details. With integration with CCTV and event recording, an access control system can provide security even when unmanned.

7. Providing Valuable Insight About Facility Use

When integrated with software, an access control system can provide valuable data about how visitors are using the facility and when certain areas of the facility are in use. When integrated with other building management systems such as lighting and HVAC, they can reduce energy consumption, especially for 24-hour gyms. Access control also provides insight on peak hours, allowing you to better plan your staff around peak times.

Benefits of Turnstiles Over other Access Control Systems

Turnstiles can provide gyms with simple, cost-effective and secure access control while blending with your facilities’ design and aesthetic. Furthermore, turnstiles come in a range of designs tailored to suit different building entrance ways. Here are the different types of turnstiles which you can install and tailor for your fitness or leisure business:

Types of Turnstiles to Consider for your Gym

Full height Turnstiles

Full height turnstiles are the high security solution design for outdoors use. They are made from anti-corrosive materials and are suitable to be used in hostile environments. They offer entry, exit or bidirectional access and allow one user throughput. This robust and reliable type of turnstile is perfect for unmanned sites as it offers mechanical locking and anti-climbing design. The choice of three or four wings allows to adapt to specific requirements concerning site security, capacity and user comfort.

Fast response Turnstiles

Fast response turnstiles, also known as Speed lanes are the most innovative and advanced turnstiles we offer. They are used internally and combine supervised site security with admission control. These swing door entrance lanes feature modern design, fast response, and high safety while providing the minimal footprint. This type of turnstile allows consumer monitoring, creating databases, and analysing footfall. Multiple install options allow creating a perfect solution for your establishment.

Waist height Turnstiles

Waist height tripod turnstiles are very popular at sites with high pedestrian traffic. They are very robust, reliable and suitable for internal and external use. Tripod turnstiles allow entry, exit or bidirectional access one user at the time. They reduce the need of entry/exit guarding and provide safe and controlled access to sites. Tripod turnstiles are build to withstand abuse and impact as well as harsh weather conditions.

Accessible Turnstiles

Reduced mobility turnstiles fit perfectly with our fast response or tripod turnstiles but can also be used alone. They offer wide and comfortable walkway for users with reduced mobility and service personnel. They are perfect for wheelchair access, prams, trolleys, sports equipment and large deliveries. They additionally provide opening for the evacuation of buildings in the event of an emergency.