Loughborough University to open £7m elite athlete hotel with ‘altitude rooms’

Loughborough University is set to open an innovative hotel on campus, targeting elite athletes who visit and train at the university’s facilities.

The Elite Athlete Centre and Hotel will feature 44 bedrooms and will be located at the heart of the university’s extensive sports facilities.

Described as the first of its kind in Europe, the hotel will house 20 specially-designed altitude rooms, accessible bedrooms – accommodating para-athletes – a nutrition lounge, café, an athletes’ relaxation area and a seminar space for 30 people.

The altitude rooms will allow athletes to “live high while training low”, preparing their bodies for competition by improving their oxygen carrying ability as well as maximum oxygen take-up.

The Nutritional Lounge, meanwhile, will provide food and services tailored to the athletes’ needs.

Quiet Zones and Passive Zones will provide athletes with areas to relax and take part in activities such as yoga and pilates, while the Active Zone will include a climbing and bouldering wall.

The hotel will be operated by Imago Venues – Loughborough University’s dedicated hotel, conference and events arm.

John Steele, Loughborough University’s executive director of sport, said: “The Elite Athlete Centre will be an outstanding addition to Loughborough’s already excellent sporting heritage.

“It will combine with existing facilities to provide a truly world class venue for high performance athletes and teams.

“The altitude rooms will have the capacity to adjust climatic altitude conditions up to 5,000m, enabling athletes to sleep high and train low without the need to leave the country, helping to enhance performance capability.”