I was genuinely excited to visit this new Life Time location in Ocotillo/Gilbert. I was only in town temporarily, so this was never going to be my primary club, but because I was staying in the area, I saw it as a great opportunity to introduce my family to Life Time and hopefully get them to fall in love with the experience enough to consider joining themselves.
Unfortunately, that has been very difficult because of the overall disposition of the staff toward both members and guests.
I've brought multiple family members and guests with me who live locally and could very realistically become future members. Instead of being warmly welcomed, asked if they had any questions, offered information about the club, or made to feel excited about the facility, the interactions have repeatedly felt cold, interrogative, and unnecessarily uncomfortable. On multiple occasions the front staff was literally playing arm to arm tug of war, playing music on their phone, or arguing and laughing about videos on their phone with their coworkers. Meanwhile, treating the people in front of them as if they're a bug on their windshield.
During one interaction, a manager even commented that the scrutiny was essentially so the club doesn't "become an EOS." That comment was incredibly off-putting and, frankly, reinforced the overall atmosphere I had already been noticing.
There is a difference between maintaining standards at a premium fitness club and creating a snobbish, pretentious, exclusionary environment. Unfortunately, the latter is how this location has felt far too often. Staff frequently seem more interested in conversations with one another than engaging with the members and guests standing in front of them, and basic hospitality often feels replaced by irritation or indifference.
What makes this especially disappointing is that the facility itself is beautiful. I wanted my family to experience what I enjoy about Life Time and to leave thinking, "I want to join this place." Instead, I found myself almost having to compensate for the way they were being treated.
For a brand-new location trying to establish itself in the Gilbert/Ocotillo community, every guest walking through the door should be viewed as an opportunity to create a future member and a positive impression of the brand.
A beautiful facility can certainly attract people, but customer service is what makes them want to stay. At this price point, warmth, professionalism, and hospitality should be part of the experience. Unfortunately, the attitude at this location has taken a significant amount of the sparkle away from what otherwise could be an exceptional club.
Members should feel better because they walked through the door, not like they had to earn the right to be there read more
