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For more than ten years, the only way into the Planet Fitness system was to buy an existing franchisee\u2019s gym, the way mega-operator Flynn Group did in 2023. That changed this year.<\/p>\n
Ian McClure, who builds hotels for a living, just did something no outside franchisee has done in over a decade. He signed a brand-new development deal with Planet Fitness instead of buying out an existing operator\u2019s gyms, Franchise Times<\/a> reports. His company, Gulf Coast Hotel Management, has 40-plus extended-stay properties across 14 states and 30 more Wyndham locations under construction in Texas, Florida and Colorado. He landed three area development deals to open more than a dozen Planet Fitness gyms on Florida\u2019s west coast.<\/p>\n The buy-in isn\u2019t cheap. A single location runs $1.3 million to $5.4 million depending on equipment financing \u2014 real money for a franchise built on $10-a-month memberships. McClure is betting hospitality know-how translates. \u201cPlanet Fitness stood out as the ideal partner,\u201d he said, citing its \u201cindustry leadership\u201d and \u201cbrand appeal.\u201d<\/p>\n