Better recently took over management of most gyms formerly ran by GoGateshead. They actively promote using their app which you can use to book classes and scan a qr code for access. While you can still get a physical card, you have to go to the front desk to be let into the gym. Previously with GoGateshead, you just got a member card which you swiped to let yourself in. I don't understand why the old card entry system was removed in place of an app, but I suspect Better use it to collect data on users- even if not it seems unnecessary to remove the old system of card swiping which should have been kept in my opinion.Better also seemed preoccupied with plastering information boards all over the gyms about how they're such an amazing company, but gave the staff minimal training on how to use their systems, resulting in a fairly bumpy transition between management. The gyms themselves seem to be running just the same so far with some work being undertaken to improve the facilities going forward but I'm not a fan of these app-related upgrades which just seem like fancy tech for tech's sake rather than meaningful improvements to the gyms' infrastructure. To be clear, I have zero issue with the gyms themselves or the staff who work there (it seems like they were given very little support), it's Better and their practices as a company who give me a bad impression.
