These days, buying a new co-op or condominium might mean access not only to your dream home but also to the kind of high-end amenities that can transform a beautiful home into a spectacular one. At least that is the goal of developers and boards seeking to draw new buyers and keep current unit owners happy. Beyond the bricks and mortar, the home-buying experience is becoming about lifestyle, not just living space.

Fran Strauss, a licensed associate broker for Brown Harris Stevens, says, “In view of the abundance of new luxury properties coming to market at ever increasing prices, developers are being forced to raise the bar higher and higher in order to attract new buyers.”

Fierce Competition

Builders of new properties and boards of existing co-op and condo communities are getting creative in order to do that, offering prospective buyers and current residents amenities that focus on ease, comfort and convenience. “Luxury condo buyers are looking for luxury and service,” says Strauss. “They want to be pampered. As a result, the newest super luxury condominiums are offering…more deluxe lifestyle-oriented amenities and hotel-like services.”

Some newer buildings are actually combining residential units with hotel units, blending the best of both worlds. One57 and the Baccarat Residences are among those that have actual hotels on their lower floors, says Strauss. Communities such as these offer the types of top-tier services usually found in five-star hotels, including private dining and catering, dog walking services, housekeeping, valet parking, food shopping and expansive concierge offerings.

For the discerning buyers, utility is as important as aesthetics. “Especially in luxury condominiums, the industry has really moved past amenities that are unusual just for the sake of being different and towards uniquely useful spaces,” says Tricia Hayes Cole, executive managing director of Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group, a Manhattan-based luxury real estate sales and brokerage firm.

“Everybody is trying to outdo each other because prices for new construction are so high,” adds Janice Silver, an associate real estate broker and East Side sales manager for Bellmarc Realty. “Everyone does Zen-like bathrooms now, for example. It’s important to do something different.”

Amenities to Remember

The type and number of amenities currently in existence and on the horizon seem nearly endless. “Some of the more unusual amenities exist in condominiums constructed a few years ago,” says Strauss. “They include indoor rock climbing walls, bowling alleys, basketball and squash courts, driving ranges, putting greens, ice skating rinks, private swimming pools, pet concierge and en suite parking.”

The Halcyon in Midtown East is offering a full spa experience with an updated twist. “Residents will have access to the Aqua Spa on the 21st floor, which includes a marble steam room reminiscent of a Turkish hammam,” says Cole. “In concert with the 52-foot lap pool, cedar sauna, and indoor sundeck, the Aqua Spa creates a complete sensory amenity that residents will actually use, and find rewarding in their everyday lives. Adjacent to these aquatic amenities is a fully-equipped fitness center with juice bar and a private massage room.”

Amenities with an athletic focus hold a consistent and long-term appeal, especially in a society increasingly concerned with wellness and healthy living. “The things that people always looked at in buildings and liked are what people still like now,” says Silver. “Things like gyms and swimming pools. People are more aware of fitness and work out more now.”

Cole agrees, but adds that while “Fitness amenities have always found a place in new developments, but currently luxury buyers are looking for something that goes beyond a few treadmills in a basement. At Manhattan House on the Upper East Side, Exhale, a popular fitness and spa brand in key cities across the US, offers signature 'core fusion' classes for residents, and the option to have Exhale treatments in their own home, or in the dedicated treatment room in the spa on the rooftop level. The developer brought this brand to Manhattan House knowing residents are looking for unique classes and spaces provided by fitness experts with an established reputation.”

The Halcyon’s 21st floor Movement Studio will be “one of the most breathtaking fitness spaces in the city,” Cole continues. “The double-height studio features floor-to-ceiling windows, offering residents incredible views during yoga, meditation, and spinning classes.”

Residents and potential buyers also are seeking out amenities that enrich and serve families as a whole, particularly kids and four-legged family members. “Creating compelling amenity spaces isn’t necessarily about outdoing other buildings on the market,” says Cole. “It’s about finding new ways to meaningfully enhance the lives of residents.” A large part of that is remembering and honoring the role that kids play in parents’ decisions on where to live and for how long.

“There’s more of a push now to upgrade childrens' play areas,” says Silver. “That’s now a really big thing. To offer classes, reading, music, things that kids will like. It’s a big plus for parents.”

Cole describes a new partnership between The Boerum in Brooklyn and the Children’s Museum of the Arts. “In addition to bringing their expertise to the design of the children’s playroom and terrace, CMA will host classes at The Boerum for residents and their children,” she says. “Bringing in a wonderful institutional partner like CMA allows us to rethink spaces that are often overlooked in other developments.” Keeping the youngest members of the family happy and engaged goes a long way toward building a happy and invested community of unit owners and shareholders.

“Really, the most successful amenities feel like an extension of the home,” Cole says. She cites 45 East 22nd Street as exemplary in this area with its “library, fitness center with private studio and boxing area, basketball court and golf simulator, landscaped terrace with grill and billiards/cards room and playroom.” These are all designed, Cole says, “to feel and function like private spaces for residents.”

Along those same lines, “There are more buildings with wine cellars,” says Silver. “And screening rooms are popping up more. It’s nice for families to have a really comfy room they can go to in order to relax and watch something on the big screen.”

Pet care also is making more of a difference for residents these days. “There are several buildings with little pet areas, places where dogs can go play around in good and bad weather,” says Silver. “Some places also have pet grooming and pet spas.”

Beyond the walls of the co-op and condo building, the sights outside the windows also add to the enjoyment of the unit. “As construction in the city is so rapidly proliferating, a panoramic view is becoming more valuable and difficult to find,” says Strauss. “However, with more developments expected to reach heights in excess of 50 stories, and several over 90, views to an unprecedented degree will be feasible, albeit expensive.”

All of these efforts help build more engaging and welcoming experiences for residents. “They add value and coolness,” Silver says. “It’s developers trying to outdo each other.”

Must-Haves, or Just-Nice-to-Haves?

No matter what the price tag is on the unit, buyers and residents want the best that their building can provide. More mainstream buyers are looking for—at the very least—“a gym, children’s playroom, lounge and outdoor common space,” says Strauss. “A barbecue area on the roof, as well as storage for packages and bikes, although not that unusual, would be welcome as well.”

In any building and in any community, decisions on what amenities to include and not include may all come down to scale—what is possible in a building, and what is affordable. In some instances, residents and boards may not want to shoulder the additional expense and effort involved in creating and maintaining new amenities.

“Sometimes it’s just trouble and there are things that happen that the building is responsible for,” says Silver. “There are extra insurance costs. Who’s liable and who’s going to pay for it? Buildings that don’t have these high-end amenities may just not be interested in getting into them.”

Costs related to hiring—not to mention retaining—those new concierges, fitness trainers, dog walkers and chefs also need to be considered. “The biggest managerial challenges presented by luxury amenities are related more to staffing than insurance, as the building’s general liability policy usually covers most of the facilities,” says Strauss. “There must be specific rules related to the use of all athletic facilities, pools and roof decks, and the staff must be qualified and present to enforce them during their hours of operation.”

Other expenses include maintenance, upkeep and cleaning of the facilities. “Scheduling can also be a challenge, particularly in the case of swimming pools and roof decks,” says Strauss.

In the end, the high-end amenities may be an added perk and may help get new buyers in the door, but a screening room or concierge likely will not make or break a co-op or condo; it may just convince them to sign that bottom line faster. And with the right environment, those niceties may help residents feel more connected to their building, creating a warm, welcoming and convenient community in which to raise a family and spend a lifetime.

As Silver says, “Some of these things are really nice to have, but I don’t think anyone buys a unit because of a virtual golf range. They’ll think it’s cool, but it will just enforce the positive feelings of someone who already likes the place.”                         

Elizabeth Lent is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to The Cooperator.