IHG picks New York for flagship Even fitness hotel

• New hotel brand - Even - will cater to health- and fitness-conscious travelers
• Holiday Inn's parent company launches new hotel brand as demand grows for healthier life on the road
• The New York flagship, near Grand Central Station, is designed to give Even a high profile

Holiday Inn's parent company is turning to a high-profile Midtown New York location to launch its pioneering fitness-and-wellness themed hotel chain.

InterContinental Hotels Group on Wednesday will announce that it's signed an agreement with ownership group CWC to create an Even hotel in a newly built tower near Grand Central Station. It's set to open at 219 E 44th Street in late 2014 and will be Even's flagship location.

"New York continues to identify itself as a city that wants to lead with healthier lifestyles," says Kirk Kinsell, president of IHG's Americas division. "Bringing Even Hotels there is going to be fantastic."

New York, for instance, was ranked as one of the top 50 healthiest cities in the USA in an American College of Sports Medicine assessment.

IHG's goal is to cater to what the hotel giant counts as 17 million travelers in the USA who wish it were easier to work out, eat well and generally feel more healthy while on the road in typical midpriced hotels — which often have small gyms and fewer services than full-service hotels.

Some other hotel chains are emphasizing fitness, but they tend to be higher-end properties.

The luxury Fairmont chain, for instance, recently updated its popular Fairmont Fit program, which lets guests borrow Reebok running shoes, apparel and other fitness gear. The items are delivered directly to guests rooms so they can use them as they want — whether in their room, the hotel gym or in a nearby park.

The Fairmont hotel in Washington, D.C., receives eight to 10 requests for Fairmont Fit's apparel a day and demand is growing, says Mark Andrew, the hotel's general manager.

"We want to help our guests achieve their fitness goals, and this allows them to stay on their path while away from home," he says.

Starwood's largest chain — the full-service Sheraton brand — also has seen guests increasingly seek higher-quality fitness options, says spokeswoman Nadeen Ayala.

That's why Sheraton recently invested more than $100 million in its Core Fitness offering and partnered with Core Performance to program it. The result — which can be seen now in more than 80% of Sheraton's locations — includes upgraded gym facilities and options such as workout-in-a-bag, which lets guests use gear in their rooms.

WHY NEW YORK?

New York makes sense for the flagship Even hotel location, says John Hardy, CEO of hospitality development services firm The John Hardy Group, who has worked on new hotel brands.

"You want it to be as high-profile as possible from a media and market point of view," Hardy says. "You want it to be a strong market so it's going to be financially successful, because they want other people to franchise this."

New York, he says, is "like a hotel laboratory" because there's plenty of demand, and visitors appreciate experiencing different things.

FUTURE OF EVEN HOTELS

IHG's Kinsell says that five years from now, travelers could could see as many as 100 Even hotels in cities such as Washington and San Francisco.

The New York location probably won't be the first one to open, he says, as the company plans one to open later next year.

But the New York deal is significant, he says, because it will be the flagship and it's being built by developers using their own money. That shows "that they know they can have confidence in IHG, he says. "They've seen us roll out brands in the past."

DESIGN OF FLAGSHIP

Though it's too early to discuss the hotel's design, IHG confirms that the hotel will have 230 guest rooms on 23 floors, and dedicated meeting areas in addition to indoor/outdoor eating and exercise space.

Expect a larger-than-normal gym, and guest rooms equipped with a fitness wall or exercise balls. Guests will also be able to take advantage of a laundry service with a quick turnaround on gym clothes.

Under IHG's vision for the brand, guests can expect menus designed with nutrition in mind, a focus on fresh and organic food and fast, complimentary Wi-Fi to reduce stress about productivity. Bathrooms will contain natural-fiber, high-thread-count linens and natural bathroom amenities.