Even Hotels, InterContinental Hotels Group’s health and fitness brand, launched last march, signs its first contract to develop a hotel in the heart of the Manhattan neighborhood in New York City.
The first Even establishment is scheduled to open its doors by the end of 2014. It will add 230 rooms to the market, launching the presence of the Even Hotels network. IHG aims to have 100 hotels in development over the next five years, located in key U.S. cities such as San Francisco and Washington D.C.The brand seeks to fulfill an unmet demand for healthy travel. “By developing our portfolio of preferred brands in line with emerging consumer preferences, we are meeting the needs of a new type of guest who's looking for hotels with an intrinsic focus on wellness in terms of food, work, exercise and rest," explains Richard Solomons, chief executive officer at IHG.New York City was chosen as the brand’s launching site because it was ranked one of the top 50 healthiest cities in the U.S. in 2012. It has been at the forefront of the movement to ban sugary drinks and provide calorie counts on menus, providing an ideal market for Even’s 4 top priorities - eat, work, exercise and rest. More signings should occur shortly with an expected first opening before the end of 2013.
