10 Feb 2016
Wellness brand Even Hotels plans further US expansion
BY Jane Kitchen
Jason Moskal, vice president of lifestyle brands for the Intercontinental Hotel Group, discussed the future of wellness travel and outlined plans for IHG’s wellness brand, Even Hotels, during a podcast put on by Skift, a travel industry intelligence platform.
Even has just opened its third hotel – its first in New York City, and a flagship for the brand – and plans to open three additional locations – two more in New York and one in Omaha, Nebraska – later this year.
“We’re seeing a lot of excitement from a development standpoint for Even,” said Moskal.
The brand also has plans for locations in Miami, Texas and Phoenix over the next two to three years.
The Even model is focused on four pillars of wellness: nutrition, fitness, overall wellbeing and productivity, said Moskal, and business travellers are a key component of the brand’s success.
“We’re seeing both men and women from a business perspective, but also from a leisure perspective, we’re seeing a really strong response in terms of having a brand that can focus – and allows them to focus – on their wellbeing,” said Moskal.
He said Even’s philosophy is really about allowing guests to experience wellness on their own terms. For instance, while the hotels all feature state-of-the-art fitness centres or gyms, they also all have In-Room Training Zones, which include a foam roller, yoga mat, yoga block, core exercise ball and the Even Hotels Trainer, a mounted fitness wall that includes resistance bands. The brand also developed 19 fitness videos and an in-room training guide that shows guests different ways to use the equipment.
At the New York location, group cycling and yoga classes are offered in addition to morning runs off the Hudson River led by the property’s chief wellness officer.
“It’s all about flexibility,” he said.
From a nutrition standpoint, having healthy options for grab-and-go meals is also important – especially to the business traveller who may have been out late at meetings.
Moskal – who has held previous positions with Bank of America and Ally Bank – said he sees the health and wellness movement as where the online banking movement was eight years ago.
“Health and wellness is at that tipping point,” he explained. “It’s becoming a primary focus of every aspect of people’s lives.”
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