I attended the grand opening party for IHG’s newest hotel in New York City, EVEN Hotel, Times Square South, located at 321 West 35th Street. Although the address and street itself are odd numbers, everything about this hotel is EVEN – in fact every hotel room has an EVEN number!
The theme here is comfort and fitness – and it’s not just a gimmick or lip service – they are really doing fitness up here. And they are doing it well! So, lace up your sneakers and come along with me as I run through the EVEN Hotel with you.
The party was a gala event, and I was lucky to be on the invite list! I was greeted, signed in (oh, look at all those goody bags!), and said hello to the front desk crew (yes, the hotel is already open).
The event took place on the first and lower level of the hotel. The drinks (including organic wines and gluten free beers) and appetizers (such as veggies and humus dips) were consistent with the wellness theme of the hotel.
the website says:
Whether you’re traveling for business or leisure you won’t have to compromise your wellness routine. As a member of the newest brand from IHG® and one of the first EVEN® Hotels in the world, our facility is designed to help our guests maintain a healthy lifestyle while traveling. Keep active in our best-in-class, 24-hour Athletic Studio, or in the comfort of your room with our in-room fitness zones.
I was escorted by a hotel manager to the 22nd floor for a tour of the hotel rooms. The rooms were really cool – I’ve been to plenty of hotels that have yoga mats in the closet, but this was the real deal. The whole room was designed to be conducive to working out – including exercise equipment in the room, and a choice from many exercise videos. Plus, the hotel will launder your workout clothing for you free of charge! And, don’t worry if you’re not a fitness buff – the rooms are plenty nice even without the great fitness benefits. The beds are heavenly and have the softest sheets and blankets, every room has a small refrigerator (feel free to chill wine instead of Gatorade!), there’s plenty of workspace and free wifi, the flooring is cork (yes, cork!), there are great electrical outlets, and there are lots of other special touches. Do I sound impressed? I really am! Here are some photos of the rooms – I viewed both the King room and the Double room. And, check out the view!
The fitness center is quite excellent as well! They have modern equipment, and even enough spin bicycles for a spin class. Oh, and I’m told there are regularly scheduled outdoor runs for hotel guests led by hotel staff.
The goody bag was chock full of nice items. Among other things, it contained a starter kit for Bulletproof Coffee – believe it or not, just earlier in the day, I had heard of Bulletproof coffee for the first time and had actually researched it. You should have seen the shock on my face when I reached in the bag and saw this product! The other items in the bag were great as well (I enjoyed the granola today). Thank you Mind Body Green and all of the other sponsors.
As you can tell, I was surprised with the lengths to which IHG and EVEN went to create a healthy, or wellthy (as they like to say), environment that inspires guests to work out, even when traveling.
What thrills me is that I see this as a new bar being set by EVEN, which I hope will inspire other hotels to follow suit.
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
Thanks – I’ve been enjoying your recent NYC hotel reviews.
thank you so much!
On the subject of NYC hotels, what is your recommendation for the best SPG and/or IHG hotel to stay at if running the NYC Marathon? When I say best I mostly mean based on location and trying to keep in on lower cost side, although I would be using points.