ATLANTA—When conceiving IHG’s latest brand, Even Hotels, the company’s brand management team researched consumer trends and spoke with frequent travelers to better understand their hotel experiences and needs. One of the first questions asked was the importance of sleep while on the road. The answer: Sleep is essential.
“They said in order to maintain wellness on the road, they would need a good night’s sleep,” said Adam Glickman, director, brand experience-lifestyle brands, IHG. “Guests told us they wanted to maintain their balance while they travel and, sometimes, it’s hard to rest easy, be able to clear your mind, relax and feel like the stresses of your day are removed in order to get a good night of sleep.”
Based on independent proprietary research conducted by IHG in 2011 and 2012, 17 million people, or about one in four travelers, believe that their hotel stay does not accommodate their wellness needs on the road. To meet the growing demands of wellness-minded travelers, IHG created Even Hotels to provide solutions for all aspects of travelers’ holistic wellness needs with an emphasis on four components: Keep Active, Rest Easy, Eat Well and Accomplish More.
Under the Even Hotels’ Rest Easy component, the brand strives to give guests a comfortable night of sleep in a restful environment while feeling more balanced as a result of their stay. Designed to ensure adequate sleep and relaxation, the brand’s bedding program features a premium sleep system with a plush mattress, natural fiber linens, contoured pillows and color-changing LED lighting.
“IHG placed a great emphasis on continually innovating to meet the demands of our guests,” said Glickman. “The brand was designed to offer a consistent, holistic wellness experience to meet the needs of our target guest—the wellness-minded traveler. Unlike some hotel brands—whose health and wellness programs offer limited or add-on services—all Even properties are built solely with the health and wellness of our guests in mind.”
Even Hotels opened its first two locations in Norwalk, CT, and Rockville, MD, this past summer. The brand also acquired a new asset in Brooklyn, NY, which the company will develop as a new hotel, expanding the wellness hotel brand’s portfolio in the Greater New York City area. Two more Even Hotels will be located in Manhattan on West 35th Street and East 44th Street, slated to open in mid-2015.
The Even Hotels sleep experience begins with bedding. The guestrooms feature the Simmons Beautyrest pillow-top mattress. The Beautyrest Pocketed Coil allows each coil to adjust individually to the weight and contours of the body, providing back support. On top of the coils is AirCool memory foam which provides pressure relief and dissipates heat for cool, comfortable relief, according to the company.
The Simmons Beautyrest pillow-top mattress also includes reinforced edges, allowing guests to sit along the edge of the bed while watching TV or working on their laptop without sliding off. “The mattress is one key element of rest within our experience,” said Glickman. “It’s very comfortable.”
Another key element of the Even Hotels sleep experience is the linens, which are manufactured from eco-friendly materials. Valley Forge’s Tencel+Plus sheets are made from a blend of cotton or polyester, mixed with Lyocell fiber from eucalyptus. Aside from its soft and durable characteristics, the sheets absorb moisture, releasing it away from the body to help guests sleep cooler at night. What’s more, the hotel’s housekeeping staff does not tuck the sheets in-between the mattress, offering an easier means to get under the covers.
To accommodate different types of sleep, the bed also includes two firm and two soft pillows from Hollander. The firm pillows are Infinity Gusset pillows for side and back sleepers, which offer firm and higher support. The soft pillows are of the Superside Gusset variety for stomach sleepers, proving soft support. Additionally, Hollander uses renewed, regenerated and recycled material following the Zero Waste to Landfill initiative.
“In developing the Even Hotels brand, we identified companies that align with our philosophies and deliver distinct products that would support the brand platform, and Simmons, Hollander and Valley Forge deliver quality products,” said Glickman. The brand’s Rest Easy platform also emphasizes eco-conscious touches and natural elements in the guestrooms.
To enhance the mood of the space, each guestroom features a variety of design elements to help provide a calming, relaxing atmosphere. The rooms come equipped with dimmers controlled by a remote and a Philips Hue color-changing LED accent lamp, which allows guests to adjust the lighting based on their preferences.
“Lighting can impact the experience whether it’s a harsh fluorescent light shining in your face or a cool-tinted LED light,” said Glickman. “We added color-changing LED lights, and we have a mix of different lighting temperatures. It really calms you down and relaxes you before bed. It’s also very rare that hotel rooms would have dimmers.”
Just as important to the sleep experience is sound. That’s why the IHG app includes calming sounds guests can play before going to bed. The rooms also feature packaged terminal air conditioning (PTAC) units from Amana, which include a constant fan option. This provides a consistent white, background noise as opposed to having a fan that turns on and off, which could awaken guests at night. “We have an energy-management system that detects when guests are in the room, so we’re not wasting energy,” added Glickman.
Since opening its first two properties in Norwalk and Rockville, Even Hotels earned positive reviews from guests who noted the restful sleep experience. At press time, Even Hotel Norwalk was the top-ranked hotel in the area on TripAdvisor, while Even Hotel Rockville earned the number-two spot in its city. “One comment we have received, which is a testament to the experience, is guests are interested in purchasing the bed and the sheets,” said Glickman. “We haven’t yet released them as a branded items to be sold, but we’re looking into it.”