The Intercontinental Hotel Group”™s nine hotel names encompass 4,700 hotels. Its new effort at 426 Main Ave. in Norwalk is different ”“ and not just because it has only even-numbered rooms. “This way to a better stay” is spray-painted on the driveway as if by a pied-piper graffiti artist, the first hint Even has recast the hotel experience.
Whether the new hotelӪs health-themed d̩cor and ethos translate to a national trend is yet to be determined, but the Even brand currently has three more hotels in the pipeline, one in Brooklyn and two in Manhattan. A twin to the Norwalk Even opened this month in Rockville, Md.
The Norwalk Even Hotel had been a Sheraton Four Points until last July. It has taken a year for Atlanta-based Intercontinental Hotel Group ”“ which owns, among other chains, Holiday Inn ”“ to transform it into the first Even, with 129 remade guest rooms on four color-themed floors.
General Manager Dieter Schmitz is called the chief wellness officer. Sam Schwartz, the food and beverage director, is the head of eating well, supervising the Cork & Kale restaurant and bar on the first floor.
For breakfast on a recent day, Schwartz proffered egg-white frittatas made with cage-free eggs, spinach, quinoa, roasted red pepper, Pecorino cheese, red onion and dried tomatoes, topped with the restaurant”™s signature kale salad, among other fare. The coffee, he noted, was “bean to cup, every cup” and the orange juice “peel to cup,” fresh squeezed. “We had a gentleman last week who told me it was the best orange juice he had ever tasted,” he said. “We use only whole, washed juice oranges from Florida and California.”
Since its June soft opening, a guest mix of 50 percent health-conscious travelers and 50 percent garden-variety business warriors has signed in, according to Schmitz, whose enthusiasm for the project is evident.
“My background is resorts,” Schmitz said. “I came here six months ago from San Diego specifically for this project. That”™s how strongly I believe in our mission. I don”™t think I would have come for anything else.”
In the Even in Norwalk, the classic business trip ”“ the one where you check in at a chest-high desk before caving to forbidden foods in the lobby sports bar ”“ was given the heave-ho.
From plant-covered walls in the entry to healthy food to health-themed rooms, Even seeks, in the words of Schmitz, “to keep our guests on track” and defeat the mindset that to travel is to lapse physically.
Four flavors of water and chilled towels to wipe neck and brow are provided at check-in. The front desk is a low table, staffed by so-called “keep-active agents.” Inspirational aphorisms ”“ like the welcoming message on the driveway ”“ are scripted above doorways, on individual stairs and on special white boards inside the rooms, which is where Even really sets itself apart.
Each room has exercise equipment and a floor-to-ceiling gym bar with resistance bands. A portion of the floor is cork to absorb the energy of, say, jumping jacks. A box of yoga equipment is provided.
Other room details include mood lighting, high-end bathrooms and multiple computer ports. A flat-screen TV pivots so visitors can follow video workouts. The desk, with an ergonomic chair, is mobile. “We know that people like to move furniture around, to make themselves more comfortable and to increase business functionality,” Schmitz said.
The first-floor gym is not an afterthought or “glorified closet” that Schmitz sees in many hotels. An athlete himself, he pointed out specifics of individual machines that made them both easy to use and improvements on older equipment. A rowing machine offers water as its resisting force.
Schmitz said that between in-room equipment and the gym, “I”™ve spoken with a number of people who had no intention of working out when they arrived, but ended up having great workouts.”
A stay can involve healthy food and use of workout equipment or the morning group run, but it need not. Acknowledging cardio is not for everyone, Schmitz said, “We also are trained to respect the needs and wishes of the guest who wants a terrific cocktail, whose pursuit of health is relaxing.” To date, he said visitors constitute about half the guests.
“The hotel has these amazing physical wellness amenities,” Schmitz said. “They have to be matched with the personable guest experience that matches the same energy.”
Kirk Kinsell, president for the Americas of Intercontinental Hotel Group, called the Norwalk hotel, which is directly across from the Merritt 7 development, “truly a milestone.” He said, “We know that for the traveling public, the ability to maintain their health routine while on the road is becoming more and more important, and Even Hotels provides the tools and encouragement to make healthier choices while on the road at an approachable price point.”
The hotel is built on four metaphorical pillars, according to Schmitz: keeping active, eating well, resting well (the mattresses are all new Simmons Beautyrests) and business functionality. Addressing the balance, Schmitz said, “You have to be careful. You don”™t want to force fitness down someone”™s throat. What we hear, though, is that people like what we offer and they want to play with the equipment. They work out when they had not planned to.”
Rates vary by date, Schmitz said, but he stressed that, given the benefits and amenities, the hotel was a competitive rate leader in the industry. Including taxes and fees, a room costs $145, according to several travel websites.
