Will your visit to Barclays Center be EVEN better if you stay here?

Eye On Real Estate: Health-and-fitness-focused hotel coming out of the ground at 40 Nevins St.

December 11, 2013 By Lore Croghan Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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Some travelers never miss a workout where ever they may roam, and wouldn’t break their diet though they’re very far from home.

A bunch of Goodie Two-Shoes? Perhaps, to you and me. But they’re revenue generators, InterContinental says – just you wait and see.

Lodging giant InterContinental Hotels Group is devoting an entire brand to health-and-fitness-focused travelers called EVEN Hotels – and bought a property at 40 Nevins St. in Downtown Brooklyn as part of its brand roll-out.

The newcomer – which promises thoughtful amenities from eucalyptus fiber bed linens for a restful night to cork-floored workout spaces in guest rooms – is a contender in the battle of the trendy hotels near Barclays Center.

The other is the Marriott Autograph Collection, which is the hotel franchise at 95 Rockwell Place. (See related story.)

“Through our research, we found that more than 17 million wellness-minded travelers feel they ‘fall off the wagon’ when they travel, which is a point of frustration for them,” said Adam Glickman, head of EVEN Hotels. The new lodging brand is their “wellness partner,” he said, “helping them maintain their routine and keep that sense of balance they told us they seek when away from home.”

InterContinental paid $19 million for 40 Nevins, said John Silviano, a partner of seller CBCS Brooklyn LLC. InterContinental retained CBCS to develop the 204-room hotel,which it had started building, he said.

The foundation is 80% finished at the site on the corner of Schermerhorn Street, which is four blocks from Barclays. Construction will take another 16 to 20 months.

“Every hotel we have, we try to own,” Silviano said. “But if somebody makes us a good offer, we take it.”

Because EVEN is newly hatched, he and his partners were glad to go with a sale rather than their usual franchise agreement.

“With a new brand, it’s unproven – you don’t know what it’s worth,” he said.

Before InterContinental came along, they’d been in discussions about franchising with Hilton Garden Inn and DoubleTree by Hilton.

The other partners in CBCS are Sam Chang of McSam Hotel Group,  Barone Management and Jimmy Chou.

EVEN Hotels chieftain Glickman isn’t fazed by the competitive challenge that glam 95 Rockwell Place poses, saying InterContinental is “well positioned to take advantage of Brooklyn’s surge in travel traffic.” His new brand differentiates itself with a “balanced approach to holistic wellness” – which for some guests will mean a glass of wine and some dark chocolate at the end of the day, or the chance to follow a paleo diet or eat vegetarian, heart-healthy, low-fat or gluten-free meals.

Some other EVEN amenities:

* An Athletic Studio right off the lobby will be open 24/7 and is three to four times larger than a typical select-service hotel gym.

* In-Room Training Zones – those cork-floored workout areas – have a mounted fitness wall, yoga mat, roller and exercise balls. There are on-demand fitness videos tailor-made for the size of the in-room training space.

* The hotel bar will be low-key, which is what target audiences said they want – “a comfortable space to unwind with a great glass of organic Pinot or craft beer,” Glickman said.

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