Review: IHG’s EVEN Hotel New York Midtown East – what is this ‘wellness’ brand about? (Part 2)

This is Part Two of our review of IHG’s new EVEN ‘wellness’ hotel brand, specifically the EVEN New York – Midtown East. 

Part One which looks at the room and its slightly OTT range of fitness equipment is here. Part Two below focuses on the dining, drinking and well-being elements of the hotel.

The EVEN New York Midtown East bar

Behind reception was an area with a bar and the very informal restaurant area, called Cork and Kale.

There was also an outdoor terrace with plenty of seating, although it sadly lacks any kind of interesting view.

Breakfast

As I had booked on points, breakfast was not included in the cost of my room.  If you book a room with breakfast the IHG website states that you will receive ‘full breakfast’.  As there is no buffet here and all items are cooked to order from a menu, it is not clear what ‘full breakfast’ entails.

Options included egg and bacon brioche rolls, quinoa and spinach breakfast hash and egg white and avocado wrap. I went for the egg and turkey sausage sandwich ($12) which I enjoyed. Classic breakfast items such as porridge, yoghurt, croissants and bagels are also available.

There was a good selection of teas and coffee which you can make yourself.

There was also a freshly squeezed orange juice maker, which I can never resist, as well as various other cold drinks in the fridge next door.

The restaurant also had a small evening menu comprising of the usual US dishes but with a healthy angle. There are vegetarian and gluten free options, too. However, I could not find a reason to eat there at night when there was so much choice around the city.

The gym

As you might expect from a hotel that prides itself in ensuring you are able to stay active, EVEN New York Midtown East has a large 24 hour fitness centre with three or four of each kind of training machines.

There was also a table tennis table in the fitness centre which you don’t see very often.

Conclusion

The EVEN Hotel New York – Midtown East was a very enjoyable place to stay.  It is situated in a convenient and safe part of the city. The hotel is relatively new and has modern, clean and good sized rooms with very comfortable beds.

Whilst I didn’t make any use out of the in room fitness equipment, I’m sure there are plenty of people that would appreciate the effort made to ensure you can continue with your exercise regime whilst away. For me, this was a bit of a gimmicky element but IHG should be applauded for trying something different. It was all done in a reasonably subtle way and certainly didn’t detract from my enjoyment of staying there.

The public areas are described as ‘natural, relaxing spaces’ on the IHG website. I would say they were pleasant enough but I didn’t feel the need to spend longer than necessary in them.

Price-wise this hotel sits somewhere in the middle compared to its competitors with room rates varying from $150 to $350 plus taxes depending on the day and time of year. Using IHG Rewards Club points will cost you 45,000 points per night throughout the year, which is at the lower redemption end for Manhattan IHG properties. During peak times this would be good value as you would be achieving over 0.5 pence per point at current exchange rates.  On cheaper nights cash is the better option.

Either way, considering such the value I received for the standard of hotel, I would be happy to stay there again.

You can find out more about EVEN Hotel New York – Midtown East on the IHG website here.

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IHG One Rewards update – April 2024:

Get bonus points: IHG One Rewards is offering 2,000 bonus points for every two cash nights you stay (not necessarily consecutive) between 1st April and 31st May 2024. You can read our full article here and you can register here.

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