Wellness-focused EVEN Hotel opens in former Kaufmann's in Downtown Pittsburgh

The EVEN Hotel doesn’t believe in odd-numbered rooms, hence the name.

Located in the historic former Kaufmann’s department store in Downtown Pittsburgh, the brand from InterContinental Hotels Group opened in late October. The grand opening was Dec. 4.

It is one of 12 such hotels, and the chain expects to open eight more by the end of 2020, said Matthew Shollar of Reception Hotels and Resorts, this hotel’s developer.

He said the brand was looking to do something in Downtown Pittsburgh and the physical layout of the space was perfect for this type of hotel.

“We know that this building is beloved in Pittsburgh and we are happy to be an integral part of this building being filled,” Shollar said. “We believe we are coming in at an interesting time with our hotel. We believe Pittsburgh is a destination.”

He said the hotel is designed with wellness in mind and that means more than just fitness. It includes the entire experience from healthy food to exercise equipment in rooms to mood-changing lighting to eucalyptus-infused sheets to soundproofed walls.

“We have restful rooms,” Shollar said.”There are not a lot of pictures in the room. There are inspiring sayings such as ‘Sleep Well. Dream Big.’ The rooms are large with higher ceilings than you might find in other hotels.”

The EVEN Hotel in the Historic Kaufmann’s building 425 Forbes Ave Downtown Pittsburgh highlights intentional design in every aspect of all 160 guest rooms and public spaces, with an emphasis on four components: eating well, resting easy, keeping active and accomplishing more.#ihg pic.twitter.com/enX3PJgDWZ

— EVEN Hotel Pittsburgh (@EVENHOTELPGH) October 11, 2019

There are 160 guest rooms, 3,000 square feet of meeting space, plus a 5,000-square-foot indoor atrium. Prices start at $160 per night.

There are five meeting areas and a gym as well as workout equipment in each room. The restaurant is designed to offer healthy options

The brand is built with wellness at its core, said Shollar, who added that in his research, he found there are 18 million business travelers who pack exercise clothing.

“These are people who work out all the time and care about eating well and their well-being,” he said.

The hotel offers business and leisure travelers a place to stay where they can follow their own personal wellness journey,” said general manager Robert Brashler in a news release. “We understand that wellness means different things for different people and we have redesigned the hotel experience to exceed our guests’ every expectation and to help them customize their stay to meet their individual needs.”

The EVEN Hotels brand was launched in 2012.

IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns nearly 5,800 hotels and approximately 865,000 guest rooms in more than 100 countries, with over 1,900 hotels in its development pipeline, the release said.