Hotel gets $6M makeover, new brand

LAKEWOOD RANCH — The Holiday Inn Lakewood Ranch is getting a $6 million makeover, and will be remade into an Even Hotel, a new brand from InterContinental Hotels Group that focuses on health and wellness amenities.

The property will become one of the first in Florida to get the Even Hotel flag when renovations are complete.

“We're ecstatic about it," says Robert Ferguson, corporate director of sales at the Holiday Inn Lakewood Ranch in the East County Observer, sister paper of the Business Observer. “It's perfect for Lakewood Ranch and a higher-end community. It will make us a step above everything else in the area, new and existing.”

Even Hotels features include personal fitness professionals, spa-like bathrooms, natural eucalyptus fiber bedding, fitness equipment in individual rooms and flavored water stations. There's also market and bar with a menu that includes gluten-free options.

There are currently four Even Hotels, according to its website, including two in New York City, one in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn. The others are in Norwalk, Conn. and Rockville, Md.