InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced the launch of a new wellness-focused hotel brand designed to meet consumer demand for "healthier travel at a mainstream price".

EVEN Hotels, which IHG says is a first for the global hotel industry, aims to provide guests with solutions that cater for all their wellness needs, such as exercise, food, work and rest.

The brand will benefit from an investment of up to US$150m (EUR111.5m, £94m) over the next three years to support the roll-out, with the first location to be announced in Q2 2012.

No spas are planned as part of the new brand, with a spokesperson saying the focus will be on providing customers with the chance to maintain their normal, daily healthy lifestyle while staying at an EVEN property.

The IHG spokesperson also said that providing a premium spa offer while retaining the EVEN price point would have been a challenge to deliver.

Bedrooms will be designed for in-room fitness workouts, with multi-functional amenities to include a coat rack that doubles as a pull-up bar, as well as fully equipped gym facilities.

Menus will be "nutritionally-designed" with a focus on natural and energizing meals, while natural lighting, hypo-allergenic linens and LED dimmers will all be utilised at EVEN hotels.

IHG said it had conducted analysis of emerging trends and undertook research over an 18-month period, which influenced the decision to create a holistic wellness travel experience.

"We have a track record of delivering on hotel industry firsts, and we're doing it again by staking our claim on the wellness space within the mainstream lifestyle category," said IHG chief executive officer Richard Solomons.

"We are so confident in the EVEN brand that we are committing a capital investment of up to US$150m over the next three years to deliver growth and profitability for EVEN."

It is anticipated the first EVEN-branded hotel will open in early 2013.

Details: www.evenhotels.com