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Yesterday, I had a fun conversation with the folks from Aloft, one of the new offshoot brands from Starwood. Brian McGuinness, the SVP, Global Brand Leader for both Aloft and Element (as well as Four Points by Sheraton), started by trying to help me understand how all these groups are different. It seems every chain has decided to expand into the hip/affordable niche—and I don't know about you but as a consumer, it's pretty hard to know how the Andazs differ from the Alofts; the Indigos from the Elements.
So let me help you…Aloft has opened 20 properties already, and they have 22 more coming through the end of this year. They're focusing on airports and places like the DC area. They are all about style and design (done by David Rockwell) and things like "vibe" (DJs in the lobby). A couple things Brian told me that I got particularly, geekily, excited by:
• You actually get to choose your own room when you check in, which is done at a kiosk. Want to be close to the elevator, but on the northern side of the building (for whatever reason…)? The choice is yours. Apparently, they did some studies that showed that travelers are happier with the end product when they get to make all the decisions. As someone who always wants to switch my seat on a plane before checking in, I can see how that works.
• They don't charge you for every little thing. There are free bikes on site. Wi-Fi is free. The gym is free. These things aren't hard for a hotel to do, but they're just the kind of thoughtful touches that earn my loyalty.
• Oh, and yes, rooms start at $125 a night, on average.
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I would like to see an article about American Jazz joints . Surely it would include El Chapu.le Ta Pec in Denver. Cool jazz
Posted By Dave Bennett on March 16, 2009, 4:23 PM
The Booklovers B and B on the Eastern Shore of Maryland is very cool and plays an awesome array of hip music. Very unpretensious atmosphere, yet artistic and colorful. Great spot for creative types like me.
Also, the Painted Lady B and B in Portland Oregon is ultra hip and laid back in the heart of the hippest district in the city.
Posted By Raquel Izquidera on March 16, 2009, 8:08 PM
this is the first time staying at an Aloft hotel and the last ! We booked through priceline.com for three nights. the music was so load the first night we could not get to sleep until after 1 am so we had are room moved to another floor and it was worse there was load people and more load music out our window, it lasted until we could not take anymore and called down again and again and told them that WE WOULD CALL 911 IF IT DID NOT STOP, and again it was until after 1 am. I feel that the management was to blame. What was offered to us for the inconvenience ~nothing~
This hotel is in VA. NEAR THE DULLUS AIRPORT OUT SIDE OF DC.
Stay clear if you want a good nights sleep.
an old tired trailer & Diane
Posted By walter lojeski on July 25, 2009, 6:50 PM
Thanks for your article. I would like to say that a health insurance agent also works best for the benefit of the particular coordinators of your group insurance policy. The health insurance broker is given an index of benefits sought by someone or a group coordinator. What a broker may is hunt for individuals or maybe coordinators which in turn best fit those wants. Then he reveals his advice and if all parties agree, the particular broker formulates binding agreement between the two parties.
Posted By Krista Bilder on May 18, 2012, 10:23 PM