Influx

Aloft is Starwood’s newest brand and is designed to compete in the “Jet Blue” space for hotels by providing affordable comfort. Years back, W was launched to be a mass-market version of the boutique hotel concept famously created by Ian Schrager.

With the W, Starwood managed to find precisely the right balance of elements to create a hotel chain that was cool and different enough to be interesting, without being too cool. It seemed perfectly attuned and plugged into a crowd that was growing much more comfortable with bringing design into their lives. W has now found a loyal following of customers who want to the W experience which can be characterized as design-driven, fashionable, bright, loud, fun and urban.

Starwood are smart enough to realize that there is another customer segment with unmet needs and Aloft is the brand for them. The target is the business traveler who is on a relatively tight, budget, but needs comfort and a place to break-away from the stress of meetings and hectic travel schedules. These are people looking for an alternative to the typical franchise business hotel concept.

“We see aloft as an oasis at the end of the road, a place that’s comfortable, easy and effortless.”

Ross Klein, President of W Hotels Worldwide.

Aloft’s emphasis appears to be less on cool than W and more on affordable comfort. The concept inspired by loft living is focused on room comfort and ceiling height. The locations of the new hotels will be close to airports and not hip urban centers. Aloft is targeted at people focused on re-charging, getting work done and not the crowd who want to hang out in the club/bar till 4am. These are people looking for a hotel that’s more spa, than nightclub.

Aloft looks like it could be another winner for Starwood and will send the likes of Marriott and Holiday Inn scurrying back to their design teams trying to refresh their dated concepts. Sadly, must of their properites are stuck in the standard motel architectural format that will be impossible to change.