aloha! Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.® (NYSE:HOT) adds a new tWist in travel by announcing the opening of Aloft Chennai, the first Aloft to open in India with the second Aloft scheduled to open a month later, on the 01st August 2010 in Bangalore. Urbanedge Hotels, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) of Auromatrix Hotels Private Limited, plans to set up several properties of Aloft hotels in the country over the next few years.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts has reinvented hotel design with the debut of its newest brand, Aloft Hotels. Featuring loft-like guest rooms, a buzzing bar scene in the open lobby, an urban-inspired grab-and go café and industrial design elements throughout, Aloft delivers urban-influenced, modern and vibrant design and an energetic guest experience at an affordable price point.
Aloft, the sizzling tech-savvy brand that has rocked the U.S. hospitality industry makes its debut in India this year, with two properties planned for 2010 - Aloft Chennai, OMR – Sholinganallur and Aloft Bangalore, Whitefield. Aimed at Generation Y, Aloft is Starwood’s design-led, social-experience brand that has enjoyed the fastest ramp-up of any brand in hotel history. As a young, tech-driven society, India will become a key market for Aloft’s development outside of the United States.
”The energy of Aloft properties in India will reflect the dynamism of the cities where we’re opening our doors,” said Brian McGuinness, , Starwood’s Senior Vice President, Specialty-Select Brands. “And we’re excited to connect with India’s tastemaking Gen Y travelers, who’ve been eager for a hotel experience that matches their very forward-thinking sensibilities.”
“We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with the Starwood Group. Aloft will raise the bar in the select-service category, offering urban-inspired guest rooms, leading edge technology services, and an energetic lounge scene, inspiring and indulging its guests with thoughtful, refreshing and stylish experiences.” said Kumar Sitaraman, Chairman & CEO of Auromatrix Hotels.
Aloft Chennai introduces style at a steal to the region with 130 spacious, loft-like rooms, accessible technology and a vibrant, social atmosphere. The hotel is located on the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), the hub for IT development in Chennai. The hotel will also offer over 5,000 square feet of meeting space and a restaurant.
Aloft Bangalore will include 170 rooms, a large restaurant and more than 8,500 square feet of meeting space. The hotel will be located in Whitefield, Bangalore, one of the city’s two major clusters of Information Technology industries, home to several IT parks and an export promotion zone.
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Aloft offers a total sensory experience, with guest loft rooms featuring nine-foot ceilings and oversized windows to create a bright, airy environment. The centerpiece of the Aloft room is the ultra-comfortable signature bed. Large stylish bathrooms complement the guest experience with oversized walk-in showers and amenities created by bliss® spa. Each guest loft is also a combination high-tech office and entertainment center, featuring wireless internet access and plug & play, a one-stop connectivity solution for multiple electronic gadgetry such as PDAs, cell phones, mp3 players and laptops - all linked to a large flat panel HDTV ready television for optimal sound and viewing.
First time visitors to Aloft will immediately understand that Aloft is different from any other hotel experience. Guests are greeted by special features and visually distinctive iconic structures on the exterior, including a colorful, sloping signature carport cover and building roof-line, and colorful glowing linear light sources on the building facade inspired by the notion of travel and motion. Designed in conjunction with world renowned David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group, Aloft Chennai, OMR-Sholinganalur and Aloft Bangalore, Whitefield will offer atmospheric public spaces designed to draw guests from their rooms to socialize and make friends. Guests can read the paper, work on their laptops via hotel-wide wireless internet access, play a game of pool or grab a drink with friends at the re:mix communal lobby area and bar w xyz (SM). The re:charge fitness center and splash, the indoor or outdoor pool, give travelers options to de-stress and re-energize; while re:fuel by Aloft (SM), a one-stop food and beverage area, offers sweet, savory and healthy food, snacks and beverages to grab & go, 24-hours a day.
About Aloft Hotels
Created to shake up the staid, traditional select service segment of the hotel industry, Aloft delivers urban-influenced, open and vibrant design and a social guest experience at an affordable price point. Aloft is shaking up the industry for the next generation of traveler. Aloft hotels are geared toward savvy, design-conscious consumers who grew up with the democratization of design. Aloft hotels are wired for the future and an aggressive growth plan is in place with 500 properties worldwide expected by 2012. For more information, please visit www.alofthotels.com.
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1000 properties in nearly 100 countries and territories with 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft®, and Element SM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.