Guests put their two cents into the new Aloft hotels

HAWTHORNE, N.Y. — How do you create the look and feel of a new hotel chain?
Starwood Hotels & Resorts is taking the unusual step of testing the design on stage sets to work out kinks before opening.
MORE: Hip hotel chains court the cost-conscious
Walk into a nondescript warehouse 45 minutes north of Manhattan, and you're in an Aloft lobby. A runway-like rug made of recycled tires leads through sliding glass doors into a high-ceilinged space with exposed pipes and vents. There's a small circular "aloha" reception desk, gumball machine and pool table, plus check-in kiosks for those who want to zip to their rooms. The centerpiece is a living-room area with conversational seating areas and bar. The aim is to offer a "lifestyle" hotel that's a fun place to play and stay for everyone from families to Gen-X and Gen-Y to what Aloft president Ross Klein calls "silver surfers" (older folks who love to travel). The name of this less-costly cousin of Starwood's W brand was coined by Klein, who also presides over W. Asked early on to describe the concept, he blurted: "It's a loft." (Well, in spirit, anyway. Though lobbies are lofty, guestroom ceilings don't soar past 9 feet.) The brand will bring hip digs to places not famed for them. The first Alofts are due next spring in Lexington, Mass.; Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; and Rogers, Ark. The goal is 500 properties in five years. Aloft — which made its virtual-reality debut on the popular Second Life website — is like the Mini Cooper of lodgings, Klein says, offering value-priced style and high performance. Rates at Aloft, which won't have frills such as room service or fancy restaurants, are due to run $125-$200.
Influenced by Starbucks' success, hotel lobbies are now designed as places to hang out. "People said they felt anonymous on the road," Klein says. Aloft's lobby will foster what Klein, trendy in a lavender shirt and spiky hair, calls "re-socialization." High-backed banquettes offer "interactive isolation": Guests can nest unobtrusively while people-watching and pull down cushioned armrests to guarantee personal space. Jargon flies when any brand brainstorms a new product. Klein and designers talk about "creating a culture in a generic (hotel) landscape," "being like the coolest, fun store in the mall" and "biorhythm settings" (lobby music and lighting change according to time of day). Today's hotels are big on multisensory experiences.
Design is a work in progress, says Aloft design manager Aliya Khan. Potential franchisees and frequent Starwood guests have been invited here for feedback on Aloft and on model suites created for another new brand called Element, targeted at extended-stay travelers.
The result: changes in fabrics, colors and furnishings. Visitors congregating in the Aloft lobby disliked the open-back bar stools, so they were replaced. Ottomans replaced heavy chairs, as they could easily be moved to form conversational groupings. More electrical outlets were added at the request of laptop users.
Informality reigns: Food and drink from a deli-style nook (famed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is consulting on menus) is "grab and go." Breakfasts may feature eat-on-the-run egg wraps.
Gadgetry is king, too. Alofts will offer free Wi-Fi. A lobby vending machine stocks high-tech toys such as PlayStations and iPods. Rooms have 32-inch flat-screen TVs that can be hooked up to computers, personal digital assistants and music players.
Guestrooms aren't loftlike, unless you count the platform beds with cutting-edge headboards made of springy cork. The look is that of a compact (280 square feet for a standard room), contemporary Manhattan studio apartment, without the kitchen.
Luggage is stored in sight, under a bench where tall sitters might bump their heads on the wall-hung TV. Closets are tiny, hidden by a flimsy curtain rather than a door at this point in the design process. Small bathrooms have sliding doors.
Rooms still are a work in progress, says designer Khan. They'll probably end up with shades that can be wiped down rather than drapes — guests perceive drapes as dirty, Klein says. Room safes have charging plugs inside, a suggestion from road warriors.
The simulations are so realistic that one early visitor took a bathroom break, Khan says — not realizing the plumbing isn't hooked up. That was one fix she and her ever-remodeling crew hope never to make again.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Manhattan Arkansas TVs iPods Lexington Wi-Fi Starbucks Calif. Rogers Resorts Walk Starwood Second Life Mini Cooper PlayStations Gen-X Jean-Georges Vongerichten Element Gen-Y

By Kitty Bean Yancey, USA TODAY

Dulles hotel market solid: Despite economic slowdown, more hotel construction is in the works

Two hotels -- aloft dulles-north and Hilton Garden Inn -- are under construction at Flagstaff Plaza in Ashburn.

Times-Mirror Staff Photo/Elizabeth Dodd
By Layla Wilder and Lynn Wolstenholme

Although the real estate industry has slowed to a crawl, hotel growth in the Dulles corridor remains healthy. Several developers have recently applied to build hotels along the corridor – an area of Sterling, Reston, Herndon and Chantilly, generally following Route 28 and the Dulles Toll Road. One development company, Buccini/Pollin is in the process of building two hotels in the Dulles Corridor – aloft Dulles-North, a W Hotels brand, and Hilton Garden Inn Washington Dulles North.

The aloft Dulles, which is scheduled to open in November, is a 136-room hotel designed with urban influences and high-tech amenities at Flagstaff Plaza in Ashburn. Next to aloft is Buccini/Pollin's Hilton Garden Inn, a 135-room mid-priced hotel. According to a Lodging Property Survey by Randall Travel Marketing in 2006 for the Loudoun Convention and Visitors Association, 86 percent of the 4,439 hotel rooms in the county are in the Dulles and Route 7 corridors. Those rooms collect more than 90 percent of the lodging taxes generated by the county.

"Tourism is an important industry in Loudoun County," said Larry Rosenstrauch, director of Loudoun County Department of Economic Development. "We are not saturated [in hotels]."
Rosenstrauch added that he often hears from business leaders that they want to see some full-service hotels offering a place to eat, sleep and hold meetings. Some of that growth can be attributed to an airport that is also growing, said Eileen Curtis, president of the Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is spending $7 billion on improvement projects at Washington Dulles International Airport and Reagan National Airport. Much of the

investment is going to Dulles, where airport officials expect annual passenger traffic to increase from about 24 million people now to about 35 million by 2016. “I think it's quite natural, given the hub around the airport and high business travel,” she said.

Two developments in the Loudoun section of the Dulles corridor that are in the works will add huge amounts of office space – Moorefield Station, planning 9.75 million square feet of commercial space, and One Loudoun, planning 3 million square feet of office space. Both projects have plans for hotels in the sprawling communities and expect a lot of business-travel traffic.
Another large development that will bring in significant office space on the Route 28 corridor is the Corporate Office Park Dulles Town Center by Lerner Enterprises. When complete, this area will house over 4.5 million square feet of office space. As office space has increased, hotels have followed. Fairbrook Hotels, a Herndon-based company, has applied for a 60,000-square-foot hotel on Lee Road, attracted by the increasing office space along the Dulles corridor and U.S. 50, said Vinay Patel, president of the company. Demand is already driving up prices enough that developers can justify building more hotels in that area, Patel said.

Todd Kaufman, Loudoun County assessor, said that while the real estate market is slowing, developers will take this time to purchase land. Hobie Mitchel, developer of the Lansdowne community, agreed, saying that he hasn't seen a rise in prices on raw land, so developers will take this time to plan out future opportunities.

“If you're going to build, now is a great time to do it,” said Gerald Gordon, president of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority. He said it takes several years to construct hotels and, once they are completed, the market could be healthy again. Tom Maskey, vice president of The Peterson Cos., said hotel occupancy has softened recently, but the market is still “pretty good simply because it is in the Washington, D.C., area.”

Both Gordon and Maskey say Dulles Airport contributes to the need for more hotel space. Even when business travel is slow, nonprofits and trade associations continue to use the airport, Gordon said. There is some fear among developers that there will eventually be a surplus of hotel space around the airport, Patel said. “But we're in this for the long run, and once business picks up, everything should be OK.”

Sully Plantation Historic Site

An oasis of the past, Sully reflects the history of Fairfax County. Completed in 1799 by Richard Bland Lee, the main house at Sully combines aspects of Georgian and Federal architecture. Richard Bland Lee was Northern Virginia's first Representative to Congress, as well as General Robert E. Lee's uncle. On the National Register for Historic Places, and accredited by the American Association of Museums, Sully also includes original outbuildings, representative slave quarter and gardens. Guided tours highlight the early 19th century life of the Richard Bland Lee family, tenant farmers and enslaved African Americans. Programs reflect the history of Fairfax County through the 20th century.

Reservations for Museum Education Programs for elementary aged children begin on August 1.

Hello Readers from William Chang

I hope you all have been enjoying the blog so far. We owe it to Milan for keeping the hotel community updated on this new and exciting branded property opening in your area! The pictures and the hype surrounding aloft dulles-north has me on the edge of my seat – and that is where I come in. My name is William Chang and I am the Operations Manager for the aloft dulles-north, opening in November 2008! Currently, I am a senior at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and I will graduate this May. I will spend my summer getting mentally prepared for the aloft experience before I come on board with Milan in the fall. Needless to say, I am extremely excited.If someone were to describe me, he/she would call me a global citizen and a free spirit with entrepreneurial direction. Ever since I was young, I have been exposed to international exposure, always thriving to immerse myself in diverse cultures. Being Malaysian Chinese, I have experienced racial melting pots through living in culturally rich countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and of course the United States. Whether it is spending two weeks in a mountain school on the Thailand-Burma border, exploring the wine regions of Tuscany, or snapping photos of a sleeping lion in Kenya, my passion for travelling “wanderlust” has given me an international edge to provide service to world travelers in this culturally intimate industry. At the aloft dulles-north, I hope to transcend these diverse qualities to potential talent that fit the profile.Like Milan, I am a sports fan, supporting soccer and basketball teams like Newcastle United, Inter Milan, and the Boston Celtics. I am a musician, playing the guitar, the bass guitar, the drums, and the clarinet – I am a true rock n’ roll fan that has always been in musical groups and independent bands all my life. I support the independent music scene with ardent passion and would be happy to share my recorded demo tracks with you. My passion for music and travelling create a cultural infusion between creativity and environmental adaptability: this relationship is essential to creating an energetic working culture at the aloft dulles-north.If you can relate to my passions and competencies, please contact us at the information above. I look forward to meeting you all and inviting you to our hotel!Best Regards,William

engadgetHD

The aloft dulles-north is getting set to bring its traditionally modern style to a new hotel in Dulles, Virginia. The 136-room aloft Dulles-North is merely minutes away from the Dulles International Airport, and besides being near a plethora of shopping and dining options, it also offers each guest free WiFi, their own flat-panel HDTV and a "one-stop connectivity" panel for interfacing with gizmos in tow. No word on just how pricey a night in this place will be, but you can find out for yourself starting on November 6th, 2008.