Happy Birthday to ME!!

Since I was 16 years old I wanted to go to Vegas for my Golden Birthday. September 24th was my 24th birthday and I already knew that my Vegas dream was not going to happen. My sweet and awesome aloft Team was aware of this as well, little did I know they plotted a birthday surprise. On the morning of September 24th, for some reason I forgot it was my birthday (I think I did that on purpose). I started my morning routine before heading to work and found a birthday card tucked into the mirror against the vanity by my loving boyfriend, Brian. That was the first time I realized it was my birthday and started to feel sad, because I knew my Vegas trip was non-existant. As I headed to work, I started receiving birthday texts and calls, it felt nice and made me feel special (I started to feel better). When I finally got to work and opened the trailer door, William, Milan, Carla and Bob had smiles on their faces and wished me a big Happy Birthday with a balloon in the shape of a cupcake and a Best Buy ceritifcate in a birthday card. After a few hugs and laughs, Carla and I were headed to the LCVA Tour which took us to Vineyards, Bed & Breakfast Inns, and Restauarnts in the Loundoun County Area. I started to feel like I had my own Vegas trip but in Loudoun. We were transported by Point to Point Limosine to the different locations. When we got to the Corcoran Vineyard, Jim Corcoran was the sweetest and funniest person I ever met. After everyone that was on the tour with us had their taste of corcoran wine, it was announced that it was my birthday. Jim, without hesitation said I could have any wine I wanted as a birthday gift. At the end of our LCVA Tour I felt so happy to have met such awesome people, businesses, and overall unique individuals that made my birthday a highlight of the trip. After work, the aloft team gathered for my birthday dinner at the Alto Plaza Restaurant. We talked, laughed and had the most "aloft(y)" Birthday a talent could ever imagin. The kicker of this entire day was that my aloft team had made me an aloft birthday video, it was so funny and so touching I felt that Vegas had nothing on what my family and aloft talent coaches had done for me. Thank you to EVERYONE and especially the aloft Dulles North Talent Coaches!!





Irssy Perez
Sales Coordinator

aloft Dulles North hotel hosts "Plane Pull" event

If you have been reading our blog on a regular basis, you probably already know that PM Hospitality Strategies four Dulles Hotels (Embassy Suites, Homewood Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, and the aloft Dulles North) were able to raise over $1000 for the Virginia Special Olympics. We WERE to compete against other teams to pull a 150,000 lb. cargo plane the quickest in a 12 foot distance. Unfortunately the event was cancelled to do the rash case of hurricanes the east coast has been experiencing lately.

Fortunately for us, the aloft Dulles North hotel was privileged to host a smaller celebration just for the Dulles Day "Plane Pull" teams. We enjoyed the evening with appetizers, drinks, music, and great conversations. This year with all of the teams contributions, we were able to raise over $100K in donations.

This is a picture of team PMHS Dulles Hotels (4 Dulles hotels + PMHS Support Center Team). For more information on these hotels or our company - please go to http://www.pmhs.com/.

Milan Patnaik
General Manager

Back to Dulles

Dulles airport smelled like cookies! That was the first thought that came to me ten years ago as we exited the baggage claim, greeted by my father’s family. I’m sure it came from one of the airport restaurants, but with that experience, I now relate that scent to the feeling of a fresh start. Today, I get to smile at that memory every time I reach the highway exit to Dulles Airport which leads to my new office in aloft Dulles North. I could not be happier that a full circle of adventures has taken me back to this area. I will always consider myself a tourist at heart living in the DC metro area. How can you not be with all the countless old history and new sites to see? It was such an experience to be face to face with works of art, emblems of historical events, and monuments that I could only read about when I was growing up. I come from a family of art and engineering enthusiasts, so a lot of our birthdays and special occasions have been spent walking around the Smithsonian Mall. I’m so excited to find that there is another Air and Space Museum that is only a stone’s throw away from our hotel!

I’m also a “foodie”, and for those unfamiliar with the term, it basically means that I am obsessed with food! The DC Metro area definitely covers all types of taste buds and can’t get enough of new restaurants! I’m also a huge movie buff. Most of my free time is spent catering to either cooking with the Food Network, painting, catching the latest Imax flick, and running with Mr. B. Dozer, my mischievous three year old Shar-pei. With my new job as Senior Sales Manager at aloft, it would help to be aware of all happening and exciting events in the tri-state. That may be the best part of the job yet. I promise to share the wealth of recommendations for all fun and interesting events on our blog. If you find yourself in our area and need a tour companion, I will be your obliging volunteer! First stop of our tour will be our property which is art in itself! We are opening our doors very soon and I could not be more proud to show off a creative experience tangible in our hotel. So come on by and be a tourist at heart for a day with me!

aloha and live life aloft!

Carla Carandang
Senior Sales Manager/ your personal tour guide

In the heart of DC's wine country

In Loudoun county, we know that wine isn't the only thing that needs to breath. You need to breathe once in a while too - relax, have fun, and enjoy Virginia's finest wines. The aloft Dulles North is conveniently placed in the thick of Loudoun County, and access to wineries such as Tarara Winery and fine dining locations are only a stone's throw away. There are specifically four clusters of boutique wineries that are sprinkled throughout the bucolic countryside. The wines in the Loudoun county offer perfectly balanced varietals, surprising blends, and desert wines.

Wine country is not the only natural offering in the beautiful valley area, but horse country as well. Passing through many of Loudoun's quaint towns on horseback will transport you back to the historic era of 1758. Take a trip through heritage areas, civil war battlefields, luxurious horse farms that bred Derby and Belmont winners, old-fashioned country stores, and the last cable operated ferry on the East Coast.

As an aloft guest, you can experience the interplay of two polar environments in one day: the historical and agricultural feel of the countryside during the daytime and the vibrant, hip, and sassy vibe of the wxyz bar at twilight time. Do visit us at the aloft and enjoy a total sensory experience that gives you the best of both worlds.

Thanks for reading, fans.

William Chang
Operations Manager

Real Honest Barbeque: Famous Dave's

I am picky when it comes to barbeque. You have some people that put some effort in their barbeque and some that put their heart and soul in making the best of the best BBQ. Dave Anderson did just that when carefully visiting different types of dining restaurants that offered BBQ on their menu. It took him 25 years to gather his thoughts, ideas, and information about what made a good BBQ meal. He decided to test his different styles of BBQ with his family and friends, they were astonished at how succulant the meat was and how yummy it tasted. Dave finally decided it was time to share his culinary talent in making the best BBQ you have ever tasted with the public. In 1979, "Famous Dave's" became part of the Fortune 500 company. In one year he took the last place territory of 12 states to Number One by bringing in over $1,250,000 in sales the last 6 months of the year. The restaurant atmosphere has a country southern feel to it, along with many BBQ Contest trophies on display right when you enter. I love everything on the menu but my favorite would be the corn bread, can we say seconds? If you have a craving for real honest BBQ dine in the Sterling, VA restaurant, you won't be sorry!


Irssy Perez
Sales Coordinator

aloft Vibe Culture Training!

aloha from the entire aloft Dulles North talent coaches!

last thursday and friday (Sept 11-12) I had the privilege to conduct a vibe culture training class to our senior talent coaches. we woke up extra earlier on thursday and set out on a road trip to the aloft Philadelphia Airport. as I drove up 95 north, while listening to the aloft brand cd's...I noticed all three talent coaches busily working hard on their laptops. all I can say is if you don't have an AirCard you must get one! 3 hours later as we passed the Philadelphia Airport we were able to see the aloft hotel just off into the distance.

after seeing so many pictures of the aloft, the talent team was so excited as we pulled into park the parking lot. as we entered through the portal we noticed the calming effect of the water feature and the tantalizing aroma of the vibrance scent we smelled throughout the entire re:mix lobby. instead of walking up to the aloha desk to check in, we decided to use the touch-n-go kiosk to select our guest lofts and check in. the entire process was simple and easy breezy! we were off to our guest lofts in under 5 minutes! the guest lofts were awesome! and the r&r beds were the most comfortable I've ever slept on. all four of us were amazed at the 42" HDTV, what picture quality, and you can even check out of your loft using the tv remote control!

we did take another hour to tour the aloft...our expectations were more than exceeded. we saw the indoor pool - splash, the 24 hour fitness room - re:charge, the awesome W xyz bar, re:fuel - the all day dining experience, the backyard, and spent several minutes ogling the decor of the re:mix lobby.

after we settled in a bit, it was time to start our aloft vibe culture training. we headed to tactic to start our class, and it was just as we expected. colorful place mats, toys and candies, comfortable seating, dvd player and a beautiful 50"plasma HDTV to use for our presentations.

on day 1 we started our training by learning the aloft lingo. we then transitioned into speaking about items such as our core values - sassy * savvy * space. we also discussed the psycho graphic make up of the aloft talent team as well as the aloft guest. the majority of our training was an extensive review on topics such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts, aloft brand standards, signature programs, galaxy training, Starwood one, e-tools, sales strategies, and service culture,etc...on day 2 we covered all PM Hospitality Strategies, Inc. type programs such as HOST, Zero-Defects, Hotel Service Pro, Risk Management, Blogging, Trip Advisor, and our mission statement as well as virtuous cycle.

all in all, we had a great team bonding experience (as you can see from our picture). we are so excited about opening the aloft Dulles North and we are even more excited to have you all as our first guests!

milan patnaik
general manager

America's Got Talent - Kaithlyn Maher

Children amaze me but Kaithlyn Maher from Ashburn, VA is pure talent. At 4 years old, she already presents herself with a poise that is unfounded at such a young age. Kaithlyn Maher sang the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in tune and with the cutest voice I have ever heard. She sang so well that the judges loved her enough to move her to the next round, which will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kaithlyn has to prove that her talent is more than just cutesy and I think she can WOW her audience into believing that she has the potential to be more than just adorable. Tune in to NBC this thursday at 8:30pm to see whether Kaithlyn makes the cut. Ashburn, VA is proud of Kaithlyn and we are cheering you on as you take Vegas by storm. GO KAITHLYN MAHER!!



Irssy Perez
Sales Coordinator

My Night with Celine Dion

Last night I went to the Celine Dion concert at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. and I must say "WOW". I went in the concert thinking, this is going to be just ok. I was able to utilize the Buccin/Pollin Group Box at the Verizon Center and that made all the difference. It was located right on the street entrance level (no escalators) and we were escorted right in to the suite. There was a lounge couch area, a bar type seating for 4, and about 12 seats overlooking center stage. Did I mention the suite service and mini-bar?

The show started promptly at 7pm with a gentleman artist impersonator. He altered the songs in such a funny way, changing the lyrics to poke fun and roast the artists he was actually impersonating. He went on for about 30 minutes singing his version of song ranging from - Vanilla Ice, Johnny Cash, Julio Iglesias, all the way to Celine herself.

So, now the real show began. Celine began the evening by apologizing for not having a tour in Washington, D.C. for 10 years. The rest of the evening was Celine singing her music hits with a few new songs that I had never heard before. The stage was most impressive. All four corners of the moving stage had sections that elevated and descended so the Celine and her dancers could change without the performance ever stopping. On either side of the stage was a moving runway which added depth to the entire choreography. This infused with her a laser light show, the smoke, and Celine's voice made a night to remember.

I felt a bit guilty leaving work early, just to drive down in traffic, find parking, then rush to find the box seats. To make this trip for an artist I hardly ever listen to (unless I am watching a rerun of the Titanic) I was very skeptic. But ultimately I was most pleasantly surprised. I definitely can't wait until I can attend another concert.

DO YOU WANT TO SEE A CONCERT WITH ME? The aloft Dulles North hotel is looking for companies to team up with. If you fill our hotel with Your Company, I will take you to a concert at the Verizon Center and we can enjoy the Buccini/Pollin Box Seats together!

Milan Patnaik

General Manager

National Capital Cat Show

aloft blog readers are fun, energetic, and most of all they are passionate. For instance, I am a huge dog lover - but for others, they prefer the feline family. This weekend September 6th and 7th, 2008 the Dulles Expo Center in Chanitlly, Virginia is hosting The National Capital Cat Show. This is a CFA licensed cat show that showcases cats from all around the country to compete for awards. It is among the largest cat shows held in the U.S. each year. The cat show also has many fun filled booths that display: cat food, cat toys, grooming supplies, and a few cat experts that are able and willing to help with any questions you may have.

The location of The National Capital Cat Show is in the North Hall of the Dulles Expo Center. Show hours are Saturday (Sept. 6th) from 9:30am - 5:00pm and Sunday (Spt. 7th) from 9:30am - 4:00pm. The admission for this fancy feline show are as follows: $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for Children under 12 years and Seniors over 60, and you can even obtain a family discount of $24.00 for a family of 4.

Don't forget to bring your feline friend to the aloft Dulles North when you stay with us. We have our very own pet program called A.R.F - animals 'r' fun. We supply feeding/water bowls, treats, toys, and your pet can even enjoy their very own aloft r&r (rest and relaxing) signature bed. Until next time - live life aloft!

Milan Patnaik

General Manager