Starwood goes aloft!

The plush Starwood flagship, Sheraton on the Park set the scene yesterday for Starwood Hotels and Resorts’ release in Australia of its much-anticipated new lifestyle brand, aloft.

Starwood’s Sean Hunt, VP and Area MD Australia NZ and Pacific said that Starwood had signed an agreement with Argus Developments Pty Ltd (a subsidiary of Tuscan Corporation) to develop the first aloft hotel in Australia, the aloft Sydney Airport, described by Sean as a refreshing change from the normal bland airport hotels, which would be located on O’Riordan Street just a few minutes and just one mile from Sydney airport.

[Pictured: Sean Hunt, VP and Area MD Australia, NZ and Pacific, Amanda Elder, Area Director of Sales and Marketing Australie, New Zealand and Pacific and industry icon, Bob Lunnon, Director Global Leisure Sales Asia Pacific, at yesteday’s launch.]

With the hotel expected to open in 2009 the aloft Sydney Airport has been conceived by the same team that created W Hotels, with aloft delivering what Starwood describes as affordable, stylish design, accessible technology and a refreshing new attitude to the lodging industry.

Sean Hunt said that in the same way that W Hotels broke through the clutter of conformity in the upscale hotel arena, aloft will raise the bar in the select-service category, offering a total sensory experience with urban-inspired, loft-life guest rooms, leading edge technology services, and an energetic lounge scene.

He also said that travellers visiting Sydney will now have a fun new way to play and stay with our latest destination sensation, aloft Sydney Airport, O’Riordan Street, adding that as a Vision of W® Hotels, the aloft brand was formally launched in Asia Pacific at the Hotel Investment Conference (HICAP) in Hong Kong in late 2006, and is shaking up the lodging industry with urban-influenced design, accessible technology, style and a social atmosphere. aloft offers a total sensory experience, with guestrooms featuring loft-like nine-foot ceilings and oversized windows to create a bright, airy environment.

He added that the centerpiece of the aloft room is the ultra-comfortable signature bed, and large stylish bathrooms that complement the guest experience with oversized walk-in showers and amenities created by bliss spa®, with each guestroom also a combination high-tech office and entertainment center, featuring wireless internet access and plug and 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.

aloft Sydney Airport has been designed in conjunction with world-renowned David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group, staying true to its W heritage, offering atmospheric public spaces designed to draw guests from their rooms to socialize and make friends, with guests able to 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.

The re:charge fitness center and splash, the hotel pool, give travelers options to de-stress and re-energize. The aloft Sydney Airport – O’Riordan Street will include 161 guestrooms, approximately 60 to 80 square meters of meeting space, self service food and beverage option re:fuel by aloft, a one-stop food and beverage area, offering sweet, savoury and healthy food, snacks and beverages to grab & go, 24-hours a day.

Starwood has identified 15 aloft hotel locations all over Australia with over 20 in the region and Amanda Elder, Starwood’s Area Director of Sales and Marketing Australia, New Zealand and Pacific while not being directly drawn on allocating aloft a star rating, when pushed  anticipated that it would sit in at around 4* and deliver a 5* service.

To view a complete list of aloft locations, please visit the website at www.alofthotels.com

Report by The Mole