CHENNAI: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc has announced the opening of Aloft Chennai OMR-IT Expressway, the first Aloft hotel to open in India and the 42nd Aloft hotel globally. A second Aloft hotel is scheduled to open next month 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 has reinvented hotel design with the debut of its newest brand, Aloft Hotels. With more than 40 hotels open since its June 2008 debut, the Aloft brand became the talk of the hospitality industry by going global while in launch mode, opening China’s Aloft Beijing Haidian and Aloft Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in the brand’s first 15 months.
Featuring large guest rooms, a buzzing bar scene, 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 US hospitality industry, 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 brand’s development outside the United States.
“The energy of Aloft properties in India will reflect the dynamism of the cities, where we are opening our doors,’’ said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice-President, Specialty Select Brands for Starwood. “And, we are excited to connect with India’s tastemaking Gen Y travellers, who’ve been eager for a hotel experience that matches their very forward-thinking sensibilities,’’ he added.
Aloft Chennai OMR-IT Expressway features 130 spacious loft-like rooms, accessible technology and a vibrant social atmosphere. The hotel is located on the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), the hub of IT development in Chennai.
Aloft Bengaluru Whitefield will have 170 rooms and will have access to a large restaurant.
The hotel will be located in Whitefield, Bangalore, one of the city’s two major clusters of IT industries, home to several IT parks and an export promotion zone.