14 September 2011 marked a milestone in the - young - history of Aloft, the 'urban cool' chain with contained prices created in 2005 by Starwood Hotels. For the first time, Aloft announced that it was applying its brand to an existing hotel, with the takeover and renovation of the Clarion San Francisco Airport. According to Simon Turner, Starwood's head of development, the offensive should not be limited to this first attempt: "many hotels in good locations in metropolitan areas offer enormous potential for repositioning". The new San Francisco hotel is not the only new addition to the Aloft catalogue in North America, with a number of openings announced over the next two years.
But the development of Aloft, which already has some fifty establishments, is no longer limited to the United States and Canada. Further south on the continent, an Aloft opened its doors this autumn in Bogota, and other openings are expected in Panama City and San José, Costa Rica. But it is in Asia that development is even more spectacular. On 5 December, the brand made its debut in the Thai capital. With 296 rooms, the Aloft Bangkok is located in the lively Sukhumvit 11 district, perfectly matching the image of this young, contemporary brand.
The brand also has major development targets in China. Already present in Beijing and Foshan, Aloft launched two new establishments this summer in Zhenghzou and Haiyang and is announcing hotels in Guangzhou, Yangcheng and Dalian by 2013. The same goes for India: already present in Bangalore and Chennai, Aloft has opened a hotel in Coimbatore, before setting up operations in Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Chandigarh. What about Europe? It seems that the time has come for caution. Until now, Aloft has only been present in Brussels, and has just opened the Aloft London Excel, a stone's throw from the exhibition and conference centre of the same name.
