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First China Aloft hotel launched in Beijing

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-26 18:17

While China's luxury and high-end hotel market is reaching its maturing point, US-based Starwood Hotels & Resorts is turning to tap another niche, select service hotels, to cater to the needs of the specific travelers who are youthful-minded and lifestyle-conscious.

The global hotel group, which invented such kind of hotel branded Aloft more than two years ago, introduced Aloft into China in late November. The China Aloft hotel, located in the western part of Beijing, is the first of its kind in Asia and also outside North America.

The Aloft is featured in its loft design, accessible technology and stylish urban atmosphere. Guests can mix and mingle, read the paper, work on laptops, play a game of pool or grab a drink with friends at the lobby area.

The Aloft targets at those sassy travelers who appreciate design and style, explained Nelli Yong, vice-president of Brand Management Asia-Pacific, Starwood.

Despite the global economic downturn which also exerts negative impact on China and its hotel market, Starwood believes China has the solid foundation to recover faster than the others and many people home and abroad still need to do business or travel to come to Beijing, said Yong.

What is more important, "there will be a growing class of IT professionals and creation class in China, they are the targets of Aloft," she said.

In the past 30 months since the idea of Aloft came out, Starwood has signed 95 Aloft contracts worldwide, Aloft Beijing is one of the nine that are under development in Asia and there is also another Aloft under construction in China, located in Foshan, Guangdong.

And, "there is a lot of interests from the Chinese property owners in Aloft, and talks are under way," said Yong.

The Aloft Beijing launched its soft opening in early November, and the business "was good and about 85 percent customers are within China."

Compared with the other high-end hotel brands under Starwood such as Sheraton and Westin, Aloft provides an attractively lower room rate, about 600 yuan per night.

They are affordable to Aloft's target customers, said Yong.