ERJ170

I just thought I would give everyone an update of the aloft at Philadelphia Airport. The official opening was Saturday August 9, 2008 and I had a reservation for Saturday August 9, 2008. First impression on the outside was, this is nice. The huge "aloft" sign was very cool. The colors of the building and awning was pretty cool. It really does look like a chic baby W. Check-in was okay. There was a couple of hickups in trying to find the reservation, but it was okay. Went up to the room and the first issue that showed up was the door did not stay closed when you closed it from the inside. Had to use the catch to assure no one would walk in. The front desk got a call on that one.

As soon as you come in the room, there is the bathroom and the closet covered with a curtain. It is definitely a business trip hotel because there is not much space for storage. The bathroom was very modern with a while raised bowl counter and mirrors on the wall in front of the sink and on the sliding door to the toilet/shower area. The toilet/shower are was was cool with a glass door to the shower and a frost wall on the wall seperating the shower from the bedroom.

In the bedroom portion, which was just around a wall from the sink, it was okay.. if not a bit small. Consisted of a desk (with free internet) on one side of the wall, a bench, and the air conditioner on the other side of the bench. Above the bench, there was 42" LG tv. Nicely placed, but if you are taller than the 5'10" that i am, you would bang your head. The bed was nicely sized and the side stand were good in that they offered a light switch for each light above the bed. The side stand consists of two shelfs on either side of the bed, with electric outlets on the second shelf.

That's the room.. In the Lobby of the of the aloft was a very, very nice bar with excellent signature drinks, a refresh station with food for purchase, a game area with a pool table which was very popular, and a lounge area. It was very nice. There was an outside court that was not set up from pre-opening night party the night before. On checkout day, it was finally fixed. The pool was very nice, but very cold. They needed to fix it.

Check out was going through a short list of things that needed attention (pool, door lock, manuals to everything left in the room, a couple of other things).. and a departure..

I have some pictures ofthe outside, but dont know how to attach them. Overall, I give the aloft 4 out of 5 stars.. definitely not a W, but still pretty cool for what it is. As a business traveler, I say.. it's awesome.. as a leisure traveler, I would probably look for the W...

Hope this helps.. this is my first one so if I did it wrong, I'm so sorry..

sbtinme

Nothing to be sorry about! For a first trip report, this was excellent! Thanks for taking the time to gather the details and share your observations.

mcgahat

Thanks for posting, I normally stay at the Sheraton Suites PHL but would like another option as the Sheraton is a little dark and dreary in the rooms.

dogmom11

...at least at the Philadelphia Airport. Great experience for my first aloft stay--here's a link to a blog write-up w/photos. Enjoy!

http://www.dogmomsdish.com/dogmoms_d...ods-aloft.html

frank3355

Thanks, I may give this place a try now.

RichMSN

I'm here now. I like it. It's perfect for solo business travel, although I have to walk over to the 4P for dinner.

TTT103

Thanks for the report, as I'm staying there in a few weeks. I previously stayed at the FP and Sheraton, but opted to give the aLoft a try.

777 global mile hound

I have a reservation booked here at PHL (my first Aloft) and heard they have only have platform beds at all Aloft properties.
Platform beds are usually very hard/firm with no give.
Even a box spring can feel like that.......at times
I am not a platform bed fan typically (beds without box springs) and thinking of canceling my reservation...........any thoughts all?

My idea is to visit the property for observation and stay elsewhere
Especially as great deals are easily available now in this current economy
Thanks

ElmhurstNick

I had a very short stay there last week - arrived after 1am, left by 9am. It seemed a bit too antiseptic for me for anything other than sleeping. Little things annoyed me:

1. Their inability to have a clock-radio which plays an ipod. I guess that their multimedia box could play one if I had a converter for the headphone output, but most Hilton and Hyatt family properties have this problem solved.
2. No couch or recliner chair, except for some sort of bench under the TV which really isn't useful for sitting.
3. I thought the food selections in the pantry were too high priced. Why can't I get a $1.50 or even $2 20oz soda like I can in virtually any Hampton Inn.
4. The TV/multimedia thing seemed like it was interesting, but Hyatt Place has a device with many more options.

I know it's supposed to feel modern, but it just felt cold to me. I did like the bathroom layout, however, especially that it was a real shower and not a bathtub.

Would I stay in an aloft again? Sure, if there was a significant price discount against a Hyatt Place or Hampton Inn, or if it was a Cat3 with Cash & Points. But it's not enough to get me to switch back from Hyatt for my #2 chain behind Hilton - Starwood is two years too late.

RichMSN

Having to pay for a coffee in the lobby, especially as a PLT, isn't what I consider to be inviting.

ElmhurstNick

Agreed - I'm now just a lowly GLD, but I think Plats should get a $5 lobby credit, even if only towards non-alcoholic beverages and not food. It's the same kind of thing that annoys me about Hyatt Place - I'm a Diamond and I have to pay $3 if I want a pastry with my fruit for breakfast.

777 global mile hound

Did I ask how the bed is?

ElmhurstNick

To be honest, at 2am after having been awake for 23 hours, I could have slept well in the shower. But I seem to recall the bed was rather firm, which I do like.

vysean

Stayed here for one night a few weeks ago - arrived around 9:45pm.

Likes:

• Convenient to the airport.
• 8x bonus points is hard to turn down.
• Staff were friendly.
• Bed was very comfortable.
• TV was nice and big.

Dislikes:

• Lobby was incredibly loud.
• Check-in took a while.
• On-site food/beverage selection very limited and expensive.
• Nearby FP restaurant closes relatively early (for a Friday/Saturday night).
• Don't like shampoo coming out of a big "random goo dispenser". If I wanted that, I'd stay at a HIX in Europe/Asia.

The aircon is pretty noisy too - this can be a good or bad thing depending on your view of white noise. I was fine with it.

I was disappointed with the selection of food in the lobby, and was about to resign myself to a bag of chips and a soda (it was late and I'd been traveling all day and didn't want to go into town), but the lobby person suggested pizza from a nearby place. The pizza wasn't great, but it was pretty cheap, delivery was quick, and I could get Dr. Pepper delivered (plus they deliver directly to your room). I took two slices and gave the rest to the lobby staff - all of us were happy.

Only thing I was really unhappy about was the shuttle service - I told the driver I wanted to take the SEPTA train into town and wanted to get out at A-East. He took me to the Northwest gates (D or E terminal?). The train was sitting there, but by the time I got upstairs, crossed the road, and went back downstairs it was gone. Had he dropped me at A-East I'd have made it and not had to wait an extra 30 minutes. Not a big deal, but annoying nonetheless.

I would very much agree w/ ElmhurstNick's view that "it just felt cold to me". As to the bedding - all I remember is that it felt comfortable to me and I got a great night's sleep. Sorry to not be more specific...

salanki

I have stayed at this property a couple of times over the last couple of months, and as a W fan, I like the modern design choices and the general freshness of a brand new hotel.

I do not know if my impression is affected by usually arriving from horrible redeyes but I would agree that the generall impression is "cold". The grey tone all over the entire place probably adds to this. The front desk personell are always nice and friendly.

I will defenitley stay here in the future for all nights that I can't spend in the downtown Sheratons, but would not recommend it for someone who is not a few nights solo buisness traveler.