jeffreyt

I stayed last night at the Cool Springs Aloft here in the Nashville area. It's my first stay at an Aloft. I live in LA, about 55 miles west of the first Aloft, and had wanted to try the brand so much that I almost drove out there to stay at it. But instead, I'm here in TN on business.

I'm not sure I like the design of the rooms. I think there a bit small, and the platform bed I think is going to be a problem. I'm not that clumsy, yet, because the platform is black and the bedding is white, it sticks out a little and is harder to see. That caused me to bang my knee twice on it. I've never been a fan of these types of beds because of that. The bed is comfortable, though.

What's up with that useless bench under the television? You can't certainly sit there and watch television.

I'm not a fan of the closet being covered by curtains. Looks cheap. The bathroom is nice and I really like the sleek - almost Westin feel - of the shower.

There is a fabric panel above the headboard. Am I the only one that thinks it looks like a spotted cow?

The HD TV is nice, but why can't all the television stations that say that are broadcasting in HD be shown in HD? It seems the hotels don't like to subscribe to the HD signal, and instead just show a stretched and ugly analog picture. Give me a regular Tube Television then.

Maybe I am too fickle - or not trendy enough - but its going to take me a while for me to like Aloft.

Sam P. Goodman

I thought the same thing when I was at the Rogers/Bentonville property in July. In my room , there was some extra space next to the bed near the frosted shower window that seemed like it would have been a good place for a chair. That would have made more sense for TV watching. Sorry Cheap Elite--no pic here either.

itsaboutthejourney

The bench is where I place my bags. I wish there was some kind of chair, heck even a bean bag chair could work.

I don't mind the fabric closet curtain, so many hotels have broken tracks on the closet doors.

My other major headscratcher about aLoft is that they have this cool, high tech box connected to the HD TV with all sorts of options, yet there is no iPod dock/charger/connector. I'm guessing the crossover between the aloft crowd and ipod user crowd is high.

I was told at the opening party that the cow print is simply a digital printed panel that can and will be changed with the seasons or evolution of the decor.

100,000miler

What exactly is the aloft product? It seems a step below 4 Points or am I mistaken. Not much service?

Starwood Lurker

Not exactly. Just different. Here is a brief description in their own words:

In the same way that W Hotels broke through the clutter of conformity in the upscale hotel arena in 1998, aloft is shaking up the lodging industry with high design at an affordable price point, accessible technology, style and a social atmosphere. On schedule to open later this year are aloft hotels at the Portland and Dulles Airports and in Beijing, China, and Las Colinas, Plano and Frisco, Texas.

aloft offers atmospheric public spaces designed to draw guests from their rooms to mix and mingle. Savvy travelers can read the paper, work on their laptops via complimentary hotel-wide wireless Internet access, play a game of pool or grab a drink with friends at re:mix SM, the communal lobby area featuring the sassy w xyz bar. The re:charge SM fitness center and splash, the indoor pool, give travelers options to de-stress and re-energize, while re:fuel by aloft SM, a one-stop food and beverage area, offers sweet, savory and healthy food, snacks and beverages to grab & go, 24 hours a day. Not just a pretty space, aloft is committed to the environment through its green program, which offers such eco-friendly amenities as preferred parking for hybrid cars and a greener-saline solution in the splash indoor pool.

Guest rooms feature urban-influenced design, while the centerpiece of each aloft room is an ultra-comfortable plush platform bed. Loft-like nine-foot ceilings and oversized windows create a bright, airy environment. Large, stylish bathrooms complement the guest experience with oversized walk-in showers and amenities created by Bliss Spa®. Each aloft room is also a combination high-tech office and entertainment center, featuring wireless Internet access and plug & 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.

Guests of aloft can book their stay directly through www.alofthotels.com, which features the best rate guarantee. Guests also may book through their local travel agents. In addition, during the year of aloft hotel’s launch—2008—members of the Starwood Preferred Guest program can earn an unprecedented 8 Starpoints for every U.S. dollar spent (quadruple the base earning) when they register and then book a stay at any aloft hotel worldwide until December 31. Members of the award-winning and industry-leading Starwood Preferred Guest program currently earn two points for every dollar spent at a participating Starwood hotel. After racking up their Starpoints, SPG members can redeem their points for free nights with no blackout dates at more than 860 hotels and resorts worldwide. The offer is designed to celebrate the opening of aloft, the eighth hotel and lifestyle brand to join the Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty program.

But, probably the most important consideration for you would be the fact that all of the NAD hotels in the entire brand are non-smoking. However, it appears that the one in Haidan has smoking rooms.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

itsaboutthejourney

William, maybe you can point out to the aLoft folks that this is a bit disingenuous? Maybe if you bring your own 1/4" mini to 1/4" mini cable you can hook up your iPod or mp3 player to that box, but otherwise aLoft offers nothing like what's mentioned above.

Obviously they should have added a true iPod connector/controller, even some treadmills at my gym have that.

travelista

Okay, so just checked in at aloft. Was told at check-in that there are no suites at this location... and that it's pretty darn quiet tonight. I was hoping for some type of upgraded room.... and was surprised then that my room would be on the 2nd of 6 floors.

Room... seems like a standard room. #217. Literally right across from the elevator, windows facing front entry.... but pretty much no view at all -- other than the overhang for the entry.

Bliss products in bath... bed looks comfortable. Pleased w/ the basic decor... but yes, this property is all about socializing downstairs in the main lobby area, so I'll be going down there in a bit.

HDTV is nice... but it's getting to be the standard in most SPG properties I stay in.

I was very excited to stay here, as it's my first aloft experience.... and it's alright. Pretty basic so far... but with a fresh look.

I'll be checking out the workout facilities shortly, and the neighborhood for this area (Franklin, TN) seems to have alot to offer.

I forgot my camera... but I'll take some pics on my cell phone and upload so you can see.

At check-in was given a nice "welcome gift" of Premium m&m's. Raspberry Almond.

satori

Some posters are asking about photos. I posted lots of photos of the Portland PDX aloft at Cascade Station on my blog last month. My review of other aloft hotel reviews indicated the properties around the country are so cookie-cutter that it is hard to tell which property you are viewing from a photo.

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyalt...scade-station/

Here is a Hotel Chatter review of Rancho Cucamonga aloft hotel:
http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/20...ncho_Cucamonga

3Cforme

IIRC, Lurker has confirmed there is no Plat upgrade benefit at aloft and Element.

Agree with comments that a box without cables is useless, and on cheapness of the closet curtain. Cheapness is a repeating theme in room design and execution, I would say.

I, too, use the TV bench as a luggage rack but am conscious of luggage wheels on upholstery. Stretched SD TV on a wide panel is just wrong, but aloft is not the only hotel who fails to keep the TV's channel memory updated for hi def channels.

Awfully loud HVAC in Portland and Lexington, three stays for me. This may kill aloft for me, frankly.

Bigshaker

I stayed at the Aloft's in Plano and Frisco Texas outside Dallas and it seems like they are all set up identically. I thought they were fantastic.
The large stand up shower, the nice bed and flat screen TV utilize the small space well.
To me these are luxury-low end/budget hotels and are priced accordingly. ie $79/night. Great for one person on a quick overnighter or for getting two ajoining rooms for the kids. I've also seen alot of groups ie kids soccer teams etc during my stays. Free parking.
The one thing missing is a USB charger port for the IPhone etc

Bigshaker

ssullivan

I've stayed in two aLofts, including the Plano location. There is a USB charger on the box on the desk. You just need the cable to connect your device to it.

dgmcdougall

Stayed twice at the Cool Springs aLoft, both times in different rooms the noise from the in-wall AC/Heat unit (same style unit you find in classic budget motels) was way to much for me, so much so that it is a deal breaker and will make aLoft very low on my list of hotel choices. Other than this the hotel was pretty nice, my only other comment is that the "aloha's" from the staff gets tiring after the first couple of times.

ws8n

I find Aloft like a well-poshed college dorm, nothing more...

Qwiklap

Hey guys,

I am writing this review from the aLoft in Nashville-Cool Springs. I have been here for 4 nights and I will be here for another 4 nights. I have also stayed here before.

I have to say that some of the reviews above are a bit harsh, especially when consider the other Starwood options in the area (Sheraton Downtown and Sheraton at Opry Mills).

For me (my company's US offices are in Cool Springs) this hotel is very conveinent, and I think much nicer than the quite dated Downtown Sheraton.

Lobby: This hotel has a great lobby, very cool and kitch. And the hotel bar (which opens at 4pm) is very cool. Great bartenders and some really interesting beers on tap. They also have some cool martinis. This is a pretty lively meeting place for the happy hour set.

Rooms: Yes -- the room have some design issues. But they are clean and nice. The beds are good, and linens are really nice. Shower is very nice. Closet space is very tight, this would be my biggest complaint as I am doing these longer stays. There are no drawers either, and the closet can only really handle a couple of shirts and suits. I would rethink these closets if possible. I end up using the bench under the TV as a place to fold and layout my clothing due to the lack of drawers.

The amenities are nice. You get a free bottle of water every day, a mini-fridge (not stocked), Bliss products (and a different scent than the regular W hotel set -- not better, but just changed up), and best of all free wifi throughout the hotel property. This is really nice. Hey W Hotel brand managers ... how come my $112 room at aLoft has free Wifi, but my rooms at W Seoul, W NYC and W Hong Kong had only wired internet for a very high fee ... ridiculous!!!!!

The TV is great -- and they do have a number of HD channels (ESPN, ESPN2, Showtime, TNT HD) ... but their should be more. The also have on demand HD movies -- but I did not try it. The connector box has a bunch of power outlets (great for recharging). It also has Red/White/Yellow RCAs, one mini-jack, a PC in, and an HDMI. But no Ipod connector (odd).

Pool/Gym: Pool is indoor which is inexplicable. It should be outdoor.

The Gym is quite nice for a cheap hotel gym. A bench, set of dumbells (up to 50lbs), two treadmills, two elipicals, a stationary bike and a bunch of swiss balls. I can get a nice workout down here. And the cardio equipment is all new and has integrated displays with TV and Ipod connectivity.

Service: Service is OK. It's not even close to W Whatever/Whenever -- but this is a budget hotel. So you can't expect it. The staff is young and funky and seems to genuinely try to make you happy.

BTW -- if you are looking for an upgrade ... there aren't any. There are no suites. Only King bed rooms and Dual Queen Bed rooms -- the latter are substantially larger in terms of floor space. But I prefer the larger bed.

All in all -- given that the price point is around $100 to $125 per night -- I think this hotel is a great value. I would recommend it as the best SPG option in the Nashville area (unless you really are wanting to stay in downtown or at opry mills). I hope this was helpful

Starwood Lurker

I'm not a W Hotel brand manager, but it's probably because the brand standards for W Hotels does not include free Wifi or wired internet, but the aloft brand standards do?

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]