tashworth

Stayed at my first Aloft this weekend with my family in Denver (near DIA). An avid Westin, W, Hyatt, Andaz and even Sheraton fan, I was expecting a slightly stripped down W or Andaz, but what I seemed to have gotten was a more hip Comfort Inn at best.

Pros:

Pool table-my 11 year old thought that was cool.
Pool-my 11 year old thought that was cool.
Funky Elevator Floor-my 11 year old thought that was cool.
Loud AC-yes, I love the white noise.
Gave me my requested room opposite the highway
Great TV

Cons:
Service was very bland--I think that is their style though. No one seemed really happy we were there (even as an SPG Gold). At checkout, the one desk clerk must have taken her 15 minute break because I and another guest stood their for 5 minutes waiting.

You have to go to the front desk to get extra pillows. Now, I expect to do that at a Comfort Inn and Hampton in, but an Aloft? The staff was thin in the front of the house, but seemed sufficient in the back of the house. Very odd.
EXPENSIVE breakfast, and not much choice to offer. An Egg McMuffin, two blueberry muffins, a canned coffee, and brewed coffee were $13. I could get a better FREE breakfast at a Hampton, Residence Inn or Hyatt Place.

Beds hard. Not your expected Starwood beds. Pillows were lumpy (the ones there and the requested replacement onces). Reminded me of the pillows of the Comfort Inn in Bolivar, Missouri.

NO privacy. Cracks in the door of the bathroom. My partner could hand things through the cracks to me in the shower/toilet area.

ONE sink basin. Fine if you are traveling by yourself, but not sufficient for + people.

The wall dispensing shampoo and body wash was ok--but the fact it was about half way empty really made me feel like others had stayed in the room before, which is not the impression a hotel wants to give.

Very small room. Even with the wall hanging TV, not much room even for one person to get around.

I had hoped for a great experience, as I have the opportunity to stay often at the Houston Aloft--nope. Will stick to my routine to date there. VERY disappointed--I don't know that it was as much a Denver specific Aloft issue as the brand itself. If back in town, I'd be off to the Hyatt Place across the street in a heartbeat.

RichMSN

All of these hotels are essentially alike. Either you like them or you don't.

The newness of the brand has worn off for me and I think it'll be a while before I stay in another one.

UA-NYC

Will be staying at an Aloft (O'Hare) in a week for the first time. Would normally stay the Westin for both nights, but the FWN promo makes me switch. And I wasn't that impressed with the Sheraton last time, so...

Going in with low expectations (based on what I've read here), maybe will be surprised.

nfg05

Low expectations will not be exceeded. Alofts I've been to don't even have central air... rather a loud, gymnasium style rectangle AC that is loud and turns on and off throughout the night.

Aloft feels like a nice dorm to me.

TerryK

That is the target market segment of Aloft. @:-) Sorry you didn't realize it beforehand.

tashworth

I hear you. I didn't expect a W or Andaz or Westin-more of a Sheraton, but at least with better bedding, or at least the quality of a Comfort Inn or Hampton, which it didn't really meet to me. I'd stay at Hampton or HI Express before Aloft.

RichMSN

The air conditioning is unbelievably loud. And of course -- with no central air, the room is either frigid or stuffy depending on whether the AC has cycled on or off.

The gym is nice there and PLTs get a free hot beverage daily. Yup, they even charge for a cup of drip coffee in the lobby.

tashworth

I've considered the O'Hare Aloft being my first since it opened, but I hear about the highway noise from 294 Tollway and distance from restaurants, and have resisted it for the Westin or Hyatt. Good luck!

itsaboutthejourney

For the sub-$75 rates I've stayed at aLoft I'm impressed. It's a refresshing change from tacky or bland Comfort Inn and Hampton Inn.

That said, aLoft is missing some important items:

- A/C units that are quiet
- A reading/lounging chair in the room
- iPod connector/charger

The removal of Bliss face wash from the rooms to "upon request" is kind of cheap.

3Cforme

aloft is a total miss for me - it's like an aggressively cheap French 2* chain. Sometimes the price mirrors that value - sometimes not. Try an Element.

Through-wall AC is the U.S. norm for 3* and below. I much prefer that to central units in French and Italian 4* and 5* properties where the temperature dial position has no apparent effect.

holtju2

This is really the worst part. Also the AC's are so loud that it is almost impossible for me to sleep if the AC is on.

free101girl

Have to agree. We stayed at that same DIA Aloft recently and didn't like it at all, though the "Aloha Desk" person was SUPER friendly and helpful the night we were there.

Besides the other issues that have been raised, I intensely dislike the layout of the bathroom. There is NO privacy if one person is using the shower or toilet and the other person wants to go out into the hall. Anyone walking down the hall can see right into the "private" section of the bathroom. Really a stupid design.

We'll be going back to Element in Lone Tree, even though it's not really that convenient to the airport.

mrredskin

i'll be the first to say i really liked the one i stayed at (milwaukee). it's not really a hotel for platinum members, since they'll be disappointed with lack of upgrades and aloft already has free wifi (a big perk for non-plats).

my bed was comfy, i liked having a background hum (a/c) when trying to sleep, and the lobby/bar area is pro-extrovert. when i travel on my own dime and can find one for under $100, I'm in.

schley

I like aloft for it opens up another demographic for potential revenue as well as gives us spg members some cheap alternatives. It is very consistent in it's product, the rooms and services are the same everywhere. You can predict with very good accuracy what you will like and dislike if you have stayed even 1x previously. I like the vibe and for the price I'm glad we have an option to accrue spg stays/points at their price point.

TRAVELSIG

I have stayed at the Ohare location twice.
It is OK- often the price however, is close to the Intercontinental- at which point switching is a very good idea.