Starwood: Aloft Continues To Grow In China

Following the recent opening of Starwood Hotels & Resorts' Aloft Nanhai, Foshan — the second Aloft hotel to open in China after the debut of Aloft Beijing Haidian in 2008 — the group has announced that it will continue the brand expansion in the region with six more Aloft hotels.

The new properties include hotels in Haiyang, Shangjie, and Zhengdong New District in Zhengzhou, which will open in 2011; Guangzhou, opening in 2012; and Dalian and Yancheng opening in 2013.

According to Stephen Ho, the Senior vice president of acquisitions and development for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Asia Pacific, Starwood's new Aloft brand offers style, design and high tech touches at an affordable price. He adds that the group is thrilled to introduce Aloft to China's fast-growing markets like Nanhai, Haiyang, and Zhengzhou as a new choice and a unique experience for international and domestic travelers.

Starwood positions Aloft, as its "style-at-a-steal" brand aimed at "Generation Y", and states that China will become a key market for Aloft's development outside of the United States.

The recently opened Aloft Nanhai, Foshan is located near the Nanhai Science and Technology Park in Foshan, Guangdong Province and is surrounded by many high-tech businesses, research centers and leading universities. The new hotel is part of a new mixed-use complex including the Foshan International Convention and Exhibition Center, offices and residential buildings. The hotel's 252 guest rooms feature the brand's signature nine-foot ceilings, oversized windows and an ultra-comfortable bed, as well as oversized walk-in showers and amenities created by Bliss Spa. Each aloft room is designed to be a combination high-tech office and entertainment center equipped with wireless Internet access and plug and play, a one-stop connectivity solution for multiple electronic gadgetry all linked to a 42” flat-panel, HDTV-ready television.

The next property to open, the 172 room Aloft Zhengzhou Shangjie, is scheduled to open in Zhengzhou city in Henan province at the end of April 2011. And the 165-room Aloft Haiyang is slated to debut in June 2011 in Haiyang, a coastal city in the peninsula province of Shandong in east China.

The 293-room Aloft Zhengzhou Zhengdong New District will offer approximately 4,176 square feet of meeting space and three food and beverage outlets, and is slated to open in December 2011.