It’s been quite a while since the Starwood folks ruffled a lot of feathers with their “next big thing” announcement. Conceived by the same design team behind the successful W brand, aloft was conceived as a “more affordable alternative to the W, bringing style, technology and sophistication to the budget-conscious traveler.”
When it comes to aloft, think: urban, contemporary, loft, boutique, platform beds, etc. all for under $200/night.
While aloft is not scheduled to launch until fall of ’08, residents of the MMORPG game Second Life will get early access into the new brand because the design team have taken the unusual step of designing and building the “real world” hotel in the virtual space within Second Life. Among other things, this means that Starwood will be the first company to open a new hotel brand inside a virtual world.
Take that Marriott!
A visit to the website tracking these developments shows that the land has been purchased and, as of press time, the bridges are being built. Pretty soon the aloft hotel will be open and ready for avatar business.
No word yet as to how spg points convert to linden dollars.
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