Need a place to chill and unwind – try the aloft in Lexington, MA

I love hotels. They are a great place to relax and unwind, especially after a busy time at work. One of the newest hotel chains to hit the market is the aloft brand, “a vision of W Hotels”. If you stayed at a W Hotel before, you know the kind of quality, service, and decor that you get. So when I heard a couple years back that they were designing the aloft brand, I immediately started following its progress. They made it easy too: aloft was the first virtual hotel in Second Life where people could get an inside look of what an aloft would look like. They have an awesome blog detailing travels around the country in a sweet looking trailer.

I was excited to learn that the first US opening of aloft was in our backyard in Lexington, MA. We booked a trip for the first weekend in August to check it out.

First off, descriptions can’t do the aloft justice – check out the photo gallery. Needless to say however, it lived up to the promises that the aloft were supposed to deliver. Upon entering, we found this ultra trendy re:mix lobby with bar, food area, and communal meeting places. It was a mecca of activity and comfort. Sitting areas are everywhere in the aloft lobby providing the place for people to congregate and interact. There were two computers for guests’ use, a cool looking pool table, and several table games scattered throughout the bar and the lobby.

We checked in using an extremely easy touch screen system and got our two keys to our loft. We had to check in with the front desk because we brought our dog, Sasha along for the experience and had to sign the pet forms. The front desk staff was inviting, and friendly. In fact, throughout our stay they remembered who we were and always called us by name.

Near the front desk, was the re:fuel area, a pseudo convenience store where you can get snacks, light food, salads, sandwiches, coffee & beverages, and breakfast items in the morning. We really like the two snack packs – they had a variety of treats and were well worth the price. Our only negatives were that the espresso machine wasn’t working, and we would have liked a little more of a selection in the food items offered. In fact, the only negative we could find with the aloft is that there really should be some time of small in-house Au Bon Pain/Panera type restaurant where people could get food. We had to find food off-premises which seemed to contradict what the aloft was going for. I hope that gets implemented in new aloft constructions.

We headed up to the second floor to our “loft”. Even the elevator was noticeably different with cool squishy floor tiles with blue liquid that swirled when you stepped on them. It reminded me of the “squishy” stickers from fourth grade. We couldn’t wait to see the loft room, and we were not disappointed. High ceilings, open space, beautiful LCD, comfortable bed, cool alarm clock, and great bathroom. It is a look I have never seen in a hotel before. We kept saying that would be paying hundreds for a hotel like this in NYC. Our favorite was the bathroom/closet area – such an amazing use of space. The bathroom and shower were great – complete with Bliss Spa products for our use. The closet was thin, but who really uses closet space in a hotel? Several shelves were available in addition to the “closet” area some of which had a safe and coffee maker. It is a room that you want to stay in – so much so we debated going out a lot of the time in favor of enjoying the room. Even Sasha got in on the act with the arf program – housekeeping brought Sasha a huge pet bed, pet bowls, play ball, treats, and the ever important poo bags. The dog was in heaven as we all were.

If we did leave the room, it was to go to the wxyz bar. The bar was swank, trendy, cool. We of course had to try every one of the signature wxyz drinks, and they all did not disappoint. My two favorites were the Lychee Martini and the Not so Cosmo Cosmo, using jam as an ingredient. It was the kind of area where you can sit, sip, and enjoy the view and company of everyone around you. We spent many hours just relaxing in the lobby and wxyz bar.

Because we had a dog, we couldn’t check out the “splash” pool, but it looked great. The re:charge gym area is by far the most technological fitness center I have seen in a hotel, complete with ipod integration LifeFitness machines, free weights, and downloadable workout routines. Other great features included free wifi integration throughout the hotel, a tech trendy television system where you can find information about anything aloft you can think of, and a car wash area in the back of the hotel.

Overall, our experience at the aloft was nothing short of amazing. It lives up to my expectations of what I thought aloft would be. Techy. Trendy. Restful. FABULOUS! I was always told that a good hotel is one where you see people in the hotel, hanging around in the lobby, and utilizing its resources. That was apparent here. My only suggestion for improvement would be to implement an sit down “panera-like” restaurant in the mix.

As of now, there are only aloft is now open in Montreal, QC, Lexington, MA, Charleston, SC, and next weekend in Philadelphia, PA. For more information about the aloft, check out the sites below.

Aloft Hotels: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels/index.html
Aloft Lexington: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3209
Agogo Blog: http://www.aloftagogo.typepad.com