Aloft Hotels open in Greater Toronto Area

Starwood's Sizzling "Style at a Steal" Brand Arrives on the Scene in the Greater Toronto Area
alofthotels.com

Stamford, Conn. - Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) along with Silver Hotel Group and Northampton Hotel Group today announces the debut of its new destination sensation brand, Aloft® Hotels, in the Greater Toronto Area with the opening of Aloft Vaughan Mills. 

Located in Vaughan, the hotel is the second Aloft hotel in Canada, joining the Aloft Montreal Airport which debuted as the world’s first in 2008 with the same ownership groups. Aloft is the sizzling "style-at-a-steal" brand from Starwood Hotels & Resorts that's rocked the hotel industry.

With more than 55 properties now open worldwide, the brand has enjoyed the fastest ramp-up in hospitality-industry history. Designed to appeal to the digital generation, Aloft brings modern, vibrant design at an affordable price point. The momentum for the brand will continue in Canada as Aloft Calgary University will open in early 2013 as one of the first hotel conversion projects for the brand. 

"We’re excited to add another Aloft Hotel in Canada, where it all began just four years ago,” said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President of Specialty Select Brands for Starwood. "Aloft Vaughan Mills will shake-up the traditional mid-market hotel category by delivering an energetic guest experience at an affordable price point which makes it perfectly suited for the Greater Toronto Area." 

Pioneering initiatives in music, design, and technology have positioned Aloft as a must-have living-social brand for Gen Y travellers. Aloft has reported consistently high guest satisfaction scores since launch, reflecting the success of its modern and vibrant design at an affordable price point. The brand’s social guest experience, with the buzzing re:mix lounge and w xyz bar, has earned select hotels within the portfolio designations in TripAdvisor's 2012 "Top 25 Trendiest Hotels in the US" rankings.

"We are excited to open our second Aloft Hotel in Canada and to bring the highly innovative and lifestyle oriented guest experience to the Greater Toronto Area,” said Deepak Ruparell, President of Silver Hotel Group.

“The Aloft brand is a great match for the economic and demographic growth in this market.”
“We are looking forward to another successful venture with our partners at Silver Hotel Group and Starwood Hotels & Resorts as we open the first Aloft in Ontario,” said Vinnie Patel, President and CEO, Northampton Group of Hotels. “Our team is energized about bringing a fresh lodging experience to visitors to the Toronto area.”

Featuring 131 loft-like guest rooms, Aloft Vaughan Mills will be just steps from the Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre, in the heart of unrivalled luxury shopping, dining and world-class entertainment. The hotel boasts atmospheric public spaces where guests can mix and mingle, read the paper, work on laptops, play a game of pool or grab a drink with friends at the re:mix^SM lounge and w xyz^SM bar. The spacious guest rooms feature the brand’s signature ceilings of nearly three metres high, oversized windows and an ultra-comfortable platform bed as well as large walk-in showers with complimentary Bliss Spa^® products. 

Designed with the digital generation in mind, Aloft Vaughan Mills has free wireless internet access throughout the whole hotel, including all guest rooms. Each room is also equipped with a unique plug-and-play connectivity solution which connects most electronic devices to the 42’’ flat-screen TV, turning the room into a high-tech office as well as an entertainment centre.

 

Guests will be able to de-stress and re-energise in the re:charge^SM  fitness centre and Splash^SM pool and grab a bite to eat at re:fuel by Aloft^SM, a one-stop, 24-hour grab-and-go food and beverage area, offering sweet, savoury and healthy food, snacks and drinks.

For work meetings, training courses and presentations, the hotel’s two Tactic meeting rooms are equipped with the latest generation of audio-visual hardware, providing the perfect creative space for groups of up to 15 people. 

About Silver Hotel Group

Silver Hotel Group (SHG) is one of the largest privately owned hotel investment, development, and management companies in Canada. The group has been an active participant in the hospitality industry in the U.S. and Canada for over 30 years. SHG's extensive market knowledge and diverse brand relations, combined with its core management practices and strategic approaches, have proven to optimize hotel performance.   For more information please visit www.silverhotelgroup.com

About Northampton Group Inc

Northampton Group Inc. (TSX-V: NHG) is one of Canada's top mid-market hoteliers. Focused on creating the best return for all stakeholders, Northampton’s proven, market-sensitive strategy is to acquire or build hotels that provide great value and superior accommodation. Northampton excels in this sector, offering services that exceed expectations while still posting industry-leading margins. For more information please visit www.nhgi.com.

About Aloft Hotels
With more than 55 hotels open in the three years since the Aloft brand first arrived on the scene, Aloft has changed the hotel landscape offering “style at a steal” everywhere from Baltimore to Beijing to Bogota to Brussels -- and everywhere in between. For more information, please visit www.alofthotels.com.
Aloft, like all brands within Starwood's portfolio, is proud to offer the Starwood Preferred Guest^(R) program, which offers a breakthrough policy of no blackout dates on Free Night Awards. To learn more, please visit www.spg.com.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,103 properties in nearly 100 countries and 154,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis^®, The Luxury Collection^®, W^®, Westin^®, Le Méridien^®, Sheraton^®, Four Points^® by Sheraton, Aloft^®, and Element^SM. The Company boasts one of the industry’s leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.