Courtesy of Inside Tucson Business
Employees — make that “talent” — of Tucson’s newest hotel property, Aloft, have begun preparing for the property’s opening next Thursday (April 4).
Craig Martin, general manager of the new hotel, says the first step was immersing the talent into the brand and what guests should expect.
The opening of the Aloft comes nearly 8½ years after parent company Starwood Hotels & Resorts had initially announced that Tucson would be one of the original sites for the concept, which was developed using the moniker “W Lite” in reference to the company’s W hotels, a luxury brand that emphasizes modern designs and technology.
Part of the delay had to do with Starwood officials having specific ideas of what Aloft hotels should be. All of the original properties were built from the ground up but for a variety of reasons that couldn’t be done in Tucson. Martin said Tucson’s Aloft, 1900 E. Speedway at the southeast corner of Campbell Avenue and officially named Aloft Tucson University, is the third hotel in the chain that was renovated from a previous building. There are now more than 60 Aloft hotels in 10 countries around the world.
In Tucson, the former Four Points by Sheraton — which originally opened in 1971 as the Plaza Hotel — was taken back to the basic seven story structure for the renovation that has resulted in 154 loft-like rooms, high-grade technology and other amenities the company hopes will make it a lively setting, including an outdoor swimming pool, a bar named w xyz, 24-hour fitness center and 1,723 square feet of flexible meeting space.
Martin says the hotel is already taking bookings and will offer special rates from time-to-time for Tucsonans. But don’t expect to see discounts around graduation time for the University of Arizona. He says some nights in May are already nearly booked full.
