STAMFORD, Conn.–September 21, 2015– Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.® (NYSE:HOT) today announced it will introduce its rapidly expanding Aloft Hotels brand to South Bend, Indiana, following a strategic conversion that will help accelerate the city’s downtown revitalization. Slated to open in January 2017, Aloft South Bend will mark Starwood’s first hotel in the market. The hotel will feature 183 spacious loft-style rooms, 3,750 square feet of flexible meeting space and live music performances by some of the hottest emerging artists with Live at Aloft Hotels programming at the W XYZ bar.
“Aloft South Bend will inject new energy into the city’s downtown and attract early adopters with its tech-forward mind-set, leading-edge design and buzzing social scene,” said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President, Specialty Select Brands for Starwood. “Due to its resounding success with next generation travelers across the globe, Aloft is gaining significant growth momentum as we near 100 hotels worldwide.”
“We look forward to repositioning this ideally located hotel as an Aloft and creating an exciting and stylish destination in downtown South Bend with tremendous appeal for both local professionals and travelers,” said Robert Kraemer, Principal, Kraemer Design Group. “The highly anticipated conversion and renovation project also marks an important step forward in the revitalization of downtown South Bend.”
Aloft South Bend will occupy the former Magnuson Grand Hotel located at 213 Washington Street, walking distance from numerous restaurants, bars and clubs, and within close proximity of University of Notre Dame, Century Center, Morris Performing Arts Center, Studebaker National Museum, leading hospitals and AM General.
The hotel will undergo a comprehensive $15 million dollar renovation and redesign led by Kramer Design Group, the architect and designer of Aloft Detroit at the David Whitney. Aloft South Bend will feature a ground-floor lobby and occupy eleven floors of the mixed-use building, which will also include residential units and a parking garage. Hotel amenities will include an indoor Splash pool, an expanded 24-hour fitness facility, re:fuel at Aloft – a one-stop gourmet grab & go food and beverage area.
“We’re thrilled to enter South Bend with this Aloft conversion, as we continue to aggressively introduce the brand to new markets throughout North America,” said Allison Reid, Senior Vice President of North America Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “Aloft is the ideal conversion brand and has generated an enthusiastic fan base with its distinctive urban design, lively social scene and line-up of innovative programing.”
The Aloft brand’s innovative and exclusive initiatives set it apart from the competition. Aloft Hotels recently announced the launch of SPG Keyless—an evolution of Aloft’s Smart Check-in— the hospitality industry’s first mobile, keyless entry system allowing guests to use their smart phone as a key. This forward-thinking initiative is part of the brand’s innovative DNA.
Aloft is one of the fastest growing brands in the history of hospitality with nearly 100 hotels in 15 countries. Fueled by accelerating demand in dynamic markets worldwide, Aloft continues to enter new markets including Munich and Stuttgart, Germany as well as expand its portfolio in Greater China to ten hotels by year’s end.
