MIAMI–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.® (NYSE:HOT) today announced from the Hotel Opportunities Latin America (HOLA) Conference that its innovative Aloft brand will soon debut in Veracruz, the main commercial seaport in Mexico, and Queretaro, one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. The hotels are exciting additions to the brand’s existing portfolio in the region, which includes Aloft Bogota Airport in Colombia, Aloft San Jose in Costa Rica, Aloft Panama, Aloft Cancun and Aloft Guadalajara in Mexico; and the recently opened Aloft Asuncion in Paraguay. Aloft is Starwood’s fastest-growing brand in Latin America with a robust pipeline of seven hotels in different stages of development in three countries.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the success of the Aloft brand in Latin America at the 2016 HOLA conference,” said Victor Vazquez, Vice President of Latin America Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “Aloft burst onto the scene in the region in 2011, and we are on schedule to more than double our footprint by 2019, making it one of the most successful brands in Starwood’s history in the region.”
Aloft Veracruz
Set to open by the end of 2017, Aloft Veracruz will be developed by FibraHotel and managed by Starwood, and will bring the brand’s modern and vibrant style and tech-forward innovation to one of México’s main industry gateways.
Aloft Veracruz will be ideally located on Boulevard Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, one of the main avenues in the Veracruz-Boca del Rio area, and across the street from the Veracruz Convention Center, within walking distance from the Andamar and Las Americas shopping centers. It will feature 165 loft-like and stylish guest rooms, fully equipped with the brand’s signature amenities such as fast and free Wi-Fi, making it ideal for leisure and business travelers alike. Guests will be able to enjoy Aloft’s unique programming, including access to local emerging artists and some of the hottest bands with Live At Aloft Hotels performances, and signature cocktails and light bites at the WXYZ® bar. Dining options will include Re:fuelSM by Aloft, a café where guests can grab breakfast and lunch while on the go. For fitness and relaxation guests can enjoy Re:chargeSM, the brand’s celebrated fitness center as well as two Splash pools, one indoor and one outdoor.
“We are proud to add the Aloft brand in the Veracruz market to our portfolio and look forward to collaborating with Starwood on this hotel as we continue to grow our partnership,” said Simon Galante, CEO of FibraHotel. “Starwood operates many of the industry’s most well-respected and innovative hotel brands, and also has a leading operating platform. We are excited to work with them as we continue to grow our portfolio of over 80 hotels in Mexico.”
Aloft Queretaro
Starwood also announced that it signed an agreement with Inmobiliaria ARAT SA de CV to open Aloft Queretaro as a franchised hotel operated by Grupo Presidente in 2018. Aloft Queretaro will mark the brand’s debut in one of the fastest growing cities in Mexico. The hotel will be located in Juriquilla, an industrial corridor located on the northern end of the city, steps away from the Antea Lifestyle Center, one of the most important shopping and entertainment centers in the region and in the country.
Aloft Queretaro will also feature bold and stylish design in guestrooms and public spaces as well as fast and free Wi-Fi. It will also provide guests with programming that is unique to the Aloft brand, Live At Aloft Hotels performances by incredible emerging talent, and signature cocktails and a buzzing social scene at the WXYZ® bar. The hotel will also feature Re:fuelSM by Aloft, a café where guests can grab breakfast and lunch while on the go and Aloft’s signature Re:chargeSM fitness center and a Splash pool.
“Queretaro is known as one of the most beautiful cities in Mexico, and we are very proud to introduce the first Aloft Hotel in the city,” said Rodrigo Soto, General Manager of Inmobiliaria ARAT SA de CV. “We are working with one of the best architecture firms in Mexico to design the hotel, which will allow our guests to feel at home, even when they travel for business with spacious areas for relaxing, such as the WXYZ bar, the patio or the pool. We look forward to welcoming our guests to the grand opening of the hotel and to Queretaro, one of the fastest developing cities in Mexico.”
Both properties will offer SPG Keyless—the hospitality industry’s first mobile, keyless entry system— where guests have the ability to use their smart phone as a key. The revolutionary technology is currently available at most Aloft, Element and W Hotels globally.
Fueled by accelerating demand in dynamic markets worldwide, Aloft continues to enter new markets—including recent openings in Asuncion, Paraguay and Munich and Stuttgart, Germany—and is on track to double its footprint in Latin America in less than two years.
“Aloft is one of Starwood’s fastest growing brands with more than 100 hotels around the world, and we are thrilled to continue our expansion in Latin America,” said Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President, Specialty Select Brands for Starwood. “Aloft’s distinct lifestyle positioning, modern design, innovative technologies and vibrant social scene make it the most appealing brand for today’s connected traveler.”
