New brand neighborhood

I’m here in Lexington, Mass., taking a peek at the new, side-by-side aloft and Element hotels that opened this month. The corporate-owned properties are a showcase for developers, said Denise Coll, who was appointed president, North America for Starwood at the beginning of the year.

It seems like a long time since Starwood’s Project XYZ was christened aloft during The Lodging Conference in 2005. It was the year of the loft-style room, with John Russell introducing NYLO just down the hall at The Arizona Biltmore.

The anticipation is finally over as alofts are popping up from Chicago to Beijing. Lexington is the first Element open.

So the question for my one-night visit: aloft or Element? It was like deciding between fraternal twins. I’ve been watching these two brands since they launched. They’re cut from the same Starwood cloth, but oh-so-different offerings.

I stayed at the Element because it’s the first one open. There are more alofts open because the brand launched a year earlier than Element, so I’m hoping to stay at one soon.

Paul Sacco, who was recently appointed senior VP of development, said four more Elements and 18 more alofts will open this year. Next year, he expects 10 Elements and 40 to 50 alofts.



So my first impression: For a minute, I felt like I was missing the party. It’s quiet here at Element. But then I listened to the silence and realized this was just my speed on a stormy afternoon (I have an adorably noisy soon-to-be one-year-old at home, so some quiet is good). While the Element lobby was empty around 5 p.m., guests were gathering across the way at the aloft lobby bar, W XYZ.



I wonder how these two properties in Lexington will fare as neighbors. Everything is green (and green-certified through LEED), white and brown here. Serene and light. A hop and a skip away, aloft is colorful and exciting.
Will guests at Element get the feeling they’re having oatmeal while next door they’re having chocolate cake for breakfast? (Element serves up a free breakfast, by the way, and oatmeal is not on the menu. Think smoothie shots and egg-white breakfast burritos). I guess that’s the point.

Denise Coll had the perfect solution: Play at aloft and wake up for coffee at Element.

So how many of you have experienced the new Starwood brands? Tell us what you think.