Robotic Butlers Roll Out To Select Aloft Hotels Across US

Botlr reports for duty at Aloft South Beach for summer stint

Aloft Hotels today announced that its second robotic butler, or Botlr, is officially reporting for full-time duty at Aloft Silicon Valley, effective immediately.

This is the brand’s second full-time cyber associate, following the debut of the world’s first Botlr at Aloft Cupertino last year.

Additionally, starting August 27, the original Aloft Botlr will hit the road, rolling across country to Aloft Miami South Beach, and will later be transferred to the new Aloft Manhattan Downtown - Financial District for a short stint this Fall before returning to Cupertino.

“We embarked upon this robotic experiment years ago, and it has proven what we suspected all along — humans and robots can co-exist and work side by side to elevate the guest experience,” said Brian McGuinness, Global Brand Leader, Starwood’s Specialty Select Brands. “Botlr has been an integral part of the Aloft Cupertino experience, and the demand from guests and associates around the world to interact with our biotic bellhop has been astounding. As we add our second Botlr to the Aloft team and transfer our first Botlr to new hotels around the country, we know they will continue to not only make hospitality history, but, more importantly, memories for our guests.”

#BotlrOnCall

Starting today, the brand’s second Botlr will officially be on call full-time as the able android of Aloft Silicon Valley, where it will assist Aloft talent in delivering amenities to guest rooms. Smartly dressed in a custom uniform and nametag, Botlr autonomously transports everything from toothbrushes to the day’s paper as it navigates the 172 rooms and five floors of Aloft Silicon Valley with ease. Like its predecessor, it accepts Tweets in lieu of tips, and during its training period was known to roll around the hotel’s lobby and W:XYZ bar (obliging guests with selfies along the way, of course). This newest Aloft associate not only frees up existing talent’s time, allowing them to create a more personalized experience for guests, but enhances the hotel’s current tech-forward offerings.

#BotlrTakesMiami

Aloft made history last August when it became the first major hotel brand to hire a robot for both back and front of house duties. This omnipresent operative became an instant overnight sensation and travelers from around the world have flocked to Aloft Cupertino to watch it in action. All of this attention is why Botlr needs to recharge its batteries with a change of scenery. Starting August 27, Botlr will be moonlighting in Miami for a few days at the new Aloft South Beach where it will surprise guests with deliveries from a special “Botlr Takes Miami” menu that includes every day beach essentials. It will also hand out towels in the lobby and act as a “wingbot” for sly singles at W:XYZ bar.

#BotlrHeartsNYC

After soaking up some sun, Botlr will temporarily join the staff of the new Aloft Manhattan Downtown - Financial District in early Fall. As part of this short Manhattan transfer, Botlr will greet guests on select evenings with either bull or bear shaped cookies and candy (depending upon how the stock market performs that day) as well as fetch guest deliveries from a special “BotlrHeartsNYC” menu including bagels, MetroCards, and every day essentials for survival in the Big Apple. Botlr will also be a part of the hotel’s official ribbon cutting ceremony, slated for early September. It will then return to Aloft Cupertino and re-join the staff full-time.

Looking Ahead: A Dozen Awesome New Hotels Coming To Philadelphia In 2015 And Beyond

Philly’s hotel scene is about to get really hot with the addition of new properties including a W Hotel, a SLS LUX, a new Kimpton and a new Four Seasons atop the new Comcast tower. (Image courtesy Comcast)

Philadelphia’s hotel scene just keeps getting better. After a number of key openings and renovations in recent years – and after Philadelphia saw its highest occupancy rate ever in 2014, a number of high profile hotel projects are on the books to open in Philadelphia in the next few years.

And by “high profile,” we mean high profile. The projects include one of the first SLS LUX brand hotels to open in the U.S., a new W Hotel just off the Avenue of the Arts, a new Kimpton Hotelacross from Logan Circle, a highly anticipated boutique hotel on Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, and a new Four Seasons Hotel atop the under-construction Comcast Innovation and Technology Center.

With all of these developments, there’s never been a better time to check out the awesome hotel scene and stay over in Philadelphia.

Read on for news on a dozen new hotel projects that are coming to Philadelphia in the next few years. As with all large development projects, the timetables, name and other details of the below projects are subject to change.

• Roost Rittenhouse

Fall 2015, 1900 block of Chestnut Street. Travelers seeking to rest their heads in Philadelphia for more than a brief stay will soon have another a brand new option: Roost Apartment Hotel is opening its second Philadelphia location this summer or fall to follow-up the 2014 debut of its first hotel in the historic Packard Building. Designed with visitors staying for 30 days or longer in mind, the apartment-style hotels include all the services of a boutique hotel with the amenities of a luxury apartment.MORE INFO

Chic decor, factory-style windows, hardwood floors and modern electronics give each hotel room at Roost the feel of a luxury apartment. (Photo courtesy Roost Apartment Hotel)

• AKA University City in the FMC Tower

Spring 2016, FMC Tower at Cira Centre South, 30th and Walnut streets. The FMC Tower at Cira Centre South will rise 49 stories on the west bank of the Schuylkill River and the upper floors will hold the new luxury extended-stay AKA University City. Developed by AKA in partnership with Brandywine Liberty Trust, the second property for Korman Communities in Philadelphia will hold 268 residences, 103 for extended stays. In addition to spectacular views, guests will enjoy the building’s 21,000 square-feet of retail as well as “Cira Green,” a breathtaking new rooftop park. MORE INFO

The AKA University City will fill the top floors of the new FMC Tower at Cira South, currently under construction at 30th and Walnut. (Rendering by BLT Architects)

• SLS LUX Philadelphia Hotel & SLS International Residences

Coming in 2016/2017, Broad and Spruce streets. This is a big one. The SLS LUX Philadelphia Hotel & SLW International Residences is going to be the tallest residential building in Pennsylvania when completed. Located at the heart of the Avenue of the Arts at Broad and Spruce streets, the SLS will rise 47 stories, with 152 boutique hotel rooms and 90 luxury condominiums on the higher floors. The hotel will be designed by Philippe Stark and will be one of the first SLS LUX properties to open anywhere in the country. MORE INFO

The SLS LUX Philadelphia Hotel will be one of the first SLS LUX brand properties to open anywhere in the U.S. (Photo courtesy SLS)

For much more on the cool hotel projects coming to Philly, see below.

• The Study University City

Coming in 2017, 33rd and Chestnut streets. Study Hotels, a new brand from Hospitality 3, enters the University City market in 2017 with an urban-style hotel in partnership with Drexel University. The 145,000-square-foot hotel has plans to include 212 rooms, around 7,000 square feet of meeting space, a 105-seat restaurant and a fitness center. MORE INFO

Drexel’s campus will soon see the development of The Study, an urban hotel concept from Hospitality 3 management, at the corner of 33rd and Chestnut streets. (Rendering courtesy Hospitality 3)

• W and Element Hotels

Coming in 2017, 1441 Chestnut Street. Soaring above 15th and Chestnut streets, just behind the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia hotel, a new Starwood-run W Hotel and Element Hotel are planned to debut in 2017. Chestlen Development is spearheading the project, and the property will hold 295 rooms under the W Hotel brand and another 460 in the Element by Westin. Construction on the project is underway. MORE INFO

A two-for-one hotel will rise on Chestnut Street: Starwood brings both a W Hotel and Element Hotel by Westin to Philadelphia. (Rendering courtesy Brook Lenfest)

• AC Hotel by Marriott

Coming in 2017, 228‐238 N. 13th Street. AC Hotels, an urban-contemporary hotel brand founded in Spain by designer Antonio Catalán, has opened in cities like New Orleans, Chicago and Asheville. Now, the Marriott-operated brand has plans to launch in Philadelphia. Developed by Baywood Hotels and architects spg3, the planned property at 13th and Florist streets just north of the Convention Center will house 140 rooms in the former Warner Brothers building, a two-story, Art Deco-inspired structure that dates to 1947. MORE INFO

The historic Warner Brothers building is going to be transformed into a 140-room hotel by 2017. (Rendering courtesy spg3)

• Aloft Hotel at the Convention Center

Coming in 2017, 101 N. Broad Street. The historic 21-story Liberty Title and Trust building at Broad and Arch was preserved during the construction of the expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center so it could be turned into a hotel. That conversion is scheduled to happen in the form of a 178-room Aloft Hotel by Starwood, slated to open in 2017. The new hotel will be situated right next to the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and will offer its guests direct access to the entrance lobby of the Convention Center right off the Avenue of the Arts. MORE INFO

The Liberty Title and Trust building, located just north of City Hall, will soon be converted into an Aloft Hotel with a direct connection to the Pennsylvania Convention Center. (Image courtesy Realen Properties)

• Kimpton Hotel on Logan Circle

Coming in 2017/2018, 18th and Vine streets. Kimpton will be adding a third property to their Philadelphia holdings in 2017 or 2018 when they open a $85-million, 199-room hotel in the former Family Court building on Vine Street at Logan Circle. This new Philadelphia property will be Kimpton’s third adaptation and renovation of a historic building in Philadelphia — Hotel Palomar and Square 1682 restaurant opened in the former Architects Building in Rittenhouse Square in 2009 and Hotel Monaco Philadelphia and Red Owl Tavern opened in the Lafayette Building overlooking Independence Mall in 2012. MORE INFO

The historic Family Court building on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway will soon transform into a gorgeous new Kimpton hotel. (Image courtesy Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants)

• Hudson Hotel

Coming in 2018, 17th and Chancellor streets. A new $125 million property — a Hudson hotel by Morgans Hotel Group, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal — will rise 12 stories and fill the small parcel of land on 17th Street between Chancellor and St. James streets, replacing the five-story, above-ground parking garage that currently sits there and houses Little Pete’s diner. According to plans from locally based DAS Architects, the new high-rise hotel will feature more than 300 rooms, 40 executive suites, high-end amenities and food and beverage options — including a proposed dining venue on the penthouse floor with panoramic city views. MORE INFO

There are plans for a new $125 million boutique hotel to be built on 17th Street in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. (Rendering courtesy DAS Architects, Inc.)

• Unnamed Boutique Hotel In Fishtown

Coming soon, Frankford Avenue north of Girard Avenue. Another super exciting project is on the books in Fishtown. Developer Roland Kassis is a neighborhood fixture, and soon his investment in Fishtown will reach new depths — or, actually, heights. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer’sarchitecture critic Inga Saffron, Kassis has set his sights on developing a boutique hotel on Frankford Avenue in the style of Williamsburg, Brooklyn’s Wythe Hotel. The project – which would be the first hotel in Fishtown and is enthusiastically endorsed by the neighborhood – would include a restaurant, jazz club and rooftop pool as well. MORE INFO

The plans for a boutique hotel on Frankford Avenue in Fishtown include a restaurant, jazz club and a rooftop pool.
(Image courtesy Roland Cassis)

• Live! Casino and Hotel

Coming in 2018-2019, South Philly. After a hotly contested showdown for a Philadelphia casino license, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board awarded the prize to the Live! Casino and Hotel project in South Philadelphia. Approximately 220 rooms are slated for the hotel, and many details are still yet to be firmed up. Stay tuned. MORE INFO

Though much development is still to come, the Live! Hotel Casino could look something like this. (Rendering by BLT Architects)

• Four Seasons Hotel at Comcast Innovation & Technology Center

Coming in 2018, 1800 Arch Street. This has to be the pièce de résistance of the hotel projects in the pipeline. To be housed within the upper floors of the 1,121-foot Comcast Innovation & Technology Center that is currently under construction on the 1800 block of Arch Street, the new 220-room Four Seasons Philadelphia Hotel is scheduled to open in 2018 when the new tower is completed. The new luxury hotel will include more than 200 rooms, a spa, fitness facilities, event and meeting space, as well as — get ready for it — a breathtaking new restaurant located on the top floor of the building, offering awesome, unparalleled 360-degree views of the city. We literally cannot wait. MORE INFO

The new Four Seasons Hotel in the new Comcast Tower will boast a breathtaking new restaurant located on the top floor of the building, offering awesome, unparalleled 360-degree views of the city. (Image via Comcast)

Posted by Kristina Jenkins, http://www.uwishunu.com/

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Hotel Hopes Guests Head Home With A Rescue Dog

In this Nov. 23, 2014 photo provided by Jan Trantham, Will Trantham kneels by Jackson, left, a Shih Tzu, along with Darcy, center, and Sophie. Trantham and his wife adopted Jackson when they checked into Aloft Hotel in downtown Asheville, N.C., that is believed to be the only hotel in the United States where guests can adopt the front desk dog. (AP Photo/Jan Trantham)

At this hotel, guests get welcomed with a wagging tail or a warm lick to the face.

A dog will bound out from behind the registration desk, clad in an "Adopt Me" vest, as visitors arrive at the Aloft hotel in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, believed to be the only hotel in the U.S. where guests can adopt the dog that greets them when they check in.

But the hotel doesn't overwhelm road-weary travelers to this mountain tourist mecca, where people come to tour the nation's largest home, the Biltmore estate; cast a fly-fishing rod; or hoist a beer in what has been dubbed "Beer City USA." There's only one adoptable dog at a time, and it's always on a leash.

The pooches at the Aloft Asheville Downtown hotel are part of an adoption program run by the hotel and Charlie's Angels Animal Rescue. The rescue saves the pets from possible euthanasia at area shelters.

"We feel like we are saving lives," said Christine Kavanagh, Aloft's director of sales.

Hotel and rescue workers hope the program not only becomes permanent but spreads to some of the chain's other locations, too. The Asheville hotel, which also allows guests' pets to stay for free, opened in 2012 and has not received one complaint about allergies, messes or dueling dogs, Kavanagh said.

The adoptable dogs have space set aside at the registration desk, on the roof, third floor and in certain employee areas. They can't stay in guest rooms at night but can go with visitors to the restaurant, bar and other spots if they're on a leash.

"The guests love it. It shows up on guest reviews and consumer surveys," Kavanagh said.

Caren Ferris of Amherst, Massachusetts, and her husband certainly did. The couple were staying nearby when they met a 4-year-old terrier mix named Ginger in the hotel bar and cozied up to the pooch sporting an "Adopt Me" vest.

After a visit, "I got up to leave and told her goodbye. She sat up, looked me in the eye and kissed me on the lips. So I called the shelter, thinking maybe we should adopt the dog," Ferris said.

She and her husband filled out the adoption papers, paid $175 in fees and waited to be approved before they were able to take Ginger home to meet their other dogs.

Charlie's Angels has tough adoption standards, including a home visit. If a potential owner is from another state, the rescue will ask a shelter there to do the check.

The restrictions haven't stopped 14 dogs from finding homes since the program started in July, said Kim Smith, president of Charlie's Angels. The rescue's placements have doubled since the hotel started stationing the dogs.

Jan Trantham and her husband, from Atlanta, adopted a 2-year-old Shih Tzu named Jackson. They fell in love with him when they checked in, she said.

"Every time we went somewhere, one of us would say, 'Let's go back to the hotel and see Jackson.' l couldn't stop thinking about this dog," Trantham said.

It's also a wonderful way for the dogs - and the guests - to socialize, Kavanagh said.

"We have a little playpen by the front desk. At times, there's a crowd around the pen because the dog is a conversation starter," Kavanagh said. "Our hotel draws people together so they can mix and mingle and maybe adopt a dog."

___

Online:

- www.aloftashevilledowntown.com

- www.wncanimalrescue.org

Contributed by Sue Manning, AP

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