GM of Abu Dhabi’s Aloft Hotel Stephan Vanden Auweele tells Caterer that hotel F&B outlets need to start considering the needs of the modern traveller

A ‘modern traveller’ could be 20, 30 or even 60, believes Stephan Auweele Auweele, complex general manager of Abu Dhabi’s Aloft hotel, a funky and fresh brand from the Starwood Hotels and Resorts portfolio.

After opening two Sheraton properties in the Canary Islands and Spain, Auweele was on the lookout for a new challenge and jumped at the opportunity to launch the new Aloft brand.

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Strikingly different to your regular hotel, you’re met with a pool table in the entrance, before seeing graffiti wall art on backgrounds of teal and magenta – not the usual shades you’d associate with the luxury Starwood brand.

“The last thing you want to do today is to develop a product that everybody likes and nobody dislikes. I often joke that most hotel lobbies are off-white or beige,” says Auweele.

“I think it is just because hotel lobbies have to please everyone and displease no one. Aloft has taken a slight risk with its offering. Some get a bit of a shock but then we’re not out to appeal to 100% of the population.”

Auweele says the brand was born out of a frustration from the modern traveller who required convenience and instant, up-to-date information, without the unnecessary ‘frills’.

The Aloft Abu Dhabi is the largest in the world with 408 rooms and is conveniently located across the car park from the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Rooms are not high-end luxury, but they are comfortable – again fulfilling the needs of the on-the-go client. The self-serve tea area in each room features take away paper cups.

“It is modern, but it’s not modern to the extent that it feels unpleasant. As I say the first time I saw an Aloft hotel I was a little bit shocked; shocked because there are so many things that are there that are not common in our industry,” says Auweele, pointing to a ticker in the lobby which gives visitors up-to-the minute news.

“I think Aloft has adapted to the reality of today’s world.”

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