HotelChatter

Interestingly enough, astute HotelChatter reader Kerryboat picked up on the hum-drum-ness of this hotel way back during the opening hype, commenting:

"I seriously don't see what the hype is all about with Aloft hotels. All of their hotels look exactly the same on the inside with no nod to local culture. I can't tell the difference between the photos of Aloft Brooklyn or Aloft Jacksonville Airport off I-95."

True dat! And to take Kerryboat's complaint one step further, we find fault with how empty the rooms feel. Between the too-thick carpeting, severely muted color palette, and awkward TV positioning, the space felt more like a room prototype than a room itself. If Aloft is going to use a cookie-cutter design for each of its properties, then it might as well be an interesting one!

Downstairs, in the lobby, the hotel has taken more design risks (angled skylight ceiling, round Front Desk, spherical "womb" chairs), and the space certainly benefits. We're big fans of the high ceilings, round check-in desk, and white "womb" chairs. If Aloft's aim was to lure more guests down to the lobby, then it has succeeded. But at the cost of dumbing down its own guest rooms? Seems like a bad trade.

[Photos: HotelChatter]