Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide broke ground on its first franchised aloft hotel, aloft Rancho Cucamonga. The 136-room property, slated to open in the first quarter of 2008, is the hotel component of HavenPark, a $60 million mixed-use development. The aloft brand from W Hotels feature loft-like nine-foot ceilings, oversized windows, a signature bed, and large bathrooms with walk-in showers. Each guest loft has wireless Internet access and plug and play—a connectivity solution for multiple electronics such as PDAs, cell phones, mp3 players and laptops, that can all be linked to a large flat panel HDTV. Additional aloft hotels are targeted to open in the first quarter of 2008, with 500 properties worldwide expected by 2012. Rancho Cucamonga lies 45 minutes east of Los Angeles, and seven miles south of LAX. Visit [www.alofthotels.com].
