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New hotel chains offer eco-chic, hip value

July 15, 2008 | Hospitality Industry

New lifestyle hotel brands are trying to tap into the needs of guests who want modern bells and whistles with value and to siphon customers from competitors in the select-service market - offering no room service, doormen or three-meal-a-day restaurants.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ 123-suite Element Lexington, the first in a pioneering built-from-scratch eco-conscious chain, opened last week. So did Starwood’s 136-room Aloft Lexington across a shared courtyard. It’s the fourth in a brand dubbed “W lite” by industry observers.

Each has a different mission. Extended-stay brand Element, affiliated with Westin, hopes to attract business travelers and value-minded families who want kitchen facilities. It’s a laboratory for the greening of hotels throughout the Starwood empire.

Aloft is designed to offer the fun and cutting-edge cool of its forerunner, W Hotels, at a wallet-friendlier price. It’s targeted at Gens Y and X and hip oldsters. Aloft rates are due to average $150; Element suites, $165 (including a hot breakfast). But both (alofthotels.com and elementhotels.com) have introductory specials, and rates vary by market.

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