I can remember when The Aloft was new, and an exciting place to stay. The Aloft is now about 15 years old or more, and it’s no longer new or exciting. It’s still different, but it needs upgrades. The carpets are dirty. My room had dried paint on the carpet. That was an issue throughout the hotel. You could see touch up paint in many areas of the walls of the hotel. The furniture is old and has signs of the finish chipping. Signs in the elevators are smudged, and worn out. And… and this is a pet peeve of mine… the gym. If you are going to have a gym, then maintain the equipment. There was an Elliptical machine that was broken. I had to figure that out myself. The TV’s on the treadmills don’t work. Come on folks! The hotel needs maintenance. Badly. It’s not a ”dump” by any means. It’s a solid 3 Star hotel. But the age is visible to the naked eye.
Also, it’s a non smoking hotel. That’s fine. But how about having places to sit near the smoking areas outside of the hotel. I guess smokers are just expected to stand in the cold and rain? I’m paying for a room just like non smokers. That’s a simple and cheap way to make smokers feel appreciated for their business.
Lastly, the shower could use one small upgrade. A shelf on the wall. Many people like myself travel with our own soap, shampoo, razors etc. There is no place to put those items inside the shower. So showering becomes an unnecessarily awkward experience. Just add a $10 shelf to the shower.