Vision 2030 Jan. 2011 | Page 133

Style at a steal Vanden Auweele is enthusiastic about this new alternative which Aloft is bringing to the market; “We cannot be defined by the traditional star system, because we believe that the criteria by which the star system is measured are not entirely in sync with the needs of the average business traveller in the 21st century. At Aloft, you can play music from your iPhone through state-of-the-art speakers from the multimedia hub in your room. At Aloft, you can be sure that the second you turn on your laptop, it will be wi-fi connected with none of the usual problems. We are running a hotel that serves the needs of our guests. Needs that we have taken time to identify.” Is the general manager concerned that this new approach may alienate some more traditional guests? “If some guests decide that Aloft is not for them, then that is unfortunate, but it means that we are doing 131