Aloft Hotel Revives Harlem Tourist Industry
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Harlem is ready to have its newest hotel in more than 40 years. NY1's Valarie D'Elia filed the following report. It hasn’t been since the legendary Hotel Theresa closed back in 1967 that a full-service hotel is opening its doors in Harlem. Next month, Aloft, the “style at a steal” brand from Starwood, is making its debut in New York City at the convenient corner of 124th and Frederick Douglass Boulevard.
"It's a perfect location, 12 minutes from here to Penn Station," says Aloft general manager Daniel Fevre.
The six-story hotel is located in the bottom part of a mixed-use building which also includes condos and retail space. Platinum-level cardholders in Starwood’s loyalty program can bypass the check-in desk and go directly to their rooms.
Pet-friendly, Aloft offers 124 rooms, which are spacious by New York standards and accommodate four people for the same price as a double. The rooms are fully wired with ports for every kind of plug.
Aloft was built to attract a Generation Y clientele.
“This type of guest is not scared of trying something new, very open, very techy, very savvy,” says Fevre.
The staff will reflect that youthful vibe, as 72 percent are Harlem natives who were hired from a recruiting event at the nearby Apollo Theater.
"We will be in the know of the area, we'll know all the spots to go, and the different hangouts in Harlem," says "Aloha" desk assistant Ashton Pina.
Not aiming to compete with the restaurant riches of the neighborhood, Aloft is offering only a grab-and-go menu.
In general, room rates are 10 to 15 percent off Midtown prices, going for $239 a night through the end of the year, along with a $20 room credit to spend, perhaps, at the trendy bar and lounge.
Aloft is scheduled to officially open on November 11, which is sure to be another proud page in Harlem’s storied history.
"Rebirth of a community, rebirth of an industry, the tourism industry in this area, people come here from all over the world to see Harlem, it’s the Harlem renaissance," says Pina.