Aloft Atlanta Downtown

The Aloft Hotel in Atlanta seems to be in a state of change. Much about the space I liked. It’s has an updated and trendy feel for todays multi-need traveler with a modern take by merging art, concrete and exposed metal in the open lobby/bar reservation are. Check-in was as I have come to expect in southern hotels; charming, gracious and welcoming. I travel and stay in Marriotts a great deal - they each have a local flavor that seems to be morphed into some “master plan” by the Marriott-Bonvoy brand. At the Aloft you see nods and winks to some of the others such as the Boston Marriott Seaport. The room I was in, was spacious and airy. But had it’s quirks; the layout, based on its original room master plan is an unusual assortment of randomness. From the front door looking into the bathroom, random switches for the various lights and A lack of drawers anywhere which takes some time to getting used to. As your enter into the room, you walk through the exposed sink/vanity and notice the sliding door into the bathroom/shower space. I love the synthetic floors get used a lot these days as they are not as slick when wet. Like other properties, a lack of a bathroom vent makes odor a challenge. The formal closet is replaced with a built-in unit housing the microwave, a bar for clothes to hang on and a curtain the cover it. While it sounds very “cold water flat” it is actually pretty clean looking. With the traditional good quality mattress and the stream-lined room, the Aloft is working towards earning its cool factor for travelers needing a space for work or pleasure. The staff and the constant reinventing of its brand are both assets here. On the Con side - some minor attention is needed to details - surfaces cleaning in the rooms could be better. The rooms lack a dresser or even a bedside drawer - which I still find a bit odd. Not having place to put my underwear always feels a bit too modern. During my stay I also had the “breakfast” plan included - I think this is an another area they need to work on. Instead of the regular “continental buffet” to help yourself - they offer a menu to order from and then you wait to be called. But lacking any table seating near that area - you end up sitting in the lounge. Resulting in my not hearing my name called and after 20 min, my asking about my order and them having to remake it since someone else claimed it. They also need to work in internal communications; I had a listed 4:00 checkout but still had 4 visits from housekeeping over a three hour period from 11-2. Read less

They did warn us that their was a moving being filmed but they told us the day we arrived so i couldn't really change my plans since i was checking in... the 2nd night i was woken up at least 4 times because of loud noises ( fake bombs, fake gun shots etc...) i know there is nothing the hotel can do it is out of their control. I think to give their gust a free meal or something to compensate would have gone a long way.... Don`t count on me coming back. Read less

I cannot even put into words how terrible my experience with this hotel was. I'll start with the positive aspects: it has a good location, the room was clean, and the staff were friendly. Now on to the bad. First, the design of the rooms bothered me. The bathroom light is connected to the hall light. So if you need a midnight trip to the bathroom and are sharing a room with someone else, you have a choice between waking everyone up and peeing in the dark.This was annoying, but a small nuisance compared to my main complaint. My main complaint with this hotel was the way they handled a simple problem. They mistakenly charged two credit cards for the stay (the one provided for incidentals as well as the one provided for the room) and this took numerous phone calls with multiple people at the hotel as well as the bank to get this sorted out. Every time I called I was assured the issue had been taken care of, but it never was. At one point, there was a second random charge added (although that charge was reversed quickly, I still have no clue what it was even for). It was almost 2 weeks before I was refunded and even still it wasn't the right amount. I called again and again and left voicemails, but my calls were never returned. I figured at that point they were screening me so I called the Marriott head office. They made multiple excuses but finally filed a report and assured me my issue would be dealt with. It never was. I am still baffled by how nonchalantly they treated an erroneous credit card charge. I never received an apology or any sort of compensatory measure, even though I wasted hours of my time (and not to mention money) on the long distance calls. I would caution anyone against providing your credit card to this hotel, or any Aloft hotel. Read less