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At the Aloft you get 2 queen-sized beds for slightly cheaper than any room at the Westin. The only reason I never considered staying in the Aloft before is that I like to arrive at Arisia, change into clothes that are utterly impractical for winter weather, including sandals, and then not leave the hotel for 3 days. But, with 2 teenagers in tow, I needed the 2 queen-sized beds.
Walking back and forth between the Aloft and the Westin was not all that bad, even when the cold was sharp and biting.
It helped that I had the Publications table on the concourse. I regarded that as my turf, so I stashed things under the table. I would wear boots and warm socks to walk over from the Aloft, and then stash my boots and socks under the table, and go barefoot in the Westin. I'm glad to have Hobbit taking the lead in trying to liberate the Westin for the Barefoot League. If Hobbit's efforts fail, I could bring a pair of sandals in a totebag to change into.
Note to self: if staying in the Aloft again, bring a totebag. Then I could bring a complete costume change.
Staying in the Aloft was totally worth it on account of the food. When traveling, I do like to start the day with a good hearty breakfast at the hotel restaurant. But the Westin's food service, as I have ranted before, is utterly unacceptable. Seriously, I have stayed in non-fancy hotels when traveling to flyover country for business that include a free breakfast buffet with the room rent that's better than what the Westin charges $25 a head for. Breakfast at the Aloft, in contrast, is quite acceptable. They do these nice little breakfast bowls that are just the right amount of food (for me) for $8. The rancho huervos bowl is awesome-- some spicy black beans, a few slices of avocado, a poached egg, a couple of corn chips, and salsa. The kids got, variously, the french toast bowl (french toast, syrup, fruit) or the original classic bowl (egg, potatoes, bacon). There's also a good selection of grab-and-go things: bagels and other baked goods, juice and other drinks, hand fruit, crunchy snacks, etc; all not utterly outrageously priced. Plus free coffee, all you want, starting at 6:00am.
Food is also a much better deal at the Aloft at the other end of the day. It's just some basic bar food at the bar, but it really works. One night we got a pepperoni flatbread. Only $10 plus tax and tip, and it was HUGE, enough for supper for both me and Vic, and tasty.
The Aloft has a small pool, of dubious cleanliness; but it does have the advantage over the Westin of being open early in the morning. We think (this is unverified) that during Arisia, the Westin shifts its pool hours 3 hours later; for the sake of being able to stay open until 3am, the pool doesn't open until 8am. Grrr, really? Yes, I did want to go swimming at 7am. I might, on occasion, want to go even earlier than that. So, I managed to contain my disgust and do laps in the Aloft pool. (In addition to being open early, it also had the advantage of being empty of other people.)
The exercise room at the Aloft is lame. However, I had mooched someone else's Westin key card, to stash some stuff; so, for other than swimming, I was able to use the exercise facilities at the Westin. Best of both worlds!
The decor of the Aloft tries too hard to be artsy and it's just weird. The decor of the room and upstairs hallway was oppressively dark and weird. But, with us spending most of our time at Arisia activities and not in the room except to sleep, this didn't matter. The bathroom in the room was cramped and awkward and not enough towel racks; but it was worth it for the slightly smaller price and the much better breakfast.
Walking back and forth between the Aloft and the Westin was not all that bad, even when the cold was sharp and biting.
It helped that I had the Publications table on the concourse. I regarded that as my turf, so I stashed things under the table. I would wear boots and warm socks to walk over from the Aloft, and then stash my boots and socks under the table, and go barefoot in the Westin. I'm glad to have Hobbit taking the lead in trying to liberate the Westin for the Barefoot League. If Hobbit's efforts fail, I could bring a pair of sandals in a totebag to change into.
Note to self: if staying in the Aloft again, bring a totebag. Then I could bring a complete costume change.
Staying in the Aloft was totally worth it on account of the food. When traveling, I do like to start the day with a good hearty breakfast at the hotel restaurant. But the Westin's food service, as I have ranted before, is utterly unacceptable. Seriously, I have stayed in non-fancy hotels when traveling to flyover country for business that include a free breakfast buffet with the room rent that's better than what the Westin charges $25 a head for. Breakfast at the Aloft, in contrast, is quite acceptable. They do these nice little breakfast bowls that are just the right amount of food (for me) for $8. The rancho huervos bowl is awesome-- some spicy black beans, a few slices of avocado, a poached egg, a couple of corn chips, and salsa. The kids got, variously, the french toast bowl (french toast, syrup, fruit) or the original classic bowl (egg, potatoes, bacon). There's also a good selection of grab-and-go things: bagels and other baked goods, juice and other drinks, hand fruit, crunchy snacks, etc; all not utterly outrageously priced. Plus free coffee, all you want, starting at 6:00am.
Food is also a much better deal at the Aloft at the other end of the day. It's just some basic bar food at the bar, but it really works. One night we got a pepperoni flatbread. Only $10 plus tax and tip, and it was HUGE, enough for supper for both me and Vic, and tasty.
The Aloft has a small pool, of dubious cleanliness; but it does have the advantage over the Westin of being open early in the morning. We think (this is unverified) that during Arisia, the Westin shifts its pool hours 3 hours later; for the sake of being able to stay open until 3am, the pool doesn't open until 8am. Grrr, really? Yes, I did want to go swimming at 7am. I might, on occasion, want to go even earlier than that. So, I managed to contain my disgust and do laps in the Aloft pool. (In addition to being open early, it also had the advantage of being empty of other people.)
The exercise room at the Aloft is lame. However, I had mooched someone else's Westin key card, to stash some stuff; so, for other than swimming, I was able to use the exercise facilities at the Westin. Best of both worlds!
The decor of the Aloft tries too hard to be artsy and it's just weird. The decor of the room and upstairs hallway was oppressively dark and weird. But, with us spending most of our time at Arisia activities and not in the room except to sleep, this didn't matter. The bathroom in the room was cramped and awkward and not enough towel racks; but it was worth it for the slightly smaller price and the much better breakfast.
