When Marriott asked DF&A to re-imagine a hotel brand that was aimed at the young, hip traveler, it was already ten years old. Aloft predated iPhones, Instagram, and the word “Selfie.” The challenge was to make it new again without designing something destined to feel old before the next IOS update came out. DF&A saw that what was likely to endure in the millennial perspective was an ease with self-expression, with creating and curating their own environments. If the atmosphere of the Aloft was partly created by the guests, then even as the years passed and the guests changed, that atmosphere would stay current.

In the DF&A redesign, creating content is part of the Aloft experience from the moment guests cross the threshold. Their image is picked up on video, rendered abstract, edited, and projected on a folded, faceted digital LED screen above the gathering spot called PLAY. The couch at PLAY is designed to mirror the folded geometry above, so guests live an analog experience of the digital experience on screen. Public spaces are designed to provide perfect selfie surfaces; guest rooms feature iconic design elements from across the decades, leaving room for ones that have not yet even been imagined.

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