At midnight last Wednesday, I
found myself hovering just off an island in Argali waters, trying
to get a sneak peek at the construction of an Aloft hotel, the new
"select service" brand from Starwood. But whenever I actually tried
to cross the shoreline and fly over the island for a better look, I
was impeded by a sign warning, "You are not allowed into
destination."
You won't find
Argali on a map. And the first real Aloft hotel isn't scheduled to
open until 2008. And, alas, I cannot hover or fly. But in the
simulated online world called Second Life (www.secondlife.com), an Aloft hotel is under
construction, and you (and any of the other 389,000 registrants)
can watch it go up.
When it's finished,
you'll be able to go into the property for a tour and even hang out
with other Second Life citizens in the hotel's W XYZ
lounge.
Starwood is not the
first commercial entity to set up shop in Second Life. This is a
virtual world created by citizens and businesses that purchase an
"island" and the tools to build upon it. Clothing retailer American
Apparel has a "store" there, and Major League Baseball built a 3-D
ballpark where the real MLB Home Run Derby was simulated on the
field (and shown simultaneously on the stadium's virtual
Jumbotrons).
To alleviate any
frustration felt by those of us hovering at the edge of its island
while the Aloft is under construction, the company that Starwood
hired to build it is keeping an illustrated blog describing how the
work is proceeding (www.virtualaloft.com).
Although a lot of
the blog is somewhat technical, it nonetheless makes a fascinating
read. It's written by Sara Van Gorden, one of the developers (she
works for a firm called the Electric Sheep Company in Washington,
which builds projects in virtual worlds for businesses). Her
enthusiasm for the project comes through in a voice that's a
refreshing change from corporate copy writing.
All of this bodes
well not only for Aloft and Starwood, but for the entire
select-service hotel segment. This is a group of brands badly in
need of a Vitamin B12 shot.
"Select" in this
instance really means "limited." It's a category that includes
hotels aimed at business and leisure travelers that tend to be
midsize properties (200 rooms or fewer), with large guest rooms but
modest (if any) meeting space or restaurant options. Courtyard by
Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn and Holiday Inn Select are among the
best-known players in this space.
So Starwood's entry
into the category with Aloft, and Hyatt's announcement of Hyatt
Place a year ago, are welcome news. (Hyatt Place, like Aloft, will
be raising the bar on amenities and food choices in the segment,
and it also promises a hip vibe.)
With Aloft's
newbuild in Second Life, the travel industry is entering what I
think is interesting, new territory in the product-placement
landscape. Logo branding within computer games and virtual hotel
tours are not ground-breaking concepts -- both have been around for
years. But previous iterations have been passive: A player in an
action game drives by a Pepsi sign, or a visitor to a hotel Web
site simply wanders through a virtual rendering of a
property.
In Second Life,
things are a bit less controlled and less predictable. If you're
exploring the grounds of the virtual Aloft, you're likely to run
into another Second Life citizen, and you can exchange comments
about the hotel -- positive or negative -- that can be "overheard"
by anyone else in the vicinity. In Second Life, everyone's a
critic.
But herein lies
tremendous power: The Aloft that's under construction is not just a
showcase but a marketing lab. Though the population of Second Life
is, for the time being, small, it has the potential to be a potent
focus group.
When the virtual
Aloft is completed, perhaps it's asking too much to suggest that
Starwood not "plant" visitors on its island to talk about how cool
and hip Aloft is. But if they can resist that urge -- or better
yet, plant citizens to ask questions and listen -- they will be
truly entering a brave new world, a world where Vitamin B12 is in
endless supply.