“aloft” Hotel Raises the Bar, Brings Urban Feel to Loudoun

The new "aloft" hotel in Ashburn has raised the bar for hospitality in the area while bringing a much needed urban flavor to Loudoun County. "aloft" is owned by Starwood Hotels and Resorts and has the same high level of customer service and guest amenities you get at a Westin. But what sets "aloft" apart from Westin and the rest of Starwood's hotels is the very modern and funky feel it has, similar to that of a Kimpton boutique hotel. 

Though "aloft" hotel in Ashburn has been open for some time now, their official grand opening event was last night. The place was packed, the DJ was spinning house and lounge music and the free drinks and food were being enjoyed by all. BMW of Sterling and VW/Audi were showing off their latest line of cars including the new M3 outside the hotel while "aloft" was showing off their rooms, gym, pool and guest amenities inside.

The list of attendees included residents, local business owners, execs from large corporations such as VW/Audi and AOL, a few Redskins and prominent Virginia and DC bar/club/restaurant owners, managers and promoters.

I took a tour of the hotel and here's what I thought… The hotel's lobby/lounge area is well designed, very inviting  and has it all – modern couches and tables throughout, a bar that changes colors, fireplace, pool table, tv's, computer stations, local artists' work on the walls, a healthy snack bar and even a live streaming ticker with the latest US and international stock market info.

The rooms aren't huge, but they're definitely nothing like a NYC hotel room. All the rooms have a work desk, 42 inch plasma, comfortable beds (though that's only from sitting on one), good-sized bathrooms, the latest "cool" fixtures in the bathrooms and on the walls, two sets of windows so you can actually tell if it's raining before you get down to the lobby, safe, free coffee (24/7), etc.

Though "aloft" may seem more like a leisure-stay type of hotel at first glance, don't be mistaken – they know where their bread and butter is and they do a great job of catering to the needs of business travelers. The hotel has wi-fi, high-speed internet and multi-port hookups in all rooms and all the other stuff a business traveler would need. You can even go over your PowerPoint presentation the night before or morning of on the 42 inch plasma in your room while still laying in bed.

At first, you may wonder what a hotel like this is doing in Ashburn and in that specific location. After all, there's nothing much else immediately around the hotel except a gas station, a Hilton right next door and residential homes down the street.

But there's a method to their madness. Their long-term vision including choice of location is excellent – the hotel is right off the Dulles Greenway, Verizon and AOL are just down the street and, most importantly, the future Moorefield Station development and Dulles Silver Line metrorail stop will be walking distance from the hotel. With the urban feel Moorefield Station will bring to the area, "aloft" will fit right in while reaping the benefits of the increased people count and business travelers.

"aloft" hotel is definitely a break from the hospitality and business norm in Loudoun, it raises the bar for other hotels in the area and brings a fresh, urban feel to the area. I'm glad to see it here!

P.S. If you want to keep up with what's going on at "aloft" hotel in Ashburn, check out their blog as well.

Moorefield Station Developer’s Update

 

Representatives from the developers of Moorefield Station gave a presentation today at the Dulles Area Association of REALTORS® office in Leesburg, VA. The project is being done by Clark Construction and Edgemoore Real Estate Services, a sbusidiary of Clark Construction.

Here are some of the specifics:

• The project was approved in 2002 by a "Smart-Growth" administration
• The project is about 9.5 million square feet of mixed-use space
• The proposed Dulles Metro Rail will end at Moorefield Station
• Moorefield Station is being compared to Reston Town Center and Rockville Town Square - "a community defining place"
• Civic plaza, art center, concert stage, retail, restaurants, office space, etc
• Bike/walking trails will connect to other trails throughout Loudoun and the W&OD Trail

Loudoun County is also looking for a new administrative/government center. Here are some details:

• Loudoun County sent out RFP in 2007 due to need for more space for administration/employee
• Loudoun County wants to own space rather than leasing it
• Need 500K square feet with expansion to 800K total
• Final 3 sites for Loudoun Administration/Government Center were narrowed down to Moorefield Station, Oaklawn and The Village at Leesburg
• Loudoun County will announce the final location of its new government site sometime early next year

The also talked about the economic development and impact. Here are some of the stats:

• $25 million in yearly real estate taxes from new development
• New jobs from businesses moving to Loudoun from surrounding counties and from out of state
• Will stimulate additional commercial development as companies/businesses expand
• Dulles Metro Rail is predicted to produce an estimated $41 million in taxes

Some other points:

• Not "green buildings", but LEED certified
• Can't do a "Kiss and Ride" due to layout
• Rail will be on one side while entrance will come in on other side – that may prove to be a little tricky
• George Mason University (GMU) has been in talks wtih Moorefield Station about new campus, but GMU wants free land

Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, which has given over $9 million in grants to local organizations is donating 27 acres to the project along with funding assistance. Part of the future profits from Moorefield Station will go back to the Claude Moore Foundation to go back to the community.

In a nutshell, it's a ways out, Loudoun County hasn't chosen it's new administrative/government office site and the Dulles Metro Rail is still in limbo. I'll keep you posted as new things materialize…

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Details on Proposed County Government Center at Moorefield Station Revealed

Future Of Moorefield Station and Dulles Metrorail Uncertain

The future of Moorefield Station and the new government center is uncertain due to the potentially bleak outlook of the Dulles Metrorail project, according to the Loudoun Times-Mirror. This comes after reports that the Federal Transit Administration said they will no longer fund the project over concerns regarding the areas’ economic stability and the contractor chosen to build Moorefield Station.

Loudoun County narrowed the site for the new 500K square foot government center to either Moorefield Station or one of two sites in Leesburg. The two Leesburg sites are The Village at Leesburg on Route 7 and Oaklawn, north of Leesburg Airport. With the latest news, those who favor Leesburg are rejoicing.

Even if the metrorail project doesn’t happen, Moorefield Station will be built. It’ll just be on a smaller scale with up to 4 million square feet of commercial space and 3500 homes being eliminated.

As far as the $240 million the county set aside for the project, it remains untouched.

D

Moorefield Station Update

It seems that Miller and Smith got a response from the Loudoun County Transportation/Land Use Committee last Monday that was not what they were hoping for. It was even better: Build more! Miller and Smith originally proposed 624 multifamily homes and 600,000 square feet of office space and retail uses just south of the planned Moorefield Station Metro stop in Ashburn. The planning staff came back and suggested that Miller and Smith and their Dulles Parkway Center project maximize the potential density allowed in the county policy. This would raise the number to 1000 homes and taller office buildings.

To help with their proposal, planning staff pointed out that neighboring Loudoun Station won approval for 1,514 homes and 1.9 million square feet of nonresidential uses on 43 acres. Dulles Parkway Center calls for about one-third of that on 40 acres.

There is some opposition including Supervisor Stephen J. Snow (R-Dulles) who said he opposed the staff’s push to "density park" eastern Loudoun County. But he also said that the Metro rail would provide a way to bring educated workers to Loudoun County from the east.

The application was forwarded to the full board for approval on a 3-1-1 vote. We’ll see what happens next…