Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced the first conversion of an existing hotel to its “style-at-a-steal” Aloft brand, launching a new phase of growth for one of the world’s most talked-about hotel brands.

Aloft San Francisco Airport, a former Clarion property, will undergo a significant renovation before opening as an Aloft in the summer of 2012. The 253-room hotel is owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts and this significant investment demonstrates Starwood’s strong commitment to the three-year-old Aloft brand.

“Building on the success of adaptive reuse projects like the award-winning Aloft Dallas Downtown, a former railroad depot, we’ve developed a conversion-friendly strategy for existing hotels to meet owner and guest demand for the brand while helping our partners reposition existing assets in a cost-effective manner,” said Simon Turner, President of Global Development for Starwood. “We believe that many well-located, older hotels in metro markets represent enormous untapped repositioning potential. With the right capital investment and the backing of Starwood’s powerful platforms, these assets will benefit from Aloft’s ever-growing guest loyalty.”

Aloft San Francisco Airport occupies a prime location adjacent to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), one of the world’s busiest travel hubs. The property’s strategic location, along with proximity to mass-transit options into San Francisco, made it an ideal choice for a conversion for Starwood. “We see two types of opportunities as ideal candidates for an Aloft conversion: older hotels in need of a major renovation, and unique independent boutique hotels seeking a stronger brand point of view and the ability to utilize Starwood systems,” Turner said.

For consumers, who have made Aloft one of the world’s most prized hospitality brands, conversions will mean access to the brand in more places, according to Brian McGuinness, Senior Vice President of Specialty Select Brands for Starwood. “The Aloft brand has developed a fiercely loyal following - consumers constantly ask us to bring the brand to more cities,” he said. “Conversions are exciting from a brand standpoint because they allow us to bring the Aloft experience to new markets more quickly, which can only enhance its already-powerful growth.”

Pioneering initiatives in pop culture, design, and technology have positioned Aloft as a must-have brand for Gen Y travelers. Aloft has reported consistently high guest satisfaction scores since launch, reflecting the success of its modern and vibrant design at an affordable price point. Aloft’s social guest experience, with the buzzing re:mix lounge and happening w xyzbar, have earned select hotels within the portfolio designations on TripAdvisor’s 2011 “Top 10 Trendiest Hotels in the US” and “Top 10 Trendiest Hotels in the World” rankings lists.

The Aloft hotel will become the third Starwood property adjacent to San Francisco International Airport, joining The Westin San Francisco Airport and Four Points by Sheraton Hotel & Suites San Francisco Airport.

City.Mobi

Also in US today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to San Francisco.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

SanFrancisco.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.