PLANO, TEXAS—At the close of 2007, the 176-room NYLO Plano at Legacy became the first loft lifestyle hotel to open in the United States, according to executives at NYLO Hotels. The pioneering hotel, NYLO’s inaugural property, is in North Dallas. As a brand, NYLO features unique gathering spots, whimsical décor and myriad amenities for tech-savvy travelers. Stepping into the NYLO Plano lobby, for instance, guests see pod chairs hanging from high ceilings and signs for free WiFi. Chandeliers are made of glass shaped like antlers.
With singular style and amenities, Atlanta-based NYLO is giving the mid-priced hotel category a makeover. The brand has an aggressive growth plan of 50 hotels open or under construction nationwide by 2010. Flying in the face of homogenized lodgings, NYLO aims to serve travelers seeking an alternative to the traditional, one-size-fits-all, limited-service chains.
“Travelers are looking for a unique experience, not just a place to work and sleep,” says John Russell, CEO, NYLO Hotels. “This trend is strong in other sectors. What Starbucks, IKEA and Mini Cooper have done in their industries, NYLO is doing for business and leisure travel.”
Emphasis on Natural Light
Unlike its design-centric predecessors, NYLOs are planned for thriving suburban and secondary markets, where land is less expensive, and business is brisk. NYLO is headed by a team of industry veterans, including Michael Mueller, president and chief development officer, who created the brand concept. NYLO Plano is high-end yet highly affordable. Interiors feature brick walls, exposed ductwork and polished concrete floors. Ceilings exceed 10 feet. The look is spacious and bright, thanks to open floor plans, oversized windows and floor-to-ceiling window walls.
“NYLO Plano’s personality is one-of-a-kind,” says Patrick O’Neil, the property’s general manager and senior vice president of operations, NYLO Hotels. “There’s simply nothing like it in North Dallas or any place else for that matter.”
NYLO Plano’s guestrooms, called guest lofts, have brick walls, polished concrete floors and ceilings exceeding 10 feet. In the 300-square-foot NYLO Loft, giant windows admit plenty of sunlight. For a room with a view, the 350-square-foot Glass Loft features a window that spans an entire wall.
Software Tracks Energy Usage
“Wind power supplies approximately half of NYLO Plano’s energy needs,” O’Neil says. “For Energy Star certification, the hotel also has one of the most robust, Web-based utility-managed software systems available to track conservation and cut consumption.”
In guest lofts, lights turn on automatically when guests enter and shut off automatically when they leave. Additional green features include recycled paper in desk pads and folio binders. NYLO’s exclusive line of bath and body products comes in recycled bottles. The pure botanicals are biodegradable, DEA-free, and with no chemical preservatives like Paraben.
The entire second floor—45 rooms—houses allergy-friendly guest lofts from Pure Solutions North America. For the comfort of travelers who suffer from allergies, asthma and other respiratory illnesses, each guest loft has hypoallergenic bedding. A medical grade air purifier is designed to keep air clean. Furniture is stained with tree-seed oil to further reduce allergens and dust. NYLO is committed to having at least one Pure Floor, with all guest lofts incorporating the comprehensive, seven-step purification system, in each of its branded hotels. To keep air clean, the properties will be 100 percent nonsmoking.
In addition to its Warwick, R.I. hotel under construction, NYLO plans to break ground early next year in Las Colinas, Texas, also in suburban Dallas. Another groundbreaking is scheduled for the second quarter in Broomfield, Colo., in the Denver/Boulder high-tech corridor. The company is committed to having 50 properties across the country through a combination of hotels that are open or under construction by 2010.
Go to NYLO.
