ALOFT HOTELS AND MTV COLLABORATE TO OFFER MILLENNIAL TRAVELLERS LIVE MUSIC ACCESS WHILE ON-THE-GO ACROSS ASIA

“Live at Aloft Hotels” Online Platform Gets Amplified by MTV, Featuring Latest Concert Schedule, Exclusive Artist Interviews and Shared Social Media Experiences on www.mtvasia.com/aloftlive

 Aloft Hotels, in collaboration with MTV Asia, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), launched an online platform, www.mtvasia.com/aloftlive, that will help promote local up-and-coming music talents who will perform at the “Live at Aloft Hotels” showcase at Aloft Hotels’ W XYZ bars across China, India, Malaysia and Thailand. Specifically, the collaboration will provide an enhanced Aloft Hotels guest experience for millennial travelers with live music access while on-the-go.

“Live at Aloft Hotels” enables millennial travelers to connect with like-minded individuals in a fun-loving music space created by Aloft Hotels, while staying in touch with local music tastes and hot new talents. Leveraging the MTV Experience, the digital platform allows guests to engage and discover music as it introduces fresh homegrown talents from each city, with write-ups about the “Live at Aloft Hotels” events and select performers’ interviews. The site also features an image and video gallery of past events, bios of artistes, an events calendar and a platform for travelers to share their personal concert experiences via video uploads and social media channels.

“We are thrilled to partner with MTV, an iconic brand that resonates with millennials, who possess a deep connection to music, fashion and pop culture,” said Vincent Ong, Senior Brand Director, Asia Pacific Brand Management, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “We also share this love of music and are committed to helping our guests discover great new music and talent, whether they are traveling or visiting a W XYZ bar in their city.”

“It took our breath away when we first stepped into an Aloft hotel! We saw and felt the vibe that reflects the spirit of millennials! The collaboration with Aloft Hotels on “Live at Aloft Hotels Amplified by MTV” shows a clear brand synergy between our companies, as we continue to promote and reflect local cultural tastes and music talents,” said Tan Sian Ju, Vice President of MTV & Comedy Central Brands, Viacom International Media Networks Asia. “The next six months will be an exciting partnership as we help amplify the efforts of “Live at Aloft Hotels”, which will give growing local talents a regional spotlight like never before.”

To kick-off the collaboration, a select group of Southeast Asian media and bloggers (including myself) were invited to a music celebration at Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral on 8-10 November. Hosted by MTV VJ Hanli, the event started with a Music Preview Party to sample how guests can mix, mingle and meet at “Live at Aloft Hotels,” and featured The Light Fantastic, a local female duo. 

 The Light Fantastic, a local female duo.

(From left: Cookie & Melina)

Cookie Ong, a versatile singer who can perform in various styles such as pop, rock, Jazz, R&B. She is able to sing songs in different languages. Eg. Chinese, English, Thai, Spanish, Japanese, Cantonese, Hokkien.

She started her singing career since year 2005 as a pop girl band named ‘Muffin’ under a recording label (Avenue One Studio). Then continued as a solo performer with different bands including Urban Tribes, 90s movement, Velvet and The Elements.

She has been performing at the Four Seasons’ Diplomat Lounge in Macau for 2 consecutive years (2009 – 2010) as a 5 piece band (The Elements) and 3 piece acoustic band.

Melina William graduated with Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Westminster [UK] and International College Of Music [Malaysia]. Although she is currently known primarily as the leader, vocalist and bassist of the progressive rock band Tempered Mental, Melina has also done session work for Malaysian artistes like Pete Teo, Mia Palencia, Suki, Nikki, Juwita Suwito, Ferhad and so on.

Melina has been performing in live houses and music festivals since she was a teenager. The many international music festivals she has played include Baybeats [Singapore], Phat Fest [Thailand], Canadian Music Week [Canada], Sunburst [Malaysia], Rock The World [Malaysia], Busan International Rock Festival, as well as two major music television concerts in Korea. Melina has also performed in several live houses around Tokyo. Melina has just completed a 3-month contract as a guitarist/ vocalist in a 5-piece band at the Four Seaons in Macau.

Melina is a multi-instrumentalist. Other than bass, she also plays the guitar, piano and percussion.

Cookie and Melina have been performing separately and as a group for more than 10 years now. When they do play together, their versatility allows for them to perform as a trio or a duo with multiple instrumentation options. They have played in several venues as a full band, as well as an acoustic group.

As both of them are main vocalists with varying musical personalities, it creates a wide and interesting spectrum within their performance sets.

If you want to hear them sing live, 

come to Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral, W XYZ bar every Friday 7pm-9pm.

Check out  www.mtvasia.com/aloftlive for more updates.

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I also attended the media and bloggers’ “uncut” screening of the 2013 MTV EMA, held for the first time in Malaysia. Many of us did not managed to watch live and thanks goodness we got to watch this screening at Aloft W XYZ Bar. The show was amazing and got me laughing at some part. Truely a must watch.

The MTV EMA – MTV’s global celebration of the hottest stars in music – recognizes artists from around the world and across genres, and brings together music fans everywhere for a one-of-a-kind experience in the weeks leading up to and at the show. The “2013 MTV EMA” was air across MTV’s global network of more than 60 channels reaching nearly 700 million households around the world as well as through syndication.

With Manila Bloggers- Champ (www.meccaph.com) & Laureen (www.breakmystyle.com)

Singapore Blogger- Tselyn (http://www.tsetsk.com/)

Host- MTV VJ Hanli

  We had our wonderful lunch while watching the screening.

For MTV EMA news and announcements, check out EMA on Facebook or follow@mtvema. 

About Aloft Hotels

With more than 75 hotels in 14 countries around the world, Starwood’s Aloft brand delivers a fresh approach to the traditional staid hotel landscape. For the ‘always on’ next generation of traveler, the Aloft brand offers a tech-forward, vibrant experience and a modern style that is different by design. For more information, please visitwww.alofthotels.com. Aloft, like all brands within Starwood's portfolio is proud to offer the Starwood Preferred Guest® program, the industry’s richest loyalty program. To learn more, please visit www.spg.com.

About MTV

MTV is the world’s premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. Outside of the United States, MTV is part of Viacom International Media Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. For information about MTV in Southeast Asia, visit www.mtvasia.com.