My husband and I (late-20s) had a flight that arrived in Philadelphia at midnight, so we decided to stay at the aloft for the night before moving to a hotel downtown. We travel often and love this brand, so we knew to expect trendy and modern with some fun quirks. All that with a free airport shuttle and a great price, and we didn't think twice.
While the hotel was similar to others we've stayed at, the environment was TOTALLY different. I don't know if it was our late arrival or what, but there was pretty much a party everywhere -- tons of people at the bar, playing pool, in the courtyard, running around the halls (including children). We also had plenty of time to observe this because there was only one person working at the front desk.
Side note: I understand that you only "need" one person at midnight at most hotels, however being by the airport, at least two would be helpful. After all, there were three people ahead of us checking in, two people trying to buy snacks from the refreshment area, and another woman standing to the side who needed a taxi. (The front desk was also responsible for keeping up with the shuttle, as well as responding to guests calls -- including a guest that called for security to be sent to a room.) Granted, the woman at the desk worked as fast as two people; but wow!
Fast-forward through check-in and getting into our room. We were... unimpressed. The carpet seemed a bit dingy, the bathroom shower wasn't all that clean (soap scum on the floor and the shampoo pump had dripped a large metallic-blue puddle), and the walls were thin enough to hear the people in the hallway and those next to us. We didn't really care because we were exhausted, so we just decided to get into bed and crash. However, the sheets were also thin and scratchy!
At this point my husband looked at me and said, "Doesn't this remind you of a dorm room in college?!" We both laughed because EVERYTHING about it did -- the party scene, the overworked front desk, the just-clean-enough room, the thin walls, the scratchy sheets, and even the cool decorations and really nice television/technology set up. It was like a well-decorated, large, college dorm suite.
In the morning, things were a bit different. There were two, really relaxed, super-friendly people at the front desk, nice music playing, a few people enjoying the pool and fitness center (great features), and everything had calmed down a bit. The treadmills were busy, so we went for a run around the airport property -- not scenic, but it got our heart rates up -- before checking out.
Overall, for our late arrival and the price, it was a totally adequate stay for one night. If we were staying longer, we would have switched to the Four Points across the street.
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