Aloft Hotels And Universal Music Group & Brands Launch Project: Aloft Star Europe 2018

- LONDON, Aug. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Aloft Hotels, Marriott International's brand for music lovers and music makers, alongside Universal Music Group & Brands (UMG&B), the brand strategy division of Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, is launching the 2018 edition of the artist discovery competition Project: Aloft Star. To mark the launch of the competition and to give everyone a chance to get in on the action – even those not quite ready for global super stardom – tech-driven Aloft Hotels is setting up state-of-the-art shower audio recording booths in a selection of its properties across Europe for guests to step into and show off their vocal talents while staying with Aloft. Project: Aloft Star – The Search for a Star The Project: Aloft Star Europe 2018 contest, which kicks off on Monday 13thAugust 2018, is part of Marriott International's first-of-its-kind global partnership with UMG&B, which has evolved to include a focus on developing emerging talent. Aspiring artists are invited to submit an original song for consideration. Those who get through the initial selection process and public voting will go on to perform in front of headline judge and Artist Ambassador JP Cooper, known for his hit songs 'September Song' and 'Perfect Strangers', as well as an expert panel of judges in November at the Aloft Hotel in Munich, Germany. Musicians can enter contest starting today for a chance to win a prize that includes: Audio Recording Booths For Shower Superstars For guests who normally prefer to keep their vocal talents to singing in the shower, there will be the chance to step into state-of-the-art shower audio recording booths set up in dedicated rooms at select locations around Europe during the course of Project: Aloft Star 2018. The booths take full advantage the room's acoustics by mimicking the experience of singing in the shower, but come fully-equipped with waterproof studio equipment that can be used to sing a song, record it, listen back or share it. Guests staying at Aloft Hotels in London, Brussels, Munich and Kiev will be able to access these special "shower studios" during their stay to coincide with the Project: Aloft Star 2018 competition. "Each year we see incredible, undiscovered talent emerge through Project: Aloft Star. This year we're going a step further with a new partnership with Universal Music Group to nurture and support more emerging musicians," said John Licence, Vice President of Premium and Select Brands at Marriott International Europe. "Showers are synonymous with singing, so we put a fun spin on this by launching these voice recording booths using innovative technology to encourage even more superstars-in-the-making to bring their vocal talent out of the showers and into the spotlight." "Having been on this journey myself, I'm really excited to be able to help shine a light on the next generation of musical talent," added Island Records U.K.-signed artist JP Cooper. "As Project: Aloft Star's artist ambassador and head judge for Europe, I can't wait to discover the emerging artists who will get the chance to be noticed throughout the competition and get that all important chance to record and digitally release their single, a deal that will change that person's life." As a truly global hotel brand, concurrent Project: Aloft Star competitions are running with Aloft Hotels and UMG&B in the Americas, Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific to find the next big music stars in these regions. The winners will all have the opportunity to record a single with UMG and gain access to mentoring opportunities with UMG representatives. For more information about the global competition, visit alofthotels.com. Project: Aloft Star Europe 2018 Competition Details For full details about the competition in all four regions and to enter the competition, please visit:  alofthotels.com Terms & Conditions Aloft – the Hotel For Music Makers and Music Lovers Aloft Hotels has been an incubator for emerging musical talent for a decade. All Aloft Hotels around the world host regular live music evenings in their W XYZ® bars with local up-and-coming talent as part of the brand's Live At Aloft Hotels music program. Aloft Hotels are in thriving music destinations, welcoming touring musicians with special discounted artist rates, the opportunity to use the W XYZ® bar as a performance space for free, and a musicians' guide featuring everything from where to dine late-night after a gig, the best nearby affordable recording studio, where to purchase guitar strings, and more to hit the right note for each stay. Note To Editors Aloft Hotels will initially trial the audio recording booths in London, Brussels, Munich and Kiev to coincide with the Project: Aloft Star 2018 roll out. Use of the booths will be available at the specified hotels on specific dates during the Project: Aloft Star competition. The booths are not bookable as an overnight package. The waterproof audio recording equipment and innovative touchpad technology allows guests to choose to capture, play back and download recordings. The recording equipment is operated manually by the user through the touchpad to begin and end any recording and cannot be remotely accessed by Aloft Hotels or any other third party. Guests must manually opt to download and share their recordings and no recordings are stored on the app or touchpad device. If the user does not wish to download their recording after play-back, the recording is automatically deleted. About Aloft Hotels With more than 150 hotels now open in over 20 countries and territories around the world, Aloft Hotels, part of Marriott International, Inc., 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. Aloft is proud to participate in the industry's award-winning loyalty program, Starwood Preferred Guest®. Members can now link accounts with Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® at members.marriott.com for instant elite status matching and unlimited points transfer. For more information, please visit www.alofthotels.com and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. About Universal Music GroupUniversal Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. Featuring the most comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for our artists and create new experiences for fans. Universal Music Group is a Vivendi company. Find out more at: http://www.universalmusic.com. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/731001/Marriott_International_JP_Cooper.jpg   Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/731000/Marriott_International_Project_Aloft_Star_Overs.jpg