Ground floor retail space and apartments on the upper floors will come in 2018.

Visitors to Aloft will notice massive doors that open to the sidewalk that runs down Main Street, colorful artwork and lighting, plus upbeat music throughout the day. It’s, well, different.

“It’s kind of a hip and trendy, fun brand,” said John Gates, the general manager. “It’s casual yet comfortable. The employees don’t even wear name tags. They want everybody to introduce themselves.”

Every detail at Aloft speaks to this evolution from dilapidated high-rise to potential hot spot.

First and foremost, the lobby shirks hotel tradition. The check-in desk is small, round and in the middle of the room. Off to your left sits the W XYZ Bar, which is no ordinary hotel drink stop. It’s a full-service bar designed with the public in mind as much as hotel patrons.

There’s a heavy appetizer menu with selections ranging from a mini Caesar salad to chili-glazed meatballs, pulled pork nachos, chicken pesto flatbread and a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup.

In short, the hope is W XYZ Bar becomes a place for anyone and everyone to grab a drink and/or bite to eat while also encouraging guests at the hotel to come down out of their rooms and hang out.

“It’s extremely important for us to brand that as its own product because it’s not just a hotel bar,” said Becky Fletcher, director of sales and marketing. “Aloft is all about engaging the guests and engaging the customer no matter if it’s a hotel guest or a local resident. The whole idea is to have them down here, out of the guest room, engaging in the community and being part of the experience, not hiding upstairs.”

One of the primary ways Aloft will try to attract people is through what’s known as Live at Aloft.

Every Tuesday, along with select other dates depending on the occasion, the hotel will bring in local musicians to perform. Those will actually begin from 4 p.m to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday with The Lounge Lizards playing on opening night. Lucas Miner follows from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday for a double dose of entertainment.

“It’s a big great room,” Gates said. “The idea is you come in and it’s a bar-restaurant. Then, oh by the way, you can just check in. That’s kind of the flavor of it. It’s kinda loud and raucous.”

The hotel also comes along with traditional amenities. There’s a full range of breakfast choices, including made-to-order omelets, sandwiches, bagels and more. Guests can grab juices or smoothies if they’re on the go in the morning.

Event space takes up the sixth floor. There’s a ball room that can hold about 225 people at round tables, plus smaller spaces designed for meetings.

There are 187 guest rooms on nine floors, starting on the eighth — double queens, kings and, my personal favorite, the king suites. All of them come with resplendent views of the city.

Depending on your vantage point, you can catch the Golden Dome over at Notre Dame, the river lights or dozens of church steeples jutting through the trees toward the west. Windows are emphasized in each room, as is a clean, minimal set up.

Out-of-town hotel seekers are already booking reservations for the remaining Notre Dame home football schedule. Rates for the rooms run between about $139 and $179 a night.

“We’re almost sold out for USC (Oct. 21),” Fletcher said. “We’re doing very well for N.C. State (Oct. 28) so far. We’ll be selling for the Miami of Ohio game (Saturday) and we have some rooms.”