by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 11:44 AM ET, Thu October 12, 2017
Moxy Times Square wasn't specifically developed to take on Airbnb, but that was nevertheless the result with the launch of Marriott's hip and innovative new midtown Manhattan hotel.
With its high-style, urban camping aesthetic; incredibly affordable room rates ($149) and a variety of industry innovations-such as dialing down the services offered and instead channeling energy into fostering a sense of community at the property-Moxy is aiming squarely at today's modern traveler.
"It wasn't intended to attack Airbnb but the result is that it's a very formidable competitor of Airbnb," Mitchell Hochberg, principal at Lightstone, the property developer, said during a telephone interview.
"If you were looking for an Airbnb for $149, it wouldn't be in midtown Manhattan. It would be in Queens. You would have to take two subways, it would take you an hour to get to the city. At Moxy, you're right in the middle of Manhattan with all the facilities of a hotel at your fingertips. If you look at it as an alternative to Airbnb, it knocks it out of the park."
The 612-room property, which opened just a few weeks ago, attempts to reinvent the hotel experience on multiple levels.
Take the lobby for instance: Instead of standing in line at a traditional front desk, Moxy guests check in with a crew member at dedicated kiosks (If they haven't already accessed keyless entry through the Marriott mobile app.)
Just beyond the check-in area is the Moxy Digital Guestbook, which streams videos and images taken within Moxy hotels or tagged #atthemoxy, offering a little pre-elevator amusement. Nearby is a New Stand, a hybrid retail, and media concept boutique convenience store that reimagines what the modern day "newsstand" should be.
And while all of these details are interesting, it's the rooms and various public entertainment spaces that really steal the show.
Bedrooms at Moxy are created to be both functional and flexible, patterned after elegant Japanese ryokans in which the use of the space transitions and evolves throughout the day based on the activity at hand. To that end, furniture (such as chairs), can be hung on pegs and other items are designed to foldaway.
Additional noteworthy room details include walk-in rain showers, wood frame beds with storage and furiously fast (and free) WiFi. There's also Bluetooth soundbars and large flat-screen HDTVs that allow guests to stream Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and more.
On the rooftop, travelers will find Magic Hour, the property's sprawling and buzzed-about open space that could very well change the NYC rooftop game. The emphasis at Magic Hour isn't on velvet ropes or bottle service. Rather, the focus is on plain-old fun. There are five distinct environments offering up everything from an antique carousel to a miniature putt-putt course.
"It's the largest all season, indoor-outdoor rooftop in city," said Hochberg "It was inspired by a big state fair or carnival."
Moxy's interior bar meanwhile (called Bar Moxy) is yet another innovative creation designed to morph throughout the course of a day from one use to another.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Marriott Eyes a Future Filled with Modular Hotels[/READMORE]
"It's the social heart of the hotel and a space that during course of day can be flexible in terms of use," Hochberg continued.
"During the day it can be a co-working space with plenty of places to sit or lounge and take meetings. And then come evening the lighting gets dimmer and the music louder. And later in evening, the lights get even dimmer and the music even louder and it becomes more of a party. But the design lends itself to all three activities, which is unique."
Moxy is the result of a team of creative minds including Yabu Pushelberg, which developed the property's bedrooms, lobby and second-floor public spaces. TAO Group supervised the food and beverage program, while Rockwell Group created the restaurant and bar spaces.
The collaborative effort of all of these firms resulted in a property that, purposefully or not, is bound to attract the Millennial crowd and those who up until now opted for Airbnb accommodations that promised affordability with a mix of local community.
"We designed Moxy for today's traveler. And that's not someone of a specific age. It's more of a modern traveler. That was really key to it. Although parts of hotel may appeal to a younger demographic, it's more about a state of mind than it is an age," Hochberg concluded.
"The rooms are beautiful. The public spaces offer a lot of fun activity and sense of community. And we're offering something very affordable for today's traveler who is a little more cost conscious."
Moxy Times Square is just the first of the planned Moxy properties. Additional locations will include Los Angles, Miami, and New York's Greenwich Village.
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