Marriott International announced the launch of the Moxy Hotels brand, the result of a partnership with Nordic Hospitality and Inter Ikea Group’s Inter Hospitality on Tuesday at the Berlin International Hotel Investment Forum.
Marriott International, Bethesda, Maryland, said the economy-tier brand is positioned to appeal to the Millennial Generation with “cheap and chic” design and rate structure as well as free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. Marriott partnered with Nordic Hospitality, Trollåsen, Norway, to conduct consumer research in Europe, including the construction of sample rooms for focus group studies. The brand was under development for two years.
“We see a huge opportunity to expand our market share in Europe with Moxy Hotels. The economy tier in Europe represents nearly half of total room supply, yet only 20% of these hotels are branded,” said Amy McPherson, president and managing director of Marriott International in Europe.
Nordic Hospitality, which already operates several Marriott-branded hotels in Scandinavia, will be the first franchisee to operate the brand. Marriott said that to grow the brand rapidly, it is working closely with Inter Hospitality who will be the initial developer and owner of the first Moxy Hotels properties. Inter Hospitality, Amsterdam, the property division of the Ikea furniture brand’s parent company Inter Ikea Group, Luxembourg, is investing US$500 million for 50 hotels in Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium and Austria.
The brand will debut in Italy, with the first Moxy Hotel expected to open in Milan in early 2014.
Marriott International told HOTELS in Berlin that Moxy Hotels is a new-build model only, not conversion and that the cost is around €45,000 (US$58,650) per key excluding land. Moxy Hotels will have between 150 to 300 guestrooms. Inter IKEA Group has developed a prefabricated, modular construction for the brand to lower construction costs of the new-build properties.
The guestrooms will include large flat screen televisions and built-in USB ports located within each wall socket. The guestroom color palette features neutral tones reminiscent of rich brown leather, combined with natural materials. Each room will also feature a floor to ceiling signature “art wall” selected to reflect the local city or surroundings.
Moxy Hotels will feature adaptable public spaces offering Continental breakfast and an evening bar featuring wines by the glass and local beers. In addition, hotels will have two “Plug and Meet” meeting spaces on the lobby level designed with ergonomic seating, large writing walls and 56-inch (142-cm) televisions for presentation projection. The lobby will include computers and a 24/7 market featuring snacks and drinks.
“No design element was too small to test with these tech-savvy consumers. We learned that these confident explorers are wildly self-sufficient, but still want a chance to connect with each other in inviting social spaces in person or digitally,” said Ramesh Jackson, brand vice president of Moxy Hotels.
Marriott said it plans to add 150 franchised Moxy Hotels in Europe over the next 10 years, aiming for locations in Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Italy, The Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.